Her
The movie "Her" is set in an unspecified future Los Angeles. The architecture and the society's surroundings have no specific connection to anyone, as everyone is wandering around town aimlessly, gazing into the screens of their electronic devices. Theodore Twombly is the protagonist in this movie, he had recently gone through a break up, and decided to try out a new operating system called OS1. He spends so much time with his operating system, that he ends up falling in love with her. This paints a worrying picture for us for the future, and makes our minds ponder what could truly happen later on in life.
Denotative Analysis
What is heard?
The trailer starts off with a moderate speed of the sound of a piano. This automatically tells the audience that something sad has happened, or something is wrong. It acts as a symbol for Theodore Twombly's (main protagonist character) sadness after his emotional break up with his girlfriend. Throughout the first part of the film trailer, it has the voiceover of the operating system's set up voice. It asks questions such as "Are you social or anti-social?", and "How would you describe your relationship with your mother?". This suggests that this operating system is for people that are lonely, or are just seeking for some companionship. When the operating system has finished setting up, Theodore is surprised to hear the voice for the very first time. "Hi, I'm Samantha." Many slow, melancholy like songs are used to represent the setting, loneliness and the quietness of Theodore's life. There are many parts throughout this trailer that are just of Samantha (operating system) talking to Theodore and getting to know him. As you watch the trailer, you can easily notice that gradually his love is building up for her, and he is a lot happier than he was at the start, "Its been a long time, since I've found somebody that I have been totally at ease with." There is also some strumming of guitar strings that create a happy tune. This represents Theodore's feelings, and how he feels about Samantha, "I've never loved anyone the way I've loved you."
The movie "Her" is set in an unspecified future Los Angeles. The architecture and the society's surroundings have no specific connection to anyone, as everyone is wandering around town aimlessly, gazing into the screens of their electronic devices. Theodore Twombly is the protagonist in this movie, he had recently gone through a break up, and decided to try out a new operating system called OS1. He spends so much time with his operating system, that he ends up falling in love with her. This paints a worrying picture for us for the future, and makes our minds ponder what could truly happen later on in life.
Denotative Analysis
What is heard?
The trailer starts off with a moderate speed of the sound of a piano. This automatically tells the audience that something sad has happened, or something is wrong. It acts as a symbol for Theodore Twombly's (main protagonist character) sadness after his emotional break up with his girlfriend. Throughout the first part of the film trailer, it has the voiceover of the operating system's set up voice. It asks questions such as "Are you social or anti-social?", and "How would you describe your relationship with your mother?". This suggests that this operating system is for people that are lonely, or are just seeking for some companionship. When the operating system has finished setting up, Theodore is surprised to hear the voice for the very first time. "Hi, I'm Samantha." Many slow, melancholy like songs are used to represent the setting, loneliness and the quietness of Theodore's life. There are many parts throughout this trailer that are just of Samantha (operating system) talking to Theodore and getting to know him. As you watch the trailer, you can easily notice that gradually his love is building up for her, and he is a lot happier than he was at the start, "Its been a long time, since I've found somebody that I have been totally at ease with." There is also some strumming of guitar strings that create a happy tune. This represents Theodore's feelings, and how he feels about Samantha, "I've never loved anyone the way I've loved you."
What is seen?
The first scene is a long shot of Theodore standing against his wide apartment window late at night, staring out at the city lights and buildings. This shows that something wrong has happened to him. There are many panning shots, e.g. panning view of Los Angeles city, Theodore walking aimlessly. There is one particular shot where it really caught my eye, is when the operating system set up voice asks him "Are you social, or anti social?" Theodore is on the elevator with many people surrounding him. Everyone else is in blur, but he is the only one in focus. Even though he is surrounded with people, he still feels as though he is lonely with nobody to talk to. It is a same shot, but I love the way they focus his face, apart from the others. Followed by that shot is a mid-shot, he is meandering around the streets with his arms folded, surrounded by loving couples around him. This also symbolises alienation and the way he has no one to love. An extreme close up is followed after that of water dripping down from his face in the shower. It is only focused on only the droplets of water,and I find that very effective. There are many scenes where lens flares are used in the background, e.g. bokeh and I really love it when that is used. It gives the scene a very retro, vintage feeling and it just makes the scenes so much more effective. I find that they always shoot scenes where they zoom up on the image very slowly and carefully, I find it very effective when they do this because it gives the audience a very futuristic feel. Throughout the movie, they apply this vintage filter on it which I absolutely love, because I find that if you just shoot with normal lighting, it gets quite boring sometimes. Where as in this movie, they have applied this amazing effect on it to make it look futuristic through a whole new perspective.
The first scene is a long shot of Theodore standing against his wide apartment window late at night, staring out at the city lights and buildings. This shows that something wrong has happened to him. There are many panning shots, e.g. panning view of Los Angeles city, Theodore walking aimlessly. There is one particular shot where it really caught my eye, is when the operating system set up voice asks him "Are you social, or anti social?" Theodore is on the elevator with many people surrounding him. Everyone else is in blur, but he is the only one in focus. Even though he is surrounded with people, he still feels as though he is lonely with nobody to talk to. It is a same shot, but I love the way they focus his face, apart from the others. Followed by that shot is a mid-shot, he is meandering around the streets with his arms folded, surrounded by loving couples around him. This also symbolises alienation and the way he has no one to love. An extreme close up is followed after that of water dripping down from his face in the shower. It is only focused on only the droplets of water,and I find that very effective. There are many scenes where lens flares are used in the background, e.g. bokeh and I really love it when that is used. It gives the scene a very retro, vintage feeling and it just makes the scenes so much more effective. I find that they always shoot scenes where they zoom up on the image very slowly and carefully, I find it very effective when they do this because it gives the audience a very futuristic feel. Throughout the movie, they apply this vintage filter on it which I absolutely love, because I find that if you just shoot with normal lighting, it gets quite boring sometimes. Where as in this movie, they have applied this amazing effect on it to make it look futuristic through a whole new perspective.
Connotative Analysis
What meanings do the elements in your denotative description convey?
1) Slow sound of piano playing at beginning of trailer- this is a symbol for the melancholy at the beginning of this movie, he has recently gone through a breakup and feels as though it has been one of the toughest situations he has to go through.
2) Futuristic buildings- this represents the setting of the movie, it is set in the future, therefore we know why there is new technology.
3) People wander around the streets with earphones in their ears talking to people through their devices- This shows that the technology in the future will be much more advanced, and that sometimes it could be a bad thing for us, because we will no longer connect with people face to face, but rather communicating with them through devices.
4)Theodore walking on streets, head down, arms folded- Symbolises his loneliness, as there are numerous couples walking on the street beside him, and it makes him feel even more in need of a friend to talk to.
5) Theodore wears a red coloured shirt- Red is meant to symbolise strength, bravery, power, determination as well as passion, desire and love. We assume that he is trying to cover up his weakness within him, attempting to look like everything is okay, but then again I believe that it symbolises his desire for love.
6) Firework sparkles- There is a glimpse in the trailer where he is running around with his ex-girlfriend, holding a sparkler. This could symbolise the meaning of happiness before when he was with her, and reminds him of all the memories and good times.
7) Coloured furniture and buildings around him- When Theodore discovered the operating system, more colours has started to appear. At the beginning, there wasn't much colour, just plain old buildings and all. But ever since they introduced Samantha the operating system, more colour has been added to the scenes such as the carnival and the coloured wall tiles. This represents his happiness that has been added to his life.
8) Light flares- Lens flares, bokeh, and all that appear through the movie quite often. This creates a sense of relaxation and nostalgia.
9) Same angles- There are many same angles that are used in this film. It shows views from Theodore's perspective, and creates a feeling that you are there with him during that moment.
10) OS1 device- This is a symbol throughout the whole movie. This movie basically revolves around this device.
What meanings do the elements in your denotative description convey?
1) Slow sound of piano playing at beginning of trailer- this is a symbol for the melancholy at the beginning of this movie, he has recently gone through a breakup and feels as though it has been one of the toughest situations he has to go through.
2) Futuristic buildings- this represents the setting of the movie, it is set in the future, therefore we know why there is new technology.
3) People wander around the streets with earphones in their ears talking to people through their devices- This shows that the technology in the future will be much more advanced, and that sometimes it could be a bad thing for us, because we will no longer connect with people face to face, but rather communicating with them through devices.
4)Theodore walking on streets, head down, arms folded- Symbolises his loneliness, as there are numerous couples walking on the street beside him, and it makes him feel even more in need of a friend to talk to.
5) Theodore wears a red coloured shirt- Red is meant to symbolise strength, bravery, power, determination as well as passion, desire and love. We assume that he is trying to cover up his weakness within him, attempting to look like everything is okay, but then again I believe that it symbolises his desire for love.
6) Firework sparkles- There is a glimpse in the trailer where he is running around with his ex-girlfriend, holding a sparkler. This could symbolise the meaning of happiness before when he was with her, and reminds him of all the memories and good times.
7) Coloured furniture and buildings around him- When Theodore discovered the operating system, more colours has started to appear. At the beginning, there wasn't much colour, just plain old buildings and all. But ever since they introduced Samantha the operating system, more colour has been added to the scenes such as the carnival and the coloured wall tiles. This represents his happiness that has been added to his life.
8) Light flares- Lens flares, bokeh, and all that appear through the movie quite often. This creates a sense of relaxation and nostalgia.
9) Same angles- There are many same angles that are used in this film. It shows views from Theodore's perspective, and creates a feeling that you are there with him during that moment.
10) OS1 device- This is a symbol throughout the whole movie. This movie basically revolves around this device.
Messages/Values
I believe that the overall message of this film is to not take love to seriously, because love is a trap, and once you fall in that trap, it is incredibly hard to get out of it. You will be in pain and you will be hurt, you won't know what to do to get out of it, and it might stay with you forever. The key to life is happiness, you always have to be happy in order to make life interesting and to live a good life. If you aren't happy, your life will be miserable, so I think that you should make the most out of life and do what pleases you!
Appeal
I think that this film is mainly targeted at teens and adults. I don't think that children would be able to understand some of the language in this and some of the concepts. It would be confusing for children because they don't know what an operating system is or what love really means. I have watched this movie myself and I love this movie, so thats why I think it is also suitable for teenagers. I believe that this target audience is mainly adults and teenagers again.
The genre of this movie is Romance, Drama, and Sci-fi. I can tell because first of all, romance is obviously shown throughout this film. He falls in love with an operating system and he has recently been in love. I can also tell that this is Drama, because it shows the audience the emotional development of Theodore Twombly, and it tells us real-life issues that humans can relate back to. Last but not least, I know that it is categorised under sci-fi because it is not that realistic, it is set obviously in the future, where technology is played more of a dominant role. Everyone is on their phones/devices and what not, and not really communicating with anyone around them.
I believe that the overall message of this film is to not take love to seriously, because love is a trap, and once you fall in that trap, it is incredibly hard to get out of it. You will be in pain and you will be hurt, you won't know what to do to get out of it, and it might stay with you forever. The key to life is happiness, you always have to be happy in order to make life interesting and to live a good life. If you aren't happy, your life will be miserable, so I think that you should make the most out of life and do what pleases you!
Appeal
I think that this film is mainly targeted at teens and adults. I don't think that children would be able to understand some of the language in this and some of the concepts. It would be confusing for children because they don't know what an operating system is or what love really means. I have watched this movie myself and I love this movie, so thats why I think it is also suitable for teenagers. I believe that this target audience is mainly adults and teenagers again.
The genre of this movie is Romance, Drama, and Sci-fi. I can tell because first of all, romance is obviously shown throughout this film. He falls in love with an operating system and he has recently been in love. I can also tell that this is Drama, because it shows the audience the emotional development of Theodore Twombly, and it tells us real-life issues that humans can relate back to. Last but not least, I know that it is categorised under sci-fi because it is not that realistic, it is set obviously in the future, where technology is played more of a dominant role. Everyone is on their phones/devices and what not, and not really communicating with anyone around them.