Editing: 

• The editing matches with the sound in terms of when it cuts to silence
• The viewers do not see Frank get detached/what happened to him, you see Hal’s eye (the AI) and then silence.
• The duration of the shots is long until you see that Hal will attack Frank.

 

Cinematography:

• extra long shot of Frank disappearing in space, it shows how helpless he is
• close up of the writing on the door foreshadows danger
• long shots of frank to show what is happening to him and to show his vulnerability
• Bright lights vs the dark. The light could represent safety whereas in space where it’s dark human’s cannot survive and are in danger
• The mid shot of someones face presents being in the astronaut suit as claustrophobic when could again show his vulnerability against the big, wide and open space
• Wide angle lenses give it an eerie effect. It also gives the idea of being watched by Hal who appears omniscient and omnipotent.

 

Sound:

• Heavy breathing vs silence
• No music even when tension is being built
• No non-diegetic sound
• Mechanical sounds
• You cannot see where Hal’s voice comes from which shows he has omnipresent control

 

Mise en Scene:

• The space pod that Frank flew from look like a human because of the eye and the parts that look like arms. This could suggest technology has come too far.
• There is not much set design because it’s set in space so it’s mainly vastness
• The space crafts are white which makes Frank stand out who is wearing yellow
• The technology is brightly coloured, this could be to show it as futuristic technology
• The monochrome decor contrasts with the colourful technology
• Borman has an orange space suit but Frank has a yellow one, this could be to help identify the characters
• Caution is written in big and bright red letters on the door, this foreshadows danger

 

Performance:

• Borman speaks calmly and is good under pressure despite his friend being in a life threatening situation, this shows what Borman is like as a character but is also very unusual
• You only see one character at a time
• Hal’s voice is ominous and monotone despite the situation

 

Genre (science fiction):

• Space
• Space crafts and suits
• Technology

 

Messages/meanings/responses:

• Dramatic irony of seeing Hal turn around behind Franks back makes us worry for the character as we know he is in danger and vulnerable
• That technology can be/will be dangerous. Fear of the advancement of technology and that it can and might go too far
• That humanity can be insignificant in comparison to technology
• Smurfette syndrome – Frank stands in for all of humanity. He is so small and vulnerable and maybe even insignificant in comparison to space and technology.
• The extra long shot and long shot of Frank showed his helplessness. It made me concerned for him and made me feel small
• Silence is the equivalent to the end of life and how quick it can happen

 

Themes:

• Technology and humanity inventing its own downfall
• Control and false control
• Isolation
• Human meaning

 

Representation: 

• Age – all adults who are not yet middle aged
• Gender – Male
• Ethnicity – white
• Bad representation with no diversity which could reflect the inequality of the time it was made/ reflect the inequality that the creator of the film imagined to exist in the future

 

Context:

• American
• 1968
• ‘Space race’ to get someone on the moon (soviets were the first to put a human and satellite into space)
• cold war
• Greatest age of space exploration

 

Spectator-ship:

• Not seeing Frank’s death leaves it to the imagination. The film pushes you to be an active viewer
• The shots before Frank’s death are moments when the viewer is a passive viewer because we know that something is going to happen to him (dramatic irony)
• Positioning (where we are place geographically usually with the camera)- we are positioned with Hal
• Alignment (who we are with emotionally) – we are aligned with Frank, we are sympathetic towards him
• The fact that there is no music to guide us makes us active viewers as well

 

Ideology (connotations, binary oppositions, positioning and address, ideological perspectives and critics approaches):

• Binary opposition – technology (AI) vs humans
• The colour red is linked with evil and danger so Hal having a red eye shows us he is not trustworthy and likely evil (connotation)
• Light in the ship vs darkness outside shows that outside the ship is dangerous. Inside is safe and like an oasis in the vastness
• Hal having no body – suggests he is every where and godlike
• The spacecraft is white which is a contrast to space, a dramatic image. It could mean either/both clean and pure or de-humanised and impersonal

 

Key things to mention in the essay:

• Binary oppositions
• Smurfette syndrome
• Active/passive  viewer
• Dangers of technology
• Space exploration around 1968
• Wide angle lens – eerie and being watched
• Lack of music
• Close up of the red caution sign
• Dramatic irony of seeing Hal turn around and how this makes us concerned for Frank in response
• Vulnerability of Frank compared to space and technology – response and meaning
• Lack of representation
• Our alignment and positioning
• Themes like control (or lack of it) and technology
• Colour of the props and set design and how this can show things like the technology being futuristic and the space pod (Hal) being impersonal
• Extra long shot and long shots showing Frank as vulnerable and small