Fahrenheit 451 movie techniques and elements used

Erik Meyer

Fahrenheit 451 movie analysis

103

In the movie Fahrenheit 451 the director uses certain techniques and elements of visual language to help show the message of the film; that knowledge is power and that a government could take away the power of their citizens.

In the film the director uses irony to help construct the film. Instead of the firemen going around helping, saving people, and putting out fire, they are doing the exact opposite. In a sense the fireman are the police in this film, they go around and make sure nobody has any reading material, or knowledge. The film uses color to help show this. All the firemen are in black a color that represents pure destruction and evil. In some scenes were walls are yellow, it usually means something bad is going to happen, its caution. Where there are scenes where their are red walls or a lot of red in the environment surrounding the characters there is usually conflict.

Another technique they use are the reaction shots of the characters and close ups to add action, suspense, or distress. It shows what the character is thinking and feeling at that moment in time, it lets us tune in and understand that character, putting the viewers in the characters point of view. There was also transition shots and shots of the environment to show the viewers where the characters were, the setting of the movie.

Lighting is also another element that is used. In scenes where the firemen go inside Houses or libraries to find hidden books the lighting is low to create a tension, raise the action and show the viewers that something is going to happen. This something is the firemen throwing the books on the ground and  them all on fire. Then the fire with low lighting, symbolizes destruction and evil, and corruption of the government.

The director also use an high affinity of tone between all the firemen by them all wearing black. There is also of course a high contrast of tone between the fire fighters and the civilians.

The director uses visual language to show that knowledge is power and that a government can help take that away, the director uses lighting, tone, and color different kinds of shots with the camera to show this. This why the film is the way it is and why visual language is important to a film