Account for the difference in positioning and alignment in the film you have studied. [20]

An example of the difference between positioning and alignment in ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ is when the spectator is aligned with Hushpuppy at the hospital, but positioned with Wink. The mid shot of Wink being told his medical problems is an example of being positioned with Wink, and the spectator can just about hear the diegetic dialogue of Wink being told he could die. Wink rejects the help of the hospital, adding to the theme of self reliance. In this moment, one response is to be aligned with Hushpuppy which could be considered to be the preferred reading and response. This alignment would come from feelings of empathy and sympathy for Hushpuppy, as she knows that her father will die and is seriously ill. The performance of Hushpuppy during the mid shot to close up after this moment shows the spectators that Hushpuppy is processing this serious information, and that she understands its seriousness as her facial expression is serious. However, a different response to this moment could be that during the entire scene we were both positioned and aligned with Hushpuppy, as the shot of her father could be interpreted as a point of view shot from her perspective meaning we are positioned with her as an audience. This is supported by how low camera angles are used throughout the film to emphasise how the narrative and film is seen and explored through her perspective. There is also a negotiated response to the alignment during this scene, as a viewer may believe we are aligned with both Hushpuppy and Wink, rather than just one of them. The changes in positions and alignment while involving these two characters is common in this movie. Sometimes it takes the for, of the difference between positioning and alignment with one character, then in the next shot with the other. An example of these different positioning’s and alignments is during the ending of the movie, when Wink is dying. We as spectators are mainly positioned with and aligned with Hushpuppy. Such as, the beyond close sonic perspective, subject positioning of the heart beat sound when Hushpuppy puts her ear to Wink’s chest. This emphasises our positioning  with Hushpuppy, as well as our alignment as we feel sympathy for her being in that situation. However, we are also positioned and aligned with Wink during this scene which is different to what’s normal in the film. For example, the close ups of his face position us with him, and his performance of his emotional facial expressions align spectators with him, as an active viewer may consider some of the thoughts going through Wink’s mind, such as how he is about to die, and what will happen to his daughter.

Another example of the difference between positioning and alignment in ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ is during the sequence where the social workers from the Levee come and force people from the Bathtub to go to hospital. In this scene, a spectator may feel that they are positioned with the social workers, but aligned with the Bathtub. For example, the over the shoulder shot when a social worker is forcing a woman to move could be interpreted as being positioned with the social workers, as we see from what is almost their perspective. Their performance of physically grabbing the woman and the over the shoulder shot makes the social workers seem like invaders, and this allows the spectators to be aligned with the Bathtub and to fear the social workers, despite being positioned with the social workers. This scene also adds to the binary opposition of the Levee and the Bathtub. The threat that social workers impose upon the Bathtub helps to create this opposition, through cinematography and performance that encourages spectators to feel a certain way. A spectator feeling as though the social workers were like invaders was probably the preferred reading and response to this part of the movie, and maybe the movie as a whole. However, an oppositional reading could be that the social workers were in the right, and were not like invaders. For example, the mise en scene of their clean clothes might suggest to them a sense of professionalism which could have connotations of trust. However, this is unlikely.