Super 8 Analysis

Super 8

Train crash scene

In this scene we are shown many details about the characters and what their motivations are. The characters are making a film in the 1980s on a low budget for a contest. They are all friends and they are all dramatically different from one another. They go out to a train stop in order to get a specific shot. The setting is in the night but the characters are lit in a way that they are visible in the dark night. This gives off a light hearted tone for the film as it doesn't accentuate darkness for atmospheric purposes although, the darkness constantly being in the background could suggest that there is something ominous or evil in the distant background. Characters are dressed in colourful 80s clothing which reflects their colourful and diverse personalities.

The director of the low budget film, Charles, is setting up the scene and it is at this point when the audience find out what type of characters they are just by what they are doing in the production of the film. Charles has a short temper and rushes things, he is demanding and this could be because he had a hard time being bullied in school, this is where he can let out his rage on others. This anger also helps him in his directing as he is focused and can order others. 

The director makes great use of the small space the characters occupy by showing the vast darkness in the background and making the characters seem really small, this gives the audience a sense of scale and shows how small these kids are in this ominous world. The film shows the next character, Cary, who is a pyromaniac. Cary is comic relief for the audience as he breaks tension and uses his love for fireworks for comedic purposes. The fireworks could be a front for his shy personality that he doesn't really show. The audience know that these kids are the outcasts in school.

The scene transitions to a two shot of Alice and Joe. This shot of the two lasts longer than other character shots, this could imply that these characters are more important than the others as they are given more screen time. This moment is very intimate as there is very little sound and the audience can witness the bond that Alice and Joe are creating. This allows the target audience (teenagers) to connect with the characters as this is a very relatable situation. We can see that both Alice and Joe are very awkward when it comes to talking to each other, this tells the audience that the two are into each other. 

We can see that the lighting rig for the scene has been created using random household items, this shows how low budget the production is. This DIY filmmaking shows how determined they are to accomplish their goals, this could be foreshadowing for later scenes in the movie in which the children are in danger. Charles uses his leader-like anger to stop Cary from ruining the scene with the fireworks, Charles obviously doesn't mean what he is saying but the audience is shown his determination for the project. Cary knows Charles doesn't mean these statements so he relieves Charles and the audience with a joke. The writer chose to allow Cary to make jokes at this point because stakes aren't at an all time high, the kids are just making a small independant film so jokes can be appropriate, later on in the film jokes fail to break tension due to the higher stakes thus they become inappropriate and childish.

Charles lets the actors do a practice take and in this scene we are shown that Alice is a very good actor for being so young, she shows a lot of emotion in this scene which the audience and characters don't expect. Alice's shy attitude completely disappears and acting allows her to show her full capabilities. This is accentuated by the zoom in close up on most of the characters. After this heartfelt moment the scene's pacing increases dramatically as the action begins which is a stark contrast