Analyse how visual techniques are
used to develop deeper ideas in a visual text you have studied.
In the film Samson and Delilah (2009) ideas are deeply developed by the director “Warwick Thornton”. The director has used visual film techniques to develop these ideas of how Samson’s young Aboriginal village life was, how substance abuse is done by aboriginal teenagers and how they face violence and danger in Alice Springs. The techniques of cinematography, use of props and make-up were used to express these.
The film technique of cinematography was used to develop the idea of how life for Samson was as a young aboriginal villager. Cinematography has been exhibited when Samson was exiled from his village after his bad behaviour he showed towards the elder villagers who had beaten up his love Delilah. Thornton used specific camera angles and shots to show Samson’s dislocation and distance form the small village. A mid-shot to show Samson and his emptiness for which petrol was a solution and then lastly a high angle long shot of the land ahead of Samson as he walked away from the camera. This high angle long-shot showed Samson’s physical long distance he has made between the village behind him and himself in the barren land and his seclusion from the society. These shots and angles help us acknowledge Samson’s emptiness and detachment from his cultural heritage which was his punishment for his misbehaviour or in the elder villagers’ point of view, lack of respect. This event enhanced by cinematography also represented the feeling of Aborigines all over Australia. So this is how cinematography was used to develop deeply the idea of the reality of Samson’s young aboriginal life in a village.
Props were secondly used by the director as a film technique to develop his idea of substance abuse among aboriginal teenagers throughout the film. One prop has been constantly on screen in the hands of either Samson or Delilah. Samson is a victim of substance abuse which is shown from the beginning of the film to the end with his can or bottle of petrol and also claimed by Delilah for a while. Delilah’s solution to her pain was the bottle of petrol. In the first shot of the film Samson wakes up, holds the can and dunks his nose in for a sniff to start his day. We could say petrol is his food that runs him. Thornton has used the prop to show how young Aborigines all over Australia are vulnerable to bad habits and how many young Aborigines’ lives are affected by these kinds of substances. It is because of Samson’s petrol sniffing that Delilah was run over by a car and was kidnapped and raped. Samson was physically present at those times yet the petrol had blurred his mind. Too much use of any substance could cause substance abuse. Samson with his misuse of petrol has over filled his mind and blurred it out having no notice of what’s happening to him inside or outside. This shows how props have been used to develop the idea of substance abuse by young Aborigines in the film.
Thornton used the technique of make-up to show the violence experienced by the young Aborigines in Alice Springs. The use of make-up has been obviously shown on Delilah after she returns after being kidnapped and raped. The night Delilah arrives back, she had a swollen left eye, blood on her teeth, cuts and bruising all over her face. This was all latex, stage blood and eye shadow. The detail of this injury was shown using a mid-shot which followed a long-shot of Delilah’s silhouette as she returned. The next morning however, we could see better the use of latex, stage blood etc in detail. We could see that more tissue paper and prosthetics were used to show more purple bruising on the swollen up eye area. Thornton overall was developing the idea of how violent and dangerous life on the streets of Alice Springs for young Aborigines which again can be related to the film’s purpose. So this shows the deep development of the idea, by the use of make-up.
In conclusion the visual techniques were used by Warwick Thornton to develop deeply these not so positive ideas of how Samson’s young Aboriginal village life was, how substance abuse is done by aboriginal teenagers and how they face violence and danger in Alice Springs. Cinematography, props and make-up were used to convey these ideas... Thornton used these techniques and more to show the world and Australia what aborigines actually go through in their daily lives, including the abandonment from their families or societies, the violence on the streets of rural areas and how some young aborigines are affect by bad habits like substance abuse. Thornton wanted show the people in Australia what was hidden, what they didn’t know. I think the way that Warwick Thornton showed the life of a young Aborigine was really effective.
In the film Samson and Delilah (2009) ideas are deeply developed by the director “Warwick Thornton”. The director has used visual film techniques to develop these ideas of how Samson’s young Aboriginal village life was, how substance abuse is done by aboriginal teenagers and how they face violence and danger in Alice Springs. The techniques of cinematography, use of props and make-up were used to express these.
The film technique of cinematography was used to develop the idea of how life for Samson was as a young aboriginal villager. Cinematography has been exhibited when Samson was exiled from his village after his bad behaviour he showed towards the elder villagers who had beaten up his love Delilah. Thornton used specific camera angles and shots to show Samson’s dislocation and distance form the small village. A mid-shot to show Samson and his emptiness for which petrol was a solution and then lastly a high angle long shot of the land ahead of Samson as he walked away from the camera. This high angle long-shot showed Samson’s physical long distance he has made between the village behind him and himself in the barren land and his seclusion from the society. These shots and angles help us acknowledge Samson’s emptiness and detachment from his cultural heritage which was his punishment for his misbehaviour or in the elder villagers’ point of view, lack of respect. This event enhanced by cinematography also represented the feeling of Aborigines all over Australia. So this is how cinematography was used to develop deeply the idea of the reality of Samson’s young aboriginal life in a village.
Props were secondly used by the director as a film technique to develop his idea of substance abuse among aboriginal teenagers throughout the film. One prop has been constantly on screen in the hands of either Samson or Delilah. Samson is a victim of substance abuse which is shown from the beginning of the film to the end with his can or bottle of petrol and also claimed by Delilah for a while. Delilah’s solution to her pain was the bottle of petrol. In the first shot of the film Samson wakes up, holds the can and dunks his nose in for a sniff to start his day. We could say petrol is his food that runs him. Thornton has used the prop to show how young Aborigines all over Australia are vulnerable to bad habits and how many young Aborigines’ lives are affected by these kinds of substances. It is because of Samson’s petrol sniffing that Delilah was run over by a car and was kidnapped and raped. Samson was physically present at those times yet the petrol had blurred his mind. Too much use of any substance could cause substance abuse. Samson with his misuse of petrol has over filled his mind and blurred it out having no notice of what’s happening to him inside or outside. This shows how props have been used to develop the idea of substance abuse by young Aborigines in the film.
Thornton used the technique of make-up to show the violence experienced by the young Aborigines in Alice Springs. The use of make-up has been obviously shown on Delilah after she returns after being kidnapped and raped. The night Delilah arrives back, she had a swollen left eye, blood on her teeth, cuts and bruising all over her face. This was all latex, stage blood and eye shadow. The detail of this injury was shown using a mid-shot which followed a long-shot of Delilah’s silhouette as she returned. The next morning however, we could see better the use of latex, stage blood etc in detail. We could see that more tissue paper and prosthetics were used to show more purple bruising on the swollen up eye area. Thornton overall was developing the idea of how violent and dangerous life on the streets of Alice Springs for young Aborigines which again can be related to the film’s purpose. So this shows the deep development of the idea, by the use of make-up.
In conclusion the visual techniques were used by Warwick Thornton to develop deeply these not so positive ideas of how Samson’s young Aboriginal village life was, how substance abuse is done by aboriginal teenagers and how they face violence and danger in Alice Springs. Cinematography, props and make-up were used to convey these ideas... Thornton used these techniques and more to show the world and Australia what aborigines actually go through in their daily lives, including the abandonment from their families or societies, the violence on the streets of rural areas and how some young aborigines are affect by bad habits like substance abuse. Thornton wanted show the people in Australia what was hidden, what they didn’t know. I think the way that Warwick Thornton showed the life of a young Aborigine was really effective.