After this encounter with Shrek and the fairy tale creatures, it isn’t long before Shrek meets Donkey. When Donkey first approaches, Shrek roars at him to try and intimidate him. Donkey is not frightened at all, and tells Shrek that he was impressed with his roar, and that it should scare anyone. He then ridicules that Shrek ‘needs some tic-tacs or something,’ because of Shrek’s bad breath. Donkey is still persistent, and continues to question Shrek while he follows him. Shrek suddenly turns around and shouts at donkey, ‘What am I?’ Donkey isn’t at all afraid and just replies, ‘umm, really tall?’ This irritates Shrek and he says that he is an ogre. Donkey then tells Shrek that he doesn’t care, because Donkey likes him. Shrek is surprised when Donkey tells him this, and after a moment of silence Shrek continues to walk on. Donkey follows Shrek back to his home, and continues to irritate Shrek by running into Shrek’s house, bouncing up and down on Shrek’s chair and peering through the window when Donkey gets sent out of Shrek’s home. For all this time Shrek fails to stop Donkey irritating him, which suggests to the viewers that Shrek isn’t a terrifying ogre. The three blind mice go into Shrek’s house, and they tease him, by running across the table, and onto his shoulder. This appears to be funny, because Shrek fails to catch them, and they cannot even see where they are going. The behaviour of Donkey and the mice tells viewers that Shrek isn’t like a conventional fairy tale ogre, but is actually too nice to stop other characters irritating him, as traditional ogres would just try to kill them.
Shrek and Donkey visit Duloe, to try and reclaim Shrek’s swamp back from Lord Farquaad. Donkey thinks Shrek is too kind and should not have to ask as the swamp belongs to him anyway. Shrek asks Donkey if it would be a good idea if he should ‘decapitate an entire village…’ Viewers feel that Shrek could not do this if he wanted to, because of past events. When they arrive, Lord Farquaad was telling his men that a royal competition would take place, and the champion would rescue Princess Fiona. When Lord Farquaad sees Shrek, he changes his mind and says, ‘The one that kills the ogre shall win.’ Instead of Shrek accepting the challenge with Lord Farquaad’s knights, he offers to solve the dispute, by saying ‘Can’t we settle this over a pint?’ This suggests that Shrek’s is not a violent character, and would rather talk his way out of situations than to have to fight his way out.
When Shrek breaks into the castle to rescue Princess Fiona, he acts like an ogre when he shakes the princess violently, to wake her and shouts ‘wake up now, let’s go.’ She is disappointed that there is no ‘romantic moment’, as they have in traditional fairy tales. This shows that Shrek maybe embarrassed that he is an ogre, and not the ‘Prince charming’ that she expects. Although Shrek appears violent, when we learn that he has failed to slay the dragon because he has to ‘save my [his] ass!’ we realise that he isn’t looking for trouble, and tries to the job as easily as possible. Initially Shrek always try to act in a threatening manner, but other characters see him as he is from the inside rather than what he looks like. This is strange for Shrek, as everyone normally judges him before they meet him, and so Shrek continually reminds the other characters that they should be scared of him because he is an ogre.
In contrast to Shrek, Lord Farquaad is a cruel character. He watches the torture of the Gingerbread Man. He laughs and taunts the Gingerbread Man, ‘run, run, run as fast as you can, you can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!’ This shows that he thinks a lot of himself, and sees himself great, powerful, and in this case, witty. When the Gingerbread Man refuses to talk, Lord Farquaad motions to pull off the Gingerbread Man’s purple gumdrop buttons. When Lord Farquaad’s men interrupt them, he throws the Gingerbread Man in the bin. This first impression that Lord Farquaad gives the viewers is a negative one. He shows that he is driven by power, and will do anything to get it. It also shows that he has no feelings for others, as he before said, ‘some of you may die, but that is a risk I am willing to make!’
The makers of ‘Shrek’ use a parody of ‘Blind Date’, Lord Farquaad has three beautiful women to choose from. I think the makers of Shrek do this to make the film more up-to-date, and to make it appeal to younger people. Lord Farquaad picks ‘bachelorette’ number three, the beautiful Princess Fiona. When Lord Farquaad meets the Princess he uses very formal language, ‘Beautiful, fair, flower Fiona, will you be the perfect bride for the perfect groom?’ This shows that he is also a bit two-faced.
Lord Farquaad is all set to marry Princess Fiona, until he sees that when the sunsets she turns into an ogre herself. 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 to be king. Lord Farquaad is deceptive because he should only become king if he marries a princess. It is clear that Lord Farquaad does not love the princess, but agrees to marriage because he wants to become king, and ruler of a great Kingdom. In this film we learn quickly that the prince is not like a traditional fairy tale character, because instead of being noble, majestic and loving, he is wicked, thoughtless, and self-centred.
When a director is making a film it is important that he/she uses a variety of camera angles to create certain effects. At the beginning of the film, Shrek scares the storybook characters away. There is a close up shot of Shrek’s mouth, to give the impression that he is going to eat them. Darkness, also makes the surrounding unease, and suggests something bad is going to happen. Close up shots are also useful for focusing the viewers attention on the characters emotions. Both Princess Fiona and Shrek can reveal their true happiness through close ups of them smiling.
Again, when he story book characters arrive with orders from Lord Farquaad telling Shrek that he needs to move out of the swamp, the low angle shot makes Shrek appear threatening as he looks down, towering over the other characters. Tension is created when Lord Farquaad is introduced. Instead of focusing on his face, the camera shows his hands putting on gloves. This suggests that he means business, and does things properly.
When Shrek and Donkey visits Lord Farquaad’s castle, a high angle shot is used. Lord Farquaad’s elevated position is emphasised when the camera moves from ground level upwards to reveal the tower. The high angle shot makes Shrek and Donkey seem vulnerable.
Low angle shots are effectively used because they show Lord Farquaad looking down on Shrek and Donkey.
Mid Angle shots are used when Shrek and Donkey are relaxing together and when Shrek has cooked Princess Fiona a meal. Such shots are helpful as they show characters socialising with each other, and also it gives the effect that they are equals.
Sometimes a character’s back is shown rather than their face. This serves to highlight their isolation from the rest of the characters. One example is where Shrek sits on the edge of the cliff with his back to the camera when Princess Fiona goes to bed. Also when Shrek wants to end his friendship with Donkey he turns his back on him to signify the end.
Presentational devices are also used to influence the viewer, and make them see a particular character in a certain way. The story begins in Shrek’s swamp. The swamp is the expected home of an ogre, but this swamp is bright, colourful and interesting, unlike a traditional swamp, with fog, dead trees etc. The swamp is not as unwelcoming as it should be, and this is shown when Donkey attempts to set up his home there.
Lord Farquaad, on the other hand, lives in a castle. A fairy tale castle is always considered to be a building of splendour. Instead the viewers are made to see it in a different light, and are made to see hooded figures torturing the Gingerbread Man and violence in the courtyard. It is also very quite when Shrek and Donkey first visit, and appears at first to be uninhabited. The settings in the film are not traditional, and the characteristics of the two main places are very different to most people’s perceptions.
When we first meet Shrek, it is obvious that he is supposed to look like an ogre because he is tall, well built, and ugly and has green skin. The filmmakers emphasise that he is an ogre by making Shrek point out himself that he is a ‘hideous, ugly, ogre.’ His habitat is a swamp, and it is most people’s belief that horrid beasts and monsters are the only creatures that would choose to live in what is usually described as an unpleasant place. Shrek is also shown to bath in mud, and brush his teeth with green slime. This is considered as unpleasant in modern day society.
At first, Lord Farquaad seems to be a typical Lord. He wears a smart looking red
Costume with a matching hat, with a pure white feather. He is also clean cut, and has well groomed hair. He lives in a grand and tall castle, displaying the crest of Lord Farquaad, and he can become a king if he marries a princess.
Lighting is also used to persuade the viewer to think of a character in a certain way. When Princess Fiona leaves Shrek, Shrek sits with his back to the camera and stare into the darkness, looking at the moon. This emphasises Shrek’s isolation, with his back to the campfire and camera.
The images of light are used thoughtfully too. Shrek and Princess Fiona are often pictured walking through meadows on a well-lit, sunny day, with the birds chirping. This is to show contentment, happiness between the two. The brilliant light at the end when Princess Fiona rises off the ground in her ogre state suggests goodness and happiness entering the scene and gives the ending a magical feel, which is more like a traditional fairy tale.
Light in the film is mostly used to show a good or bad presence in the film. It also shows characters happiness throughout the film.
When we first meet Lord Farquaad and the hooded figure, there is marching music that makes viewers feel uneasy and tense, as it suggests something bad is going to happen, as it is usually associated with battle. When Shrek enters Lord Farquaad’s arena, there is loud organ music, which suggests that Shrek’s tournament and the Lord himself, is very important.
When Shrek overhears the conversation between Donkey and Princess Fiona, he misinterprets the conversation. At this moment, the music is slow, which is supposed to reflect on Shrek’s unhappiness. When Shrek goes home there is a song about broken dreams and promises. This also reflects on Shrek’s emotions and gives the viewers an idea of what Shrek is thinking. Donkey and the dragon are crying at the same time as when the music is being played, which makes the viewers feel sorry for Shrek.
The filmmakers use music and sound effects to create an atmosphere, good or bad, and to reflect upon characters emotions and feelings.
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 the ogre’ sign, and follows Shrek back to the swamp, not heeding advice from Shrek to leave him alone. This shows us that Shrek is a solitary character, and enjoys his privacy. Donkey shows the viewers Shrek’s true personality. The Donkey also manages to lighten the atmosphere at the tournament and makes the scene amusing, when he rolls barrels into the knights. Donkey and Shrek have a good relationship, even though it ha its ups and downs. Donkey acts as Shrek’s adviser, when Shrek is having difficulties, and Donkey always helps Shrek in every way he can. Shrek, in return, protects and looks after Donkey, and more importantly, will be his friend. Donkey is an important character because he shows us that Shrek isn’t a man-eating monster, but is really like any other living thing, that has feelings. Donkey manages to bring the best out of Shrek, even in the most difficult situations.
After analysing the characters of Shrek and Lord Farquaad, I have come to the conclusion that although Shrek seems to be like a traditional ogre, he is also very different, as he has friends, he rescues the princess, finds true love and gets married. This shows he is different from a typical ogre. Equally, Lord Farquaad looks like a noble Lord, but is very different to one. He has an evil nature; as he tortures people, he steals, makes other people do his fighting. He is also cruel, and has no feelings for others, shown by the rejection of the princess, and his false claims to be a king. The story of ‘Shrek’ uses presentational devices to reverse our expectations, so that the end of the film sees Shrek as the good character, and Lord Farquaad is seen as the evil character. The makers of ‘Shrek’ have successfully managed to reverse this fairy tale and to make it appeal to younger viewers by making it more amusing, but still put across an important message of you can’t judge a book by its cover.
