KMHS LITERACY LEGENDS:
Student name: Chill Kettle
What can you tell us about this piece of work?
This writing was an essay describing the techniques and strategies used in the Great Gatsby film.
What is your favourite thing about English?
I enjoy being creative and expressing emotion.
What are you reading at the moment?
I am currently halfway through the autobiography of Flea, the bass player from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
What is your favourite book and why?
Although I haven't finished reading it, I am really enjoying 'Acid for the Children', the autobiography I mentioned above because of his wide range of experiences.
Discuss the purpose and evaluate the effectiveness of the film techniques Baz Luhrmann uses in The Great Gatsby
The 2013 work The Great Gatsby, a film produced and directed by Baz Luhrmann, uses an array of both strong and subtle techniques and strategies to aid in carrying meaning and emotion. Everything from the soundtrack, to the lighting, to the camera angles were tailored to direct a certain feeling or idea through the audience as they view the film. These seemingly miniscule parts of a movie can actually play a crucial part in the overall effectiveness of themes and emotions throughout and have been used effectively in this text, as will be displayed when some of these techniques are discussed. One of the strongest in fact being the aspect not visible to the eye.
Produced and co-produced by Baz Luhrmann, the director of the film, and Jay-Z, a well-known, successful musician, the sound track of The Great Gatsby has been created with the intent of combining elements of classic 1920s Jazz and modern day Hip-Hop. They decided on this fusion as Hip-Hop is as close as a comparison as they could find when it comes to the feeling the music gave to listeners during this period. Hip-Hop mirrored the fascination of money, power, violence and sex that were newly prominent in the underground Jazz scene during the 1920s, while also providing with a unique and engaging sound. Luhrmann worked with a little known Jazz band/orchestra called the Bryan Ferry orchestra when recreating recordings of original jazz pieces with audio quality suitable for production in a film, and also to keep true to the key elements of Jazz when creating new fusion pieces. The collaboration between this type of Jazz band and big name mainstream artists Baz felt was perfect to fill the position he needed in a soundtrack and to keep a modern day audience engaged, while also introducing them to these jazzy elements and evoke the same feeling of excitement and rebelliousness.
Every part of a musical work is crucial to the way it interacts with an audience, from the general style and genre, to the dynamic level and aspects as small as the timbre or characteristics of an instrument used. Luhrmann made sure to make use of every musical element he could where possible and worked it into the film. For example, during Gatsby’s party, the pieces are much louder and more upbeat than normal, written in major keys to convey excitement and happiness, causing the characters to have to yell over the top when communicating. An instance where the music is interacting with how the story is told. The film makes great use of a majority of these strategies and the music behind it enforces strongly the messages and emotions, while also blending them well with other mood setting techniques like lighting.
Writers and directors have to make use of film design techniques that effect an audience subconsciously when trying to get their meaning across, a great example of this is the different lighting scenes implemented during certain events throughout the movie. While the viewer may not realise it at the time, light instantly creates the idea of a particular perspective or feeling directed at a character or setting which can then be built on further. Some examples that provide a good contrast from the text are most appearances of Daisy, and on the opposite of the spectrum, scenes set in the Valley of Ashes. Scenes featuring Daisy generally are bright, well lit and have a warm yellowish colour to them, which instantly builds a sense of easy going, care free happiness. Characters are lit in complimentary ways as to not create much shadow over the face or body, bringing them to full attention and focusing on positive emotion in their faces. Scenes in the Valley of Ashes on the other hand are dark and gloomy, the light colour focused around Greys and dark hues of Blue. Shadows are intentionally cast over portions of a character’s face to generate mystery and represent the shady occurrences that happen within the valley, usually displaying the sadness and anger associated with the area.
Similar applications of the lighting are used to manipulate a viewer’s position surrounding an event, which “side” they take. When Gatsby recounts accidentally killing a lady in the car with Daisy, he is highlighted while Daisy is in shadow, made to almost blend into the dark background, bringing focus onto him, associating him with that event, even though Daisy was the culprit. The way elements that are seen to a regular audience member as not largely significant can be manipulated or used to bring greater meaning and understanding to the plot of a film is what makes The Great Gatsby so highly regarded and successful in its industry.
Baz Luhrmann and his team’s ability to use the few techniques mentioned to expand on and build depth in the film’s plot has resulted in multiple awards, the achievement of Luhrmann’s highest grossing film to date and much praise from other industry professionals. An incredible amount of thought has gone into every detail ensuring the elements mesh and work together to contribute to the success of the film. They have been used effectively in the right context and this can be seen consistently throughout the text with little to no flaw, creating a stable platform for the plot and its emotion to be conveyed upon.
By Chilli Kettle 10F