The scene that I chose to analyse is one of the most captivating scenes in Australian director, Peter Weir’s, The Truman Show. Through effective acting, camera techniques, sounds, lighting and careful mise en scène, the scene informally named, “Do Something” is a critical segment in the movie. The scene shows Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) completely lose his sanity in front of his wife, a moment that the previous tension built up for.
The scene begins with an eye level mid shot of Meryl Burbank (Laura Linney) standing in the kitchen. She is standing with her arms leaning on the counter behind her. The kitchen itself is presented as a welcoming environment with earthy tones and warm lighting being utilised. This alludes to the audience that the …show more content…
The setting shows Truman sitting around a table, surrounded by 6 windows, each with the blinds closed. This effective use of horizontal and vertical lines surrounding Truman is a clear metaphor for Truman feeling trapped in his life. Truman is so confused in this scene and is trying to determine why the world seemingly revolves around him. Weir so cleverly dressed Truman in a striped shirt under his jacket, showing that he feels trapped with himself and is struggling with his own identity. Above Truman’s head is a centrepiece light, very bright, in the shape of a dome. This centrepiece is fairly ambiguous, but it could supposedly represent how Truman’s life revolves around insincerity and a false presentation of the ‘real …show more content…
The camera then cuts to Meryl’s button camera, showing a mid close up of Truman. His face is sweaty and red as he starts to yell, indicating to the audience that Truman has finally lost his patience, he’s gone mad over his situation. The camera cuts to Meryl picking up a ‘chef’s aid’ and uses it as a weapon against Truman, threatening him. The segment next moves to a high angle mid long shot of the couple as they circle each other, trying to intimidate one another. The camera creatively zooms out from the shot and shows a TV screen depicting what we as the audience would see in real life. Truman and Meryl are shown on the TV as Truman holds Meryl in a one arm headlock. The camera continues to zoom out, as a non diegetic, high pitched sound starts ringing to intensify the scene. The tension is undeniably at its highest in this
The scene begins with an eye level mid shot of Meryl Burbank (Laura Linney) standing in the kitchen. She is standing with her arms leaning on the counter behind her. The kitchen itself is presented as a welcoming environment with earthy tones and warm lighting being utilised. This alludes to the audience that the …show more content…
The setting shows Truman sitting around a table, surrounded by 6 windows, each with the blinds closed. This effective use of horizontal and vertical lines surrounding Truman is a clear metaphor for Truman feeling trapped in his life. Truman is so confused in this scene and is trying to determine why the world seemingly revolves around him. Weir so cleverly dressed Truman in a striped shirt under his jacket, showing that he feels trapped with himself and is struggling with his own identity. Above Truman’s head is a centrepiece light, very bright, in the shape of a dome. This centrepiece is fairly ambiguous, but it could supposedly represent how Truman’s life revolves around insincerity and a false presentation of the ‘real …show more content…
The camera then cuts to Meryl’s button camera, showing a mid close up of Truman. His face is sweaty and red as he starts to yell, indicating to the audience that Truman has finally lost his patience, he’s gone mad over his situation. The camera cuts to Meryl picking up a ‘chef’s aid’ and uses it as a weapon against Truman, threatening him. The segment next moves to a high angle mid long shot of the couple as they circle each other, trying to intimidate one another. The camera creatively zooms out from the shot and shows a TV screen depicting what we as the audience would see in real life. Truman and Meryl are shown on the TV as Truman holds Meryl in a one arm headlock. The camera continues to zoom out, as a non diegetic, high pitched sound starts ringing to intensify the scene. The tension is undeniably at its highest in this