film essay – if you work hard enough for something, you’ll get it.

The film ‘The Adjustment Bureau’ by George Nolfi is about two people who fall in love but are kept apart by adjustment officers who are strictly following ‘the plan’. Nolfi uses sound and music, lighting and dialogue to communicate the idea of if you fight hard enough for something, you’ll get it. In the scene, David and Elise share a passionate kiss before Elise realizes that the officers who were chasing them have left. Thompson appears and explains that they can’t change their fate before Harry arriving with a note from the chairman announcing that their plan/destiny/fate has been changed and then states for them to write their own plans.

The director uses sound and music to inform the concept of change. When David and Elise are running away, the music changes from a calm, peaceful sound to an anticipation drive led by the music. Shortly after, they make their way up the stairs and after their kiss the music changes, again from the anticipation to soft, hopeful music. This is presenting us with hope and can help us with what is going to happen next. Elise and David watch the officers who were chasing them leave, and the music, camera, and lighting are put into slow motion. We, the audience see their reactions and the music flows into a pleasing, soft enjoyment. This points out to us that something joyful has happened and they have lastly got what they wanted. The two take the stairs and walk the streets in high spirits and the music follows along. Music takes a big role in what we feel and think will happen later in the movie. In this scene, music plays the role of lifting the mood, and silently making us think about what will happen next. It shows us when they put their minds to something, they will work hard to get it by lifting the mood and leaving us with suspense. The music controls the message of fighting hard for what you want by being changeable. It shows us that we have to go through highs and lows before reaching the end result we want by having upbeat and downbeat music.

Another technique the director has used is the lighting. Nolfi uses this to set the mood. After David and Elises passionate kiss, the film shows a birds-eye view of the sun rising over the city. This leads to the lighting becoming more golden, bright, high key lighting. Which indicates to the audience the happy mood swing of the film. Before Thompson brings the note in, the top of the building is very low key and bland. This informs us of the non-emotional officers. Nothingness, they are just there to follow the plan nothing else. In the film, lighting also indicates to us the mood and conveys the plot, creating the atmosphere. The lighting controls the message of fighting hard for what you want by being changeable. When they are emotional the lighting is soft and low key, though when they are fighting hard for each other’s love, the lighting becomes golden bright and high key.

Dialogue confirms what we have already pictured to happen. The director uses this because it is an easy and immediately understandable way to convey information that might have not been shown through the image. Dialogue is used to set the scene and give insight into David and Elise and foreshadow future dramatic action. The communication between David and Elise is very romantic. They know that they want each other after meeting only once or twice. We know this because before they jump into their passionate kiss they each say ‘I love you’ in meaningful purpose. Another way dialogue has been effective in this scene is when Harry states ‘Seems like you inspired the chairman too’ Here, Harry is hinting at the fact the chairman has rewritten the plan. This is before Harry says ‘Maybe one day we won’t write the plan, you will’. Harry states great significance and value in these few lines, this links back to working hard for what you want because harry said they ‘inspired’ the chairperson, meaning the chairman was happy with how hard they had fought and he knew they weren’t going to stop until they got what they wanted.

In conclusion, George Nolfi has explored the language features of sound and music, lighting and dialogue to create the main idea of If you fight hard enough for something, you’ll get it. I have shown, in this final scene that Nolfi has used these language features by controlling the message to show the emotion of the main characters and by showing you have to go through highs and lows to get to where you want to be. Overall, Nolfi has used solid information to support this main idea.

By Aneka Rossiter