The Greatest Showman Analysis
I have chosen to analyse The Greatest Showman opening titles and ‘The Other Side’ scene for this blog as I think both clips tell the narrative through visual elements very well. The Greatest Showman is an original musical about the life of P.T Barnum, who is thought to be the father of show business, rising from nothing to create a spectacle that became known as ‘The Greatest Show on Earth!’. (Wallace, I. P.T. Barnum |Encyclopedia Britannica)
The Greatest Showman Opening
The title sequence begins with the 20th-Century Fox logo, informing the target demographic of what film studio produced it. It then cuts to black & white versions of the logos for studio & entertainment companies involved in production or funding, this could connote that the film may be set in the past as we associate black & white with ‘old’. At the beginning, it changes back and forth between the title cards and shots, this is designed to give the audience information, make the titles interesting and begin to slowly bring them into the film world. The first shot in this clip introduces us to a man who is denoted to be powerful, strong, in charge and mysterious. These semiotics of the character are created by the Mise en scene of the shots such as dark/ dramatic/ silhouetted lighting and powerful/strong/dark colours such a red & black. This is further illustrated by the music being in time to match the character’s actions, emphasising he is in charge. The character is then portrayed to be the protagonist of the narrative as we are made to see him as important by being brought closer to him with a close-up shot. The silhouetted lighting throughout the following shots of the protagonist connotes to the audience he is mysterious, hiding something and ominous, adding to the feel of the film. The audience is given the information that the main character is, in fact, ‘The Greatest Showman’. This is denoted by presenting a close-up of his face and cutting a title card reading, “The Greatest Showman” signifying what the audience has already assumed. The director of this film, Michael Gracey, intended to create a film world so immersive, overwhelming and intriguing that the audience wants to go back into it and watch it again. “…It’s designed in a way that it’s too much to take in on one viewing… and you want to go back and revisit those characters but revisit those moments…” (Gracey, M. (2018). Interview Michael Gracey THE GREATEST SHOWMAN. YouTube)
The first line in the clip is sung by the protagonist and reads “Ladies and Gents, this is the moment you’ve waited for”. I believe those words are intended to be aimed at both the audience in the film and the audience watching in the cinema, as this is conveyed by a close up of the character to enhance his words. Throughout this clip, there is a wide shot and close up of the people watching the show, I think the reason behind this is to let the target demographic relate to those audience members, making it a more realistic and create a shared experience. “The final shot of the film is of an audience, and so what you are doing at the end is you’re having an audience watching an audience. And it’s a shared moment.” (Gracey, M. (2018). Interview Michael Gracey THE GREATEST SHOWMAN. YouTube.)
One particular shot that stands out for me is a low angle wide shot that creates the ideology that the protagonist is a powerful, strong, mysterious and respected man. This meaning is denoted by the low angle shot as we are forced to perceive him as ‘big’ and associate his high composition with power. He is also denoted to be in control, in charge and a leader by having his actions match the music, visual cues such as lights and where he his placed in the shot such as in front of people. Levi Strauss’ binary opposites could be interpreted within this clip within the dramatic lighting connoting ‘light vs dark’ or ‘good vs bad’ as shown later on in the clip where most of the main, good characters are lit by the light from of the fire and the audience is in darkness or dimly lit- suggesting or even foreshadowing they are bad. Throughout the entirety of this film, there are many binary opposites- including protagonist/antagonist, male/female, black/white, powerful/week, rich/poor, happy/sad etc- some of which are showcased within the short clips I have chosen. I think these binary opposites have been used to aid in driving the narrative and create a more interesting, realistic film world.
To make the audience feel more involved in the film, certain shot types are used. For example in this clip, a tracking shot is used to follow the protagonist as he begins to walk, I think the director purposefully used camera movement here to convey the audience’s experience within the film. This could also be used to create a more realistic visual as if you are actually there following him with your eyes. The following sequence of shots denotes to the audience the protagonist is beginning to feel lonely, sad and scared, as well as giving us the connotation that something is wrong. This meaning is created by an array of clever camera shots, techniques, lighting, sound and pace. During this shot, the lighting changes dramatically from high key lit characters to only having the protagonist lit. The next few shots consist of medium close-ups of the main character while in the background all of the secondary characters and audience members slowly seem to disappear. These shots aid in telling the story by denoting to the audience the protagonist is feeling alone, scared and lost. He is connoted to be thinking about something or even concerned, which is emphasised by the slowing of the music, dialogue and pace of shots.
It is made apparent to the audience that the protagonist has a realisation that something is wrong as this is expressed by his concerned facial expressions, slow actions and the overall mise en scene of the shots. Throughout this sequence, it is denoted he may be thinking about a bad memory from his past as he is connoted to be looking around as if seeing something familiar and personal, yet the audience is encouraged to find it worrisome. These shots are vital to the narrative as they aid in driving it to the pivotal point in the film where we meet, get to know and understand the protagonist. As the main character stops turning around, he is suggested to be looking at someone who he recognises. Using a slow tracking reveal shot to convey emotional meaning, we are shown the back of a young boy, which is denoted to be a younger version of the protagonist. This shot evokes an emotional response from the audience as they are encouraged to see the young boy as innocent, making them see the protagonist as vulnerable. This shot also, very cleverly, transitions into a new scene set in the past with a seamless tracking shot connoting to the audience that this is the memory he is thinking about. To further reinforce the ideology that the protagonist is the young boy, we see him looking in a shop window imagining himself wearing similar clothes to what we have seen his future self in. He is connoted to be yearning to become a wealthy and powerful man, suggesting at this point in his young life, he is not. He desperately wants to become the man we already know he can be and this shot denotes the start of his journey.
The Other Side
The clip begins with the protagonist know as ‘Barnum’ and the secondary character known as ‘Carlyle’ at a bar, discussing a potential business deal for Barnum's show. This is connoted to the audience by Barnum saying “Right here, right now, I put the offer out” suggesting he is offering Carlyle a deal of some kind. The mise en scene of the shots conveys a serious, sombre tone which tells the audience the mood of the characters. The semiotics of the dark colours used in these shots connote the characters may both be in a dark, negative place. During this time period, only rich, respected people or royalty wore red or purple to show their wealth. Carlyle, who is a very wealthy man, wears a hat & scarf with those colours denoting he is rich and of a higher status than Barnum who is wearing a dark-greenish colour worn by the majority of the population at this time.
Throughout the clip, Barnum often emphasises his words with actions reinforcing the narrative. This can be seen when he says “I don’t wanna chase you down, I know you see it” and he uses his fingers to illustrate Carlyle’s eyes following him. Within the clip, there are a few times where the director uses a whip pan to force the audience to look from one thing to another quickly. This is done to give the audience a perspective of actually being there, by quickly whipping their head from Barnum to the bartender back to Barnum. This subtly connotes that there is a relationship between Barnum and the bartender in regards to the business deal, as he could be there to help. I also noticed, the focus shifts from the bartender to the bottle he slides to Barnum, this denotes that the alcohol is important as it could help get the deal by making Carlyle more likely to say yes- as well as it being a driving point for the narrative of the scene.
The Bartender himself is actually an essential character in this scene as he aids both Barnum and Carlyle in the deal, as well as providing an unbiased, objective perspective for the audience to relate to. For the duration of this clip, Barnum will often display his power by taking a higher stance such as on top of a table or physically push Carlyle to face where he wants him to. This higher angle depicts Barnum as in charge, strong and powerful and connotes Carlyle is the opposite as he is much lower than Barnum. When it comes to Carlyle’s turn to speak he says “Well, I hate to tell you but it just won’t happen”, as he speaks he purposefully takes Barnum’s hand off his shoulder, shifting the power to himself in the scene and denoting he doesn’t want anything to do with him. This visual element gives the audience information about Carlyle we are not previously given in the dialogue. We can now see that Carlyle is actually quite a strong, powerful man himself who won’t be persuaded easily and is willing to take this serious business discussion into his own hands. In the following shots, he gets ready to leave but the audience is made to feel as if has more to say by him constantly turning back to talk.
To prove to Barnum how serious he is about turning it down, he argues his point standing on top of the bar and showcasing his power. He is connoted to ‘win’ this part of the argument as he is bigger, higher and more powerful than Barnum as conveyed by the camera angles. To empathise his argument, the music and bartender are in sync with Carlyle’s movements to give it a dramatic effect. This is done intentionally by the director to have an impact on the audience and to highlight important moments in the narrative. It becomes obvious to the audience soon that Carlyle may actually be secretly interested in a deal with Barnum but is unsure. This is revealed by the intrigued, unsure expressions on Carlyle’s face and his hesitant body language. Carlyle is also depicted to be the one with most of the power in this discussion now as he is higher and being looked to by Barnum for a decision. After discussing it a little more we see a medium close-up shot of Carlyle, very close to the camera and almost looking at the audience, which is connoting him to be considering the deal. At this point, there is no dialogue to tell the audience what he is thinking, the only clues are on his face which conveys deep thought. It is clear when he makes his decision as he smiles smugly to himself, denoting he is happy with his newly made choice.
Throughout the following sequence of close -up, mediums, shot reverse shots and wide shots the Bartender is again shown to aid in providing them drink to help get the deal. These shots are designed to draw attention to the drink and its relationship with the business deal, further proving the more they drink, the better the deal. After negotiating a deal, Carlyle is deemed to have the upper hand as Barnum can’t afford to pay for the drinks and he has to buy them instead. In the background, as confirmation of the deal made, the cash register sounds connoting the money they will make with this new deal.
In celebration of their deal, they express their excitement through song- which is a heavily featured component in this film. I believe the director intended to have the characters express themselves through songs whether they are sad or happy. “The reason I love musicals is when words don’t suffice, you sing. So, at the lowest point when you’ve lost absolutely everything you sing. And at your highest points of absolute joy, you break into song.” (Gracey, M. (2018). THE GREATEST SHOWMAN Official Behind The Scenes Interview -YouTube.)
To drive the narrative to the next scene, a high angle shot of the two characters is shown which then moves downwards, towards them revealing the scene behind them has changed. This is a seamless transition purposefully done to create meaning such as the passing of time and location. From here we are thrown into a busy, lively world full of interesting and theatrical people. Carlyle is connoted to find this new change of scene overwhelming, yet enjoyable as he bumps into people and objects, falls and rolls over and looks constantly surprised. This first shot of the new scene is filmed as one long shot, I think this is done to create a sense of realism in the narrative, make it feel overwhelming and as if we the audience is there watching them. Within this clip, I have noticed a few of Propps Character Types can be seen throughout it. I believe Barnum is the hero, Carlyle is connoted to be the Donor due to his investment in the show and the Bartender can be seen as the helper as he aids both characters on their quest. At the end of this clip, we see both characters come to a new equilibrium, agreeing to be business partners and ready to take on this new journey.
When creating a film about a real person’s life story, usually the film studio will have to consider copyright issues and purchase the ‘life rights’ to that person’s story. If the person whose life story you want to tell is deceased, these life rights no longer apply “If the subject of the life story is deceased, much of the rationale for buying these rights disappears, since defamation and invasion of privacy actions protect personal rights that do not descend to the estate. In other words, people can spread lies and falsehoods about the dead, reveal their innermost secrets, and their heirs cannot sue for defamation or invasion of privacy on behalf of the deceased person” (MacTavish, S. (n.d.). Screenplays and Life Rights | Scottmactavish.com.) The story of The Greatest Showman is based on a true story of the life of P.T Barnum, who died in 7 April 1891. Because he is deceased and also a public figure in the public domain, there was no need to get the life rights for the film.
Overall, I believe The Greatest Showman is an excellent example of how visual elements create meaning, as everyone involved was incredibly dedicated to making it do just that. I believe Micheal Gracey’s intentions shine through the film and for a first time director- in my opinion- makes this an exemplary, meaningful film.
Film clips- Opening- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv6H9f8JcG8
The Other Side Scene- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GimrxP2U0ZE
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