Tuesday, May 26, 2020

The Film Punch Drunk Love By Paul Thomas Anderson

Sophia Marchese Film 1010 Essay #3 October 2015 There are many aspects that go into the art of filmmaking. Almost everything that the audience experiences in a film has significance in one way or another. Filmmakers use specific components in order to express thoughts and ideas through their work. These fundamentals of filmmaking typically contribute towards meaning. Audiences can draw multiple different meanings from a film, as everyone interprets things in their own way; but ultimately an overall implicit meaning can be understood by drawing attention to the techniques utilized by the filmmakers. This is true of the film Punch Drunk Love, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. This playfully twisted romantic comedy shows the†¦show more content†¦This establishes the idea that Barry is comfortable blending in with his surroundings in order to avoid standing out. It is the first demonstration of the character’s anti-social tendencies. This is also displayed by Barry’s framing in the long shot. He is positioned in the furthest corner of the room, giving a sense that his life is confined and isolated. The shadows on the right of the frame advance this idea of confinement by constructing the shot to make his office look almost like a cave, in which he feels most comfortable. Barry crosses the frame to walk towards the shadow, which eventually fills the screen with blackness until he opens the door to exit his office. This shot presents the idea that the outside world is very different from the safety of Barry’s cave. The second shot adds to this notion, as Barry immediately witnesses a brutal car crash as soon as he walks outside. Whenever he leaves the safety of his comfort zone, danger presents itself. This sequence does its job to categorize the main character as someone who does not seem capable of normal social interaction. This meaning that he is also incapable of love, or is too consumed with anxiety to look for it. The cinematography in these preliminary shots set u p meaning for the rest of the film. They do not establish the idea that Barry will soon fall in love, but instead show a person that is on the opposite spectrum and completely engaged by

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