The makers of the film Chicken Run use presentational devices to give the audience clues about the characters and action in the film.
During this essay I am going to analyse how the film makers have used camera angles, costume, lighting, setting, music, sound effects and character interaction to create a more meaningful atmosphere for the audience. I will look specifically at how Ginger is portrayed as a good character and how Mrs Tweedy is portrayed as an evil one.Presentational devices are essential as to how a film is interpreted by the audience; they help to identify a character by their class, background, and genre as well how the character interacts with others. An example of a presentational device is the setting in which the production is presented. The setting of a film is as important as the human characters in many cases, and often more so, are the places where action occurs both as identifiable locations and for what they represent or the feelings associated with them.
In some kinds of film the setting is grand and colourful (like in a casino) while in others (like horror films) it may be narrow and claustrophobic. The set of Chicken Run gives the impression of a prison with wire fences surrounding the coup and small huts to live in. A further example of a presentational device is the costume, which is used to identify the character to the audience. The costume that a character wears can also help us to make decisions about the characters class, background, gender, and age.An example in chicken run of when a costume is used as a presentational device is the outfit that Mrs Tweedy wears. It is drab and severe her casual clothes look prim and uniformed in fashion, very much like the character, which she plays.
The audience can relate her personality and her dress sense to make a decision as to whether the character is good or bad. In sharp contrast to this Ginger wears a hat and a scarf this creates a motherly image which we can associate with her warm and loving personality.An additional example of a presentational device is the lighting, which is used to enhance either the character or the setting of the film it can also be used to create special effects. Lighting also changes the mood of a scene for example, a blue hue over the scene can create a feeling of shadow.
The lighting used in a film refers to the illumination of a camera subject being filmed. Lighting can be natural or artificial as well as being very bright (high key lighting) or dark (low key lighting).Fill light may be used to supplement other lighting on parts of the scene that the key light doesn't cover. Backlighting lights the subject from behind, creating a halo or silhouette effect while leaving the face in shadow.
An example of the silhouette effect used in chicken run was when Mrs Tweedy took into the barn to be executed and all we could see was Mrs Tweedy's shadow with an axe in one hand and the chicken in the other. Music is used to create a mood, for example, music that starts off at a low tempo and gradually increases can be used to create a sense of tension.Music can also be used in contrast with other presentational devices such as camera angles to create a sense of tension in a film. For example, to create a sense of tension the camera angle could zoom in as the tone of the music increases.
Music enhances the story line and creates the emotion and ambience in a film. In Chicken Run at the start when Ginger tries to escape the music "The Great Escape" starts to play- the effect that this has is that it helps us understand their plight, as it is rousing and rhythmic. Another presentational device used by film makers is character interaction.This reveals how characters interact with other characters.
Character interaction is a good way for the audience to find more out about a character it is often the case that a character reveals their deepest feelings and emotion to other characters. This is deliberatly put in place by the makers of the film to catch the attention of the audience and allow them to make decisions about relationships. The first time we see Ginger she is shown trying to escape from the coup but she is foiled in her attempt to escape and is thrown into solitary confinement.This gives the impression of a prison because there is wire fencing all the way round the coup as well as two guard dogs patrolling the perimeter of the coup. After her first attempt to escape the makers of Chicken Run cleverly put together a series of other escape attempts all with the same outcome.
During these escape attempts the tune "the great escape" starts to play, at a low tempo at first but then the tempo increases. The music is dramatic, and rousing, as well as inspiring, and it is also informative for the audience.As the sequence starts to draw to an end the lighting starts to change from bright to dark this also changes the mood as well from jolly to serious and as the coal bunker that Ginger has been thrown into slams shut it thuds loudly and dramatically halting the music. The sound effect of the lid closing makes the audience feel sorry for Ginger and we are also starting to understand the plight that the chickens are in.
In the second scene all the chickens are made to stand to attention (like they're in the army) for inspection. Mr and Mrs Tweedy slowly walk along the row of anxious Chickens.The audience can hear Mrs Tweedy's every footstep, the tension then starts to intensify before her footsteps start to increase. When Mrs Tweedy suddenly stops the chicken that she stops in front of starts to shake violently. Mrs Tweedy then clutches the chicken by the neck and heads towards the barn. All the other Chickens breathe a sigh of relief but then immediately focus their attentions towards the barn where the other chicken was carried.
Ginger then shows her strength as a leader and a role model towards the other chickens by taking a direct approach and she climbs onto the barn roof and peers through a gap in the roof.Here we see Mrs Tweedy cleverly disguised in silhouette to make her look scary to the audience . She has the chicken in one hand and an axe in the other. The camera then zooms in on Ginger her face beholds a look of horror as we hear a loud thud. This is the sound of the axe coming down on the chickens' neck. The chicken coup is in a subdued atmosphere as the scene draws to a close.
During this scene the audience have witnessed a whole host of presentational devices. We have seen countless close-ups of characters and we have also seen a lot more of Mrs tweedy in this scene.An additional presentational device used in this scene was the silhouette effect, which made Mrs Tweedy look more evil this also made the audience feel sorry for the chickens When Rocky enters the frame Ginger sees him as her ticket out of the coup. Rocky is portrayed as a hero because the makers of Chicken Run dress him up in bold clothes so that he stands out from all the other chickens and this also makes him identifiable to the audience. Rockys American accent also adds to this. He is almost the American heartthrob that appears in teenage romance movies.
Ginger however, is portrayed as feminine when she falls prey to his masculine charms. When Rocky flies into the coup all of the chickens stand back in amazement and Rocky accepts his plaudits but then Ginger shows her imagination and vision by asking Rocky if he can teach her and the other Chickens how to fly. Rocky straight away jumps onto the offensive by refusing to have anything to do with Ginger's scheme. But as they approach the wire fencing and Rocky is about to take off and fly away the guard dogs see Rocky and start barking.
Ginger and Rocky then dart off to the other side of the coup where they both overhear a conversation between the manager of the circus where Rocky came from and Mrs Tweedie. The manager of the circus says to Mrs Tweedy that Rocky is very valuable Mrs Tweedy then says that she will do all she can to find Rocky while she is saying this the camera slowly starts to zoom in on Mrs Tweedy and her eyes start to glow devilishly. Ginger then lays all her cards out on the table and tells Rocky that if he doesn't teach the chickens to fly then she will not hide him and she will cluck loudly to tell Mrs Tweedy that he is in the coup.Here Ginger's character becomes more aggressive but to get what she wants she uses controlled aggression so it is almost like she's bribing Rocky.
Rocky then has no choice and reluctantly agrees to the offer. Later on in the film Mrs Tweedy announces a new invention that will change the face of the farm forever. She addresses her husband very formally and calls him Mr Tweedy she the says that she is sick of selling eggs for minuscule profits and announces the revolutionary new invention of a machine that can turn the chickens into pies as she says this the tone of her voice is very aggressive.This is also the first time we see Mrs Tweedy smile. However this makes Mrs Tweedy look desperate to make money even though it means killing the chickens this makes the audiences sympathy move towards the chickens this also makes the audience think Mrs Tweedy is evil.
The camera then has an extra close up on her, the close up reveals her as a ambitious, ruthless, money hungry character. However this shows that on the farm she is boss and by introducing this new idea she is exercising her superiority over the farm. She then leaves Mr Tweedy to put it together.As the film starts to develop the chickens again line up for inspection Babbs confesses to Ginger that she hasn't had the time to lay any eggs because of the flying lessons that she has been taking Ginger is obviously concerned by this but Rocky is hounding her about where to hide.
Ginger then shows that she is normal and her relentless patience with Rocky finally comes to a crashing end and she tells Rocky to hide himself. Mrs Tweedie slowly walks along the row of chickens her loud steps and black leather boots slamming on ground to create a sense of tension.Mrs Tweedy then analyses each one but as Ginger feared she suddenly stops when she gets to Babbs. But to everyone's surprise Mrs Tweedy brings a measuring tape from behind her back and measures the waist size of Babbs and she then shows her indiscretion by telling Mr Tweedy she wants every chicken to be the same size as Babbs.
Mr Tweedy then brings out a big bag of chicken feed for the chickens to indulge themselves with. Ginger then shows her observational skills and tells the Chickens that the attempt by Mrs Tweedy to give them more seed was a ploy to fatten them up for slaughter.All of a sudden the coup goes quiet and the Chickens leave the seed alone and they all seem to be in a state of shock at Ginger's powerful choice of words. Rocky tells Ginger to lighten up but Ginger responds by saying that she cares about what happens to the chickens. When they return the coup is still in a state of shock and some of the chickens are seen to be rolling around on the floor because they have ate too much seed.
This makes us feel sorry for the chickens and it also makes us understand their plight.Ginger is nervous around Rocky because when she is on the roof with him after escaping from Mrs Tweedy and saving Rocky from being put in the oven she says thankyou to him but she then goes red. After this she shares her ambitions with him and says that all she's ever wanted to do was escape from the coup and be free and that he is their last chance of successfully completing that ambition. After that Rocky then calls her by her real name instead of "doll face" and she is filled with affection.The audience is now seeing how Ginger interacts towards Rocky and they also see how the relationship between Rocky and Ginger has become stronger. When Ginger finds out that Rocky has left she feels hurt and betrayed.
Later on as she is organising what her latest escape plan might be she sees a poster of Rocky on the wall. The makers of Chicken Run cleverly include soft music to co-inside with Ginger's facial expression. The camera also slowly zooms in. As the music starts to quicken and the tone of the music gradually increases Ginger shows her creativity and imagination by announcing to the chickens that they are to make a crate.The chickens show their respect for Ginger because they are all hard at work trying to accomplish this.
Then a chicken calls Ginger "doll face" the name Rocky used to call her Ginger then glances at Rocky's poster this shows that she has feelings for Rocky because her facial expression also changes from one of joy to one of sorrow this gives the audience the impression that Ginger has feelings for Rocky. Ginger then shows her strength of character by putting all that to the back of her mind and leading the revolt. She also encourages Fowler to fly the crate.The music starts to play rather dramatically as they are escaping and there are changes of camera angle because the camera keeps switching between both the bottom and the top of the crate the lighting also keeps changing because it shows you the outside of the crate and then it then shows you the inside this gives the whole saga a more dramatic effect.
Then all of a sudden as, the crate is about to take off, Rocky appears on the scene Ginger then shows two different types of emotions towards him. First she slaps him for going away without saying anything.Then she kisses him for coming back. Meanwhile the evil Mrs Tweedy has caught sight of the crate and she chases it and clings onto the end of it. By this time the music is playing at a high tone and at a fast tempo the tension is also at it's highest. Mrs Tweedy then tries to kill Ginger but she misses and cuts the rope.
Mrs Tweedy's face turns from one of jubilation because she thought she killed Ginger to one of sheer horror as she realises that she has cut the rope instead of Ginger's head. The music then changes from a dramatic tone to a jolly tone.Then as the realisation of escape starts to dawn all the chickens are shown to be dancing around and hugging each other and every one is in a jubilant mood. Ginger then kisses Rocky as a sign of relief. After studying Chicken Run in detail I have learned that what makes a good film is not just what happens but it is about the way in which the film is presented. I have also learnt that there are many ways in which films can be presented.
I have also learnt that costume isn't just used to prevent a character from being naked but in the case of animals it can be used to both humanise the character and make it identifiable to the audience.
