Film Techniques in Gattaca Essay Example

The film Gattaca, directed by Andrew Niccol shows a dystopian society where a person’s genetics dictates every aspect of life. In this scene, the character Eugene is faced with a challenge. Eugene is paralysed from the legs down and has to pull himself up the stairs by his hands. The filmmakers use techniques such as camera angles, editing, and lighting to show how deeply flawed society is and how the characters live in it.

The filmmaker uses camera angles such as high-angle shots to emphasize the theme and tone of the scene. They have chosen to use camera angles to show the viewer how the scene is tense and uncomfortable. The scene starts with wide shots of the investigator’s car leaving for Eugene’s house, which introduces the time restraint that Eugene faces. Eugene is first shown in a close shot to emphasize his emotions, facial expressions, and his relationship with Vincent. Eugene is shown for most of the scene with wide-angle shots with slight to extreme high-angle shots. This is done to show Eugene as isolated and powerless in the situation he is in. Occasionally we are shown near shots of Eugene’s hand straining to hold onto the stairs or struggling to press the button to let the investigator in. This shows how he is struggling to do basic tasks and how weak he is. The scene ends with him sitting on a chair making himself look normal. The camera does not show the lower half of his body, the half that is disabled. This gives the appearance that Eugene is able-bodied and can pass as Vincent. One of the key themes of Gattaca is valid and invalid people, more specifically how they can intersect. Eugene is a valid who was disabled caused by a suicide attempt that has left him paralyzed. The filmmaker uses this scene to show how he is on his own, without the support of others, Eugene is powerless and must strain himself to complete everyday tasks. The camera angles accentuate how powerless and isolated he is at that moment. As a viewer, this makes you stressed and uneasy. Seeing Eugene pull himself up by his hands from angles used to show weakness diverts the audience’s expectations it shows how despite his disability he is strong and capable. The camera angles used in this scene subverts the audience’s expectations of what an action scene should be and shows different layers of Eugene’s character, both his strength and flaws.

The filmmaker uses editing to show the urgency of the scene and make the audience feel apprehensive. The long shots contrast the urgency of the scene. It creates an atmosphere of awkwardness as we watch Eugene. It helps us understand how physically slow Eugene is and makes the audience feel tense. Normally action scenes are fast-paced and cut often, the cuts becoming more common as the scene reaches its climax. Gattaca subverts this expectation with the frequency of scene cuts decreasing as the tension rises. The first minute of the scene has 16 shots, an average amount for the film. The second minute has 10 shots. The number of shots per minute decreases as Eugene is no longer in a wheelchair and cannot move as fast. The final minute only has 6 shots. These shots feel awkwardly long and make the audience uncomfortable. The final shot shows Eugene reaching the top of the stairs, answering the doorbell, and pulling himself into the chair. The final shot of the scene is 32 seconds long. The average shot length of a science fiction movie is 6.2 seconds. The director uses editing to show how Eugene is disadvantaged compared to others in the film. He was born with the correct genes and should be a top member of society. Instead, he has become disabled from the waist down. Usually, Eugene is assisted by a wheelchair and is seen moving at the same speed as others in the film. In this scene, he is stripped of that privilege and we as the audience are forced to see him struggle. The final shot is more than 5 times the average length of an ordinary scene in that genre. As a viewer this scene makes us feel uneasy. This scene subverts the viewer's expectations as to what a tense scene should be. The audience is left feeling like it is an action shot but something is missing. It makes us feel worried for Eugene and helps to raise the stakes because we subconsciously believe this action that needs to be done urgently is taking too long. The decreasing number of cuts per minute in the scene makes the scene interesting to watch because it is well suited to the abilities of Eugene. This helps the audience connect to the character.

The filmmaker uses music to help the audience make connections between this scene and other scenes in the movie. 

The lighting in the scene is used to show the character's relationship’s and the depressive nature of the world they live in. Through this scene, and the majority of Gattaca, the lighting has a yellow hue to it. This is most prevalent when the investigator is shown and least prevalent when Eugene is near the top of the stairs. At the beginning of the scene when Vincent calls Eugene both their faces are half-lit, half dark. This shows how they are both connected by secrets or hidden parts of themselves. The lighting in the scene is dull and depressing, this is used to show the dystopian nature of the society and how life is dull and bland in that world. The scene begins very dark and brightens as Eugene climbs the stairs. This reflects Eugene climbing the social hierarchy and becoming more visible to us. The yellow lighting makes the audience feel uncomfortable because it feels unnatural and like the planet, they live on is not earth. A key theme of Gattaca is how the society at first seems happy and a utopia, that is until the lives of people who are not privileged by the genetic testing are examined. Yellow represents happiness but it is used blandly, it makes the audience feels depressed. The lack of other colours in the scene adds to how the happiness shown in Gattaca is very superficial. The investigators are shown in the strongest yellow hue, this reflects the large role he plays in the punishment of the underprivileged. Eugene is shown in the least yellow light. This shows how he is the most disconnected from society out of the characters in Gattaca. His identity is used by someone else, making him free from society's expectations. The use of yellow lighting makes the audience feel depressed. It also highlights the dystopian nature of their society. Many futuristic science fiction movies are romanticised and shown as a beautiful place to live in. Gattaca subverts this by making its society extremely uniform and unappealing to the audience. It forces the audience to see the society for what it is and not focus on the positive aspects of the movie, such as the romance between Irene and Vincent. The lighting and colour work to strip the scene of any romanticism and idealism shown in Gattaca. By being visually unappealing and dark it shows the nature of the society as what it is and not as what it pretends to be.

The filmmakers in Gattaca use film techniques to help demonstrate the key themes and ideas such as discrimination and dystopian societies. The camera angles and the editing have a combined effect of emphasising Eugene’s disability and the lack of power he has in the society in Gattaca. Many shots in the scene are bird-eye shots that last uncomfortably long. This feels out of place in a high-stakes scene and subverts the audience’s expectations of what an action scene should look like. The music and colouring work together to emphasise the dystopian society that Gattaca is. The yellow lighting is used to create the false belief that it is a happy society. The lighting shows the audience how the happiness is fake and unappealing. This scene is void of romanticism and shows the society for what it is and not a glamorised version of it. Gattaca is a commentary on genetic engineering, it asks the viewer to question how far is too far. One of the ways it subtly does this is through its film techniques.