I M Not Scared Film Techniques

Analysing the film ‘I’m Not Scared’, directed by Gabriele Salvatores, allows us to see how multiple different film techniques are used to display key themes, messages and ideas relevant to the film and our understanding of the text as a whole. One significant scene that utilises these techniques is the scene where our main character, Michele, frees the imprisoned Filippo.

The cinematography of the freedom scene is an important aspect which helps the audience to understand the characters and their emotions throughout the scene. Early on in this scene, multiple point-of-view shots are used to express the newly freed Filippo’s perspective; one example is a handheld point-of-view shot of the bright yellow cornfields, which, combined with the colour

A close-up shot of Filippo pretending to drive the blue van through the sky is an excellent example of this symbolism. The shot focuses on the toy van, which is ‘moving’ through a picture-perfect blue sky at Filippo’s hand, surrounded by fluffy clouds and sunlight. The shot furthers the idealistic feel of the scene and therefore shows how happy Filippo is as he drives the van through the sky, later shown to be laughing and smiling with Michele, whose facial expressions and body language also show his delight. The two boys play with the blue van in the cornfields and are clearly enjoying themselves immensely with the simple toy, demonstrating its role as a symbol of their joy. Later in the scene, Michele and Filippo are discovered to have escaped, and Michele is taken away; as he sits in the car, a close-up shot shows the audience Michele tossing his blue van away in the backseat and discarding it completely. This represents how his happiness has been lost now that he has been separated from Filippo; the blue van, which is a symbol of their freedom and pleasure, is discarded just as the two are torn apart from one another, therefore showing us that the joy they have experienced is gone when they do not have the liberty to be