You become aware of at moments such as the one when Shrek and Donkey are looking at the stars and Donkey’s head appears at the top of the screen. This makes the that they are looking through Shrek’s eyes.
Language is an important device; the language can create the impression of good and evil in both characters. There is also a lot of humour, There are many different types of humour in the film Shrek which include blue humour where jokes are made in reference to the toilet, sarcasm where someone tells someone else something when they don't really mean it, black humour where jokes are made about other peoples miss fortune and ironic humour where the outcome is unexpected. The first type of humour explored in the film is blue humour; this type of humour is used quite a lot in the film because it appeals to the younger audience some examples of this humour are when Shrek is reading a fairytale book and he rips of the last page and uses it as toilet paper and Another is when Donkey tells Shrek not burp in front of the Princess and the Princess returns it with an even louder burp.
It is not only blue humour that's funny, black humour is also explored because we often laugh at other peoples miss fortune. The third type of humour is ironic; this is funny because it is unexpected and unpredictable. Most of these jokes are only understood by a more mature audience. However, the younger audience will often laugh without even knowing what they're laughing at.
When the storybook characters arrive Shrek is mean and tries to frighten the storybook characters and get rid of them. He represents the traditional idea people have about ogres and Shrek is put out that the storybook characters are not afraid; they come to Shrek for advice and help.
Shrek tries to appear mean but you immediately see how kind he can be. When Donkey approaches, Shrek roars at him and tries to intimidate him.
Donkey is not frightened and wants to be friends with Shrek. Donkey sees that Shrek has a good soul and even though Shrek tries to frighten Donkey, Donkey only laughs at him. Donkey is smart and determined; he pesters Shrek to be his friend and won't go away, Finally Shrek gives in and becomes friends with Donkey, the audience would now know that Shrek and Donkey will entertain them through out the movie.
An example of how shrek is not a conventional fairy tale is shown; When Shrek breaks into the castle to rescue Princess Fiona, he acts like an ogre when he greets the princess. Shrek does not act like a traditional Prince when he meets the princess. He does not kiss her and is rough, telling her to hurry up. The princess suggests that Shrek act more like a prince and have better manners.
Although Shrek appears violent, when we learn that he has failed to slay the dragon because Shrek sees that the dragon likes Donkey and realizes that although the dragon looks mean and scary, he must have some good inside him. At the beginning of the film Shrek tries to threaten the characters, Donkey and Princess Fiona is not intimidated by Shrek or his appearance. He tries to make them frightened by reminding them that he is an ogre.
Although Shrek is an ogre he acts more like a conventional prince. In contrast to Shrek, Lord Farquaad is cruel. He watches the torture of the ginger bread man, making him feel bad, then throws him in the garbage. Lord Farquaad is greedy, mean and cruel. This is black humour where jokes are made about other peoples miss fortune and ironic humour where the outcome is unexpected.
We can see this by how he treats others and we know he only wants to marry the princess so he can become king. Lord Farquaad is all set to marry Princess Fiona, until he sees that when the sun sets she turns into an ugly ogre. Lord Farquaad speaks to her in a cruel way, and he orders his knights to 'get that out of my sight.' Lord Farquaad calls off the wedding, but he still proclaims himself King, so he definitely not a conventional prince.
The clever use of close-up makes Shrek seem large and the others small. Close-up shots are also useful for focusing the viewer's attention on the characters’ emotions. The close-up camera shots of Princess Fiona and Shrek smiling shows their human qualities. Everyone looks better when they smile. Tension is created when Lord Farquaad is introduced. Instead of focusing on his face, the camera shows how small he is and what a big head he has compared to his body. This suggests he thinks he is great and can have and do anything he wants.
When Shrek visits Lord Farquaad's castle, the camera mover from ground level upwards to reveal his tower. This is called a high angle shot. It is useful because it makes Lord Farquaad seem large and powerful, and Shrek and Donkey appear small and weak. Low angle shots are effectively used because they show Lord Farquaad looking down on Shrek and Donkey. Mid angle shot's are used when Shrek and Donkey are relaxing together, and when Shrek cooked Princess Fiona a meal. These shots show both of the characters at the same time and have the effect of making them equal and showing friendship. Sometimes, a character's back is shown rather than their face. This is used to suggest isolation from other characters. For example when Princess Fiona leaves Shrek and goes inside, she is hiding and wants to be alone. Shrek walks away from Donkey, showing he wants to end their friendship. Presentational devices are also used to influence the viewer, and to make them see a particular character in a certain way.
The story begins in Shrek's swamp. The swamp looks very basic and does not have many quality things. The swamp looks lonely and isolated just how you would expect an ogre to live. Donkey runs away and finds himself in Shrek's swamp. Shrek does not hurt Donkey but it does take a while for them to become friends. Lord Farquaad lives in a castle but it does not seem like a traditional castle, full of splendour and happiness. We see the ginger bread man being tortured. When we first meet Shrek, it is obvious that he is supposed to look like an ogre because he lives in a modest camp, has bad breath and poor hygiene habits, like pulling wax out of his ears to make a candle. He bathes in the mud and uses toothpaste that he squeezes out of a leaf plant. Lord Farquaad seems like a typical Lord. He wears expensive looking clothes, has a nice horse, and if he marries a princess he will become king. He lives in a castle and is surrounded by nice things but we know that he is the evil character in the movie.
Lighting is used to persuade the viewer to think of a character in certain way. When Princess Fiona leaves Shrek, Shrek sits with his back to the camera and stares at the moon. Darkness is used here to create a feeling of gloom and sadness; we start to feel sorry for shrek even though he is a orge. The images of light are used throughout fully too. Shrek and Princess Fiona are often pictured walking through meadows; this creates the feeling of happiness and relaxation. The brilliant light at the end of the film suggests that Shrek and the Princess live happily ever after.
When we first meet Lord Farquaad, and the hooded figure, there is marching music this makes the viewer feel that he is powerful. The loud organ suggests something is about to happen. The lyrics in the songs throughout the movie convey messages. One song "I'm a Believer", explains how important it is to be open minded and not judge people by how they look. When Shrek overhears the conversation between Donkey and Princess Fiona, he misinterprets the conversation, at this moment the music is slow and suggests a sad mood. The song about broken dreams and promises is how Shrek feels when he overhears the conversation between Donkey and Princess Fiona. The effect of having Donkey and the dragon crying shows us friendships can be formed by anyone.
Donkey is an important character in the film, as he helps us to understand the character of Shrek. When Donkey refuses to listen to Shrek, ignores the 'Beware of ogre' sign, and follows him back to the swamp he is showing us Shrek is approachable. Donkey turned the tournament scene into a comedy by his good natured behaviour and making good natured jokes while they were fighting the knights. Shrek and Donkey are friends, they depend on each other and even though Shrek appears to find Donkey annoying he also seems to like having Donkey around. Donkey shows us Shrek's good qualities of friendship and caring.
After analyzing the characters of Shrek and Lord Farquaad, I have come to the conclusion that although Shrek looks like a traditional fairy tale ogre, he is more like a typical prince. Shrek rescues the princess, falls in love and has meaningful friendships. Shrek is kind and considerate of other people's feelings throughout the film. Although Lord Farquaad looks like a Prince, his actions suggest he is evil. Lord Farquaad is very mean, he tortures the ginger bread man, steals Shrek's swamp, makes his knights put their lives on the line, turns Princess Fiona down when he finds out she has an ugly side, and claims to be king even though he did not marry Fiona. The story of Shrek uses presentational devices to reverse our expectations, so that by the end of the film Shrek, although he is the ogre, seems like a prince. Lord Farquaad, although he is a Lord, seems more like an evil, mean ogre, for example when we see him in his castle instead of being surrounded by pleasant images, it shows him torturing the ginger bread man and showing how mean spirited he really is. Perhaps the message of the story is that you can not judge a book by its cover. It is interesting how the filmmaker did not make the characters of Shrek and Lord Farquaad fit into traditional roles, this made a huge effect on the audience because of the humour included in this film, its target audience changed completely.