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Techniques Used to Direct Two Film Versions of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

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Techniques Used to Direct Two Film Versions of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Having watched two different film adaptations of 'Romeo and Juliet', it is clear to see that the two directors, Baz Luhrmann and Franco Zeffirelli, have used a number of different techniques, quite differently at times, to put across their particular interpretations of the play. These methods and different interpretations are very obvious if you should study the same scene as portrayed in each film. We looked at the introduction and the opening scene of each film to compare the differences between them and found that the differences, though some were more subtle than others, were obvious. Whilst Franco…show more content…
In the opening scene of the films, both versions use extremely different techniques to portray the introduction of the play. Luhrmann, again, uses modernisation and starts the film with a news reporter on a television slowly moving closer to the viewer. Along with the plain black background and no music, this gives a very dramatic effect to the start of the film which will get the viewer instantly interested in the rest of the film. Once the television has reached the front of the screen and the news reporter has finished the introduction, the scene immediately changes to a fast and furious collection of clips from modern USA. These clips of chaos, terror and destruction can be used to hint the coming emotions of the film but also to draw the viewer's attention to the film. In my opinion it is Luhrmann's way of showing that if Shakespeare had written Romeo and Juliet in the present day, this is the type of chaos that the Capulet and Montague families could cause, a modern twist to the play. As well as the images filmed, the camera effects, editing and dramatic music also add up to make the scene as chaotic as possible. The fast zooming, panning and freeze frames give the effect of a disordered scene which also makes the viewer feel as though they are a part
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