GCSE Romeo & Juliet Media Piece?
Yeah.. a piece I did last year. Revisited and completely re-did it. Spent quite some time on it..
Romeo And Juliet Media Assignment
An up to date blockbuster compared to an old classic, it may seem unfair to judge one against the other given the 50-year gap between the makings of each. However, though the technology has moved on, the basic techniques of film making especially those of story telling seem to have changed little since Shakespeare’s time.
Baz Lurhmann begins the prologue with an old TV. He wants the audience to feel as if they have control over the film. The audience slowly draw nearer to the television, literally drawing them into the film. In the top right of the television screen is a ring that is broken in two, this represents Romeo and Juliet and how they are to be torn apart or it could also represent the end of the feud between the two families, as Romeo and Juliet have both died and that the prologue had explained that only after they had both died will the feud be resolved; therefore breaking the cycle which is shown as a broken ring.
“Do with their death bury their parents' strife…
…Which, but their children's end, nought could remove”
At the same time a formal black female news reporter is on the screen; straight away this shows the audience how times have moved on since Zefirelli’s version. You would have never seen a black or female person on television at such a time. She speaks the words from the prologue, telling the audience the context and backdrop of the forthcoming scenes.
“In fair Verona, where we lay our scene…
…A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life.”
The prologue also makes it clear that there is long running feud between the two families; Montagues and Capulets.
“From ancient grudge break to new mutiny”
A similar technique is also used on Frank Zefirelli's version, but rather than a television he uses the sun. The camera gently zooms into the sun, again drawing the audience into the film. The prologue begins and a peaceful narrator sets the scene using the same extract from Shakespeare’s prologue. In Zefirelli’s version the tone is much calmer and subtle, giving a clear indication as to the tone of the forthcoming film. This is a stark contrast to Luhrmann’s opening, which suggests to the audience a film that is far harder edged and stylised.
In Lurhmann’s version, straight after the television veers off screen, a bold white font on a black backdrop appears in violent flashes displaying keywords from the prologue accompanied by images of the two opposing towers of Montague and Capulet. The contrast of white text against a black background reflects the opposing views of the Montagues and Capulets. The height of the towers symbolises the power and wealth they have over the city. The director makes this obvious by making the towers dominate the skyline and all the other buildings appear rundown. Also in the scene is a statue of Christ; positioned between the to towers, indicating a strong religious element in both families. It is possible that religion is the reason why both families are at war. As the film unfolds it becomes apparent that the Capulets represent a Catholic view whilst the Montagues a more Protestant view.
Lurhmann’s opening focuses mainly on visual themes; his prologue places an emphasis on the themes that his film will focus on: love, action, deception, tragedy and conflict. Zefirelli try’s to stay as true to the novel as possible and doesn’t apply his own style and interpretation like Lurhmann does.
Simultaneously, Franco Zefirelli’s uses a camera to sweep over the city of Verona. He uses a calm, peaceful setting for his version of the film to give the conventional sense of a love story. A rustic font crawls on the screen with the words 'Romeo & Juliet'. Although the directors show their names, they choose not to show Romeo and Juliet (the main characters) because the audience is already, naturally interested in them so this keeps you in suspense and makes their eventual arrival on screen more special. Another reason for this is to show the individual family members first so that we can immediately notice that Romeo and Juliet are different, they break the ‘mould’ of their respective families and ultimately these differences draw them together.
The music in Baz Lurhmann’s version is used in sync with the images to give more of an impact to the audience. Because of the more aggressive music used, it gives the initial impression that the film is harder edged than Zefirelli’s version. He uses a crescendo at the pinnacle of the prologue where the line ‘TAKE THEIR LIFE’ comes into view. Although the news reporter has already told the audience this, because it is positioned so that the only thing the audience can take in is that statement, it makes it more powerful; the realisation sinks in..
*unfinished from here...*
To summarize, Zefirelli has stayed truer to the text than Baz Lurhmann. Baz Lurhmann has his own style and interpretation that he applies to his films and in doing so has missed out some aspects of the novel but has depicted and emphasized key scenes throughout the play.
- Joe Grainger
