Watt’s use of film technique is critical to exploration of character and theme in Look Both Ways. Discuss. Mixing of animation and action slips clearly show what is going on inside the mind of characters. Meryl images train wreck, sharks attack, being run over by a car or even earthquake. Her thoughts are full of ways that she could die. The audients will realise that Meryl is a person who thinks in a negative way all the time and never looks both ways. In Nick’s mind, there are horrible images all related to cancers. It seems like this is mainly due to the fact that Nick has got testicular cancer.
However, from the continuous appearance of death and cancer images, we understand that Nick is not feared by his cancer but death. He does not want to face the truth as he knows he is going to die soon. Both of them tend to see death everywhere and they are not satisfied with their life. Animations action clips can clearly show how the characters fell rather than from what they say. The sound track is also a powerful technique as it also highlights the apprehension of protagonists and their feelings. Throughout the film, train sound is heard all the time during the film.
At the beginning, the film mentions a big train accident at Arnow Hill, Meryl witnesses a train accident where Julia’s husband is killed and scenes of train moving appear all the time. Train reminds Julia of her husband. The loneliness of Julia is clearly shown whenever there is sound of moving train. Besides, it also reminds every character that life goes on even though gains and loss, like a moving train which never stops. The background music always plays an important role in the film. At the first part of the film, the song ‘Crashing’ gives the audients feeling of grief and sorrow.
The sound track throughout the film are thematically linked to the theme that there are both highs are lows in life. Besides, montages in the film also symbolise that the changes of everyone’s lives as the film goes on. Nick is a photographer. He thinks through images rather than speech. He takes several sorrowful photos at the train accident. That gives us a view of life from Nick’s point of view. However, the film ends with montage of images, the birth of Anna and Andy’s child, Nick’s treatment and remission from cancer and travel. From all the different images, we can see that depression of characters converts to buoyancy.
That illustrates that although Meryl and Nick experience numerous of loss and tragedies, they finally end up what they wish and this is what fate means. So using montages as one of the film technique is quite important to let the audients know how life changes. Besides, Watt also uses the symbol of rain as a film technique to explore the feelings of characters. During the last part of the film, it rains heavily. The minds of Meryl, Nick, Anna, Andy, the bus driver and ever Julia are filled with gloom at that time. However, rain indicates refresh. All their sorrow minds are washed away by the rain.
They are then led to the other to let life go on. As a result, the falling of rain drops is a great icon showing how everyone’s life is full of happiness and joy at the end of the story. Feeling, thoughts and dreams of character in Look Both Way are all shown by special approaches ways involve in the film. Animations, action clips, sound tracks, montages and symbol of rain help the audients to explore development of the theme and how the life of characters changes. Above all, Watt’s use of film technique is definitely critical to exploration of character and theme in Look Both Ways.
