ipl-logo

Children Of Men By Alfonso Cuaron: Film Analysis

1279 Words6 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The role of music in movies

“I can’t really remember when I last had hope” says Theo, referring to the fact that women cannot have babies anymore. It may seem that the hope was gone, but Theo shows the viewers that anything is possible if one tries. Children of Men directed by Alfonso Cuaron is an action packed movie filled with mystery and suspense. Theo, the protagonist, is destined to complete his mission, but is it possible with all of the conflicts that block his path? The importance of hope is the key. Through the proficient use of film techniques such as long takes, lighting, and sound, Cuaron accurately elucidates the importance of preserving hope.

One of the key film techniques used to show the importance of hope is lighting. This approach is used to create …show more content…

Different sounds have different effects on viewers. Non-diegetic sound cannot be heard by characters, only by the viewers. This technique makes the audience think about what the sound may mean in connection to the story. Different sounds can create different moods. Different sounds may include music and sound effects. While the baby is being born, a strong music is being played. The song suddenly begins when the baby is released from Kee. It has a slow and relaxing beat. The sudden start of music symbolizes the sudden feeling of hope that went through the characters when the baby was born. The slow and calm factor emphasizes the importance of keeping hope within one’s self. Diegetic sound is a type of noise that both viewers and characters can hear. This technique shows how the characters feel. It can also create signs of foreshadowing. During Jasper’s death scene, following the departure of his cousin, Theo, he re-enters his house. When settled inside, he reaches for the music remote and starts playing “Ruby Tuesday” by Franco Battiato. This song has a depressed sound to it. Jared grabs his suicide kit, bringing it to the paralyzed lady sitting beside him. With the lyrics “I’m gonna miss you” being repeated in this song, it shows the viewers what he is doing to his peers and pet, killing them. This scene demonstrates how Jasper had no hope left in him. His choices were death. This shows the viewers the importance of hope because regarding Jasper, if one does not contain hope, no goals will be achieved. Sound is a key factor in this film regarding explaining the theme of importance of hope. By using multiple forms of sound, Cuaron distributes the theme

Show More
Related

Non Diegetic Sound In Moonlight

637 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout Moonlight, the use of both diegetic sound from Chiron's perspective and non-diegetic music are utilized to help create a sense of intimacy and identification with Chiron. Despite the scarce and scattered dialogue from Chiron throughout the course of the film, the audience is able to gain a well-rounded sense of his emotions and thoughts through the use of Chiron's first-person diegetic sound and the non-diegetic score, which help to place the audience inside Chiron's mind and gain an implicit rather than explicit sense of his thoughts and feelings. The lack of copious of dialogue from Chiron's character is an artistic choice that creates a greater dependence on other elements of sound to tell the story and characterize Chiron. The diegetic sound the audience experiences from Chiron's perspective helps give the audience a sense of Chiron's tendency to revert inward during stressful situations and tune the world out. Hearing the sound

Read More

Lack Of Sound In The Film, M By Fritz Lang

1213 Words | 5 Pages

All the sound in the film was diegetic sound, in that all the sounds made during this film, came from the world in that film, and no sound came from an exterior source. This film was Lang’s first sound film, and some attribute the lack of a score for the film to Lang’s inexperience with sound films, however in this particular scene, the lack of dramatic music playing in the background heightened the level of tension and emotions during the scene. Lang was able to use the characters’ dialog as a soundtrack to the film, and would also use the silence of the film to emphasize other sequences. At the beginning of the scene, Lang manages to segue smoothly from the previous scene to this one by having Franz’s voice over inter-cut with the visual of himself sitting in Lohmann’s office to the abandoned building. Also, when Beckert is first brought down to the basement, he turns around to see a group of people silently staring directly at him.

Read More

Visual Analysis Of The Family By Romare Bearden

801 Words | 4 Pages

The father is covered in a dark blue he is shrouded in despair. The mother gives off warmth due to her red dress. The greyness of the baby is apparent in the mother left hand and the father’s right hand giving an idea of protection and purity. The colors deliver a feeling of uncertainty with the dullness of the walls to the despair of the parents and the shadows through the

Read More

Hall Of The Mountain King Leitmotifs

1446 Words | 6 Pages

By the 1930’s films could play synchronized sounds with the actions; this meant that movies could use sound, music, and speech to add depth and intensity to the plot of the movie. The movie M by Frizt Lang excellently displays the combination of all the different aspects of storytelling. Lang’s sophisticated methods of manipulating sound is the reason why sound plays such a vital in today’s cinema.

Read More

Sound Used In The Movie Up

521 Words | 3 Pages

In addition, sound and music also successfully develop the mood of the montage through sound mixing. During the montage of Carl and Ellie’s married life, after Ellie’s miscarriage, there is a scene showing Carl and Ellie depositing coins into a jar which helps demonstrate the optimistic mood of the

Read More

Tim Burton Research Paper

731 Words | 3 Pages

Tim Burton, a well-known film director has created a diverse amount of movies with a dark twist to further enhance its storyline. Tim Burton’s films use many stylistic devices to portray its unique stories, but his exceptional use of shots and framing, music and lighting are what avail him to achieve the effects of mood and tone, causing viewers to stay glued to the screen. To start, color is the most beneficial and powerful element that a director can manipulate to develop a story or a motion-picture. Whether it is the costumes, props, sets or even if the entire setting or shot is tinted in the editing process, the lighting plays or attributes to how viewers see and interpret those colors. A few examples include the following films, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Edward Scissorhands.

Read More

Analysis Of The Film Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans

1061 Words | 5 Pages

The use of visual cinematics allows F.W. Murnau to create a film that shows the main characters being lost, then eventually found, within the setting of a modern frontier. Murnau argues, through the use of the film, that the boundaries between love and lust, city and country, and even life and death are not as distinct as one may believe, and that they cannot be contained by defined

Read More

Bend It Like Beckham Hero's Journey Essay

789 Words | 4 Pages

The movie teaches us to never give up on our dreams. These elements in the Hero’s Journey and Bend it Like Beckham directly impact what I will be talking about. In the Hero’s Journey, the hero must deal with

Read More

Visual Design In Alfonso Cuaron's Film Children Of Men

312 Words | 2 Pages

Alfonso Cuaron's film Children of Men uses visual design to reinforce the theme that there are no children in the future world. In the opening scene of Children of Men, the future in 2027 is being represented as a grey and dull scene. A TV screen news reports the untimely death of baby Diego, the youngest born individual since the world became sterile. A crowd in a cafe watches the news report with tearful and shocked expressions. This opening sequence memorably ends with a long-take tracking our main character, Theo, outside the cafe.

Read More

Setting In The Film 'Children Of Men' By Alfonso Cuaron

778 Words | 4 Pages

Setting in a film is vital in order to understand the characters. In the film “Children of Men” narrated by Alfonso Cuaron, the dystopian setting in London 20207 in the near future helped me understand the main character of Theo. This essay will describe the opening scene where Theo lives his own life, when he protects Kee after telling him that she is pregnant and the closing scene where he sacrifices his life for her in the civil war against the government and the political party “Fishes”. The film begins with Theo exiting a coffee shop while a crowd of people watched the news about the youngest person to pass away called Diego (2009-2027).

Read More

Orson Welles Use Of Film Techniques In Citizen Kane

875 Words | 4 Pages

For example where Orson Welles uses the lighting to affect the mood is where when Charlie Kane is writing his Declaration of Principles. The Declaration of Principles says that, “Mr. Kane will provide the freedom and uphold the citizens’ rights”. As he is writing his document the lighting of the in the room hides Kane’s face and there is a feeling of uncertainty while he is writing his document. The sound that effects the mood has great importance in all movies, especially in Citizen Kane. One example where the sound is affects the mood is where Mr. Kane is having the dinner with all if his workers.

Read More

Fate In Minority Report

1665 Words | 7 Pages

The director used the background sound and many filmmaking stiles in a matter whereas to fill the audience with mystery, suspense and drama thought the movie. The main theme was a challenge to understand in the beginning of the movie, but as the movie moved along towards the end it became clearer and clearer. This movie had many themes some are related to free will, other are moved towards the idea that nothing is perfect. Although the many themes the theme that from the begging towards the end that appeared over and over again, was that we make our own destiny, we choose where life takes us, nothing is set in stone for we are free to decide what we

Read More

Moonris Hollywood Style Analysis

1661 Words | 7 Pages

I consider the objective of this film’s narrative to be motivation to follow your dreams, even if you may not completely make it, or it makes other people

Read More

Badlands And Modern Times Comparison

1207 Words | 5 Pages

Paper #2: Comparing and Contrasting Badlands and Modern Times In the film Badlands by Terrence Malick and Modern Times by Charlie Chaplin both use sound effectively. In our book, sound is described by “Sound-talking, laughing, singing, music, and the aural effects of objects and settings-can be as expressive as any of the other narrative and stylistic elements of cinematic form” (Barsam, Monahan 388). Sound can also create audience expectation, give a point of view, create continuity, emotion, and emphasis. In Badlands, the sound shows the disconnect in the relationship of the characters and what we see.

Read More

Film 'Abre Los Ojos': Film Analysis

1423 Words | 6 Pages

In the film, “Abre los Ojos (1997),” César often claims that there is “no explanation” (Amenábar) for what has happened to him. Even though he may not believe it, César’s life is psychologically determined. He is extremely confident because he grew up wealthy and handsome, and always had everything handed to him. When César’s entire life flips after a car accident, he does not know how to deal with it because he is not used to losing to his best friend, Pelayo, and feeling unwanted. César is often questioned what happiness is to him.

Read More

More about Children Of Men By Alfonso Cuaron: Film Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document