Truman Show Analysis: The End Sequence.

JCM 3501 Video Workshop 1

Truman Show Analysis: The End Sequence

I’ve chosen to analyse the end sequence of the ‘Truman Show’ as it identifies key areas, which the film is based upon, most of which revolve around the ethics of religion, media conventions and ideologies of how the world should be seen as. As well as having a contrasting misé-en scène, which allows me to comment on why certain aspects of the ending were shot in the manner they were.

The film itself is about a man called Truman Burbank who is born into a real life reality TV show, where all his actions are filmed and his whole life controlled however all of this is being done without Truman’s knowledge as he believes his friends and family are real, when in actual fact they are actors all playing their part in the Programme, The Truman Show.

Truman is ironically composed of the words "true man". He is in actual fact the only true man in the programme as everyone around him is not real. He is also a true man in the sense that he is brave. And he is the true man in the sense that he is the archetypal man for our age, who stands up to the false Gods and illusions of the media manipulators and develops the potential for an authentic life. Christof the so-called creator, who also plays God with Truman crucifies his only son, but who is then resurrected at the end.

In terms of Biblical imagery, he is both Adam and Christ. He is Adam, who escapes from a false paradise and falls by choice into nature and history, and he is Christ who knows of a higher world and is crucified on the boat as a result.

As the film draws to a close we are given evidence of closure when the change in music becomes apparent. It is no longer fierce and abrasive, but instead slow and tranquil. Another change being in lighting, whereas prior to this sequence the scene was dark in colour and done using fast editing as well as distorted shot types at close and high angels. Now the shots are wide and high to give an over-look of where the character is on his journey. The connation behind these shot types could be to emphasise just how far Truman has gone ...

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Just as Truman believes he is getting closer to freedom he travels toward the illusion of open space and sky, where his boat suddenly hits the inside wall of the dome. The sky setting denotes the studio and connotes the idea that not everything we see is real. Feeling manipulated and angry, Truman bangs on the sky, connoting the idea that he has been lied too for so long and that he wants to be free and told the truth.

Truman begins to walk on the water, as if he were Jesus. The scenery behind him of the sky adds emphasis to the religious idea, as well the stairs, which leads to heaven or to the truth in his case. The wide shot of Truman and the stairs gives a sense of drama and anticipation, as the audience in the film are willing him to leave, as if they were his following or his disciples. The lighting is also a lot brighter, as if to say he has now seen the light. The use of the light also depicts his shadow on the wall, which starts off big but as Truman gets closer reduces in size, this could suggest that Truman is no longer the lost little boy everyone had made him out to be, but has grown as a man and a person.

The shot changes to gain a reaction from Christof the man above, who is also the creator and director of the programme. This shot is used to show other interactions going on during Truman’s discovery.

Just before Truman reaches the opening of the door at the top of the stairs the shot changes to a close-up shot viewed from a screen in the film. At this point the producer speaks to him in a voice from above and tries to in-still fear in him, to keep him under control.

It is an ironic touch that as Truman goes up the steps to reach the door, just before the producer speaks to him; he is in a heaven-like setting. As a voice from above, Christof reveals the truth, while trying to draw him into another lie ‘life is a television program. Truman you are the star’. But life is better inside, he tells Truman, because it is safe. Truman doesn't buy it, of course. He will walk through a door to the outside and have a chance at an authentic life.

The idea that the voice comes from above as well as having symbolic religious conations is a clever way of linking the two characters, Truman and Christof, because until this point neither the two had met. It has now come down to the final ‘showdown’, which clarifies that the end is near. The camera cuts to show the facial expressions of both characters, as they battle to see who is stronger, mentally. The lighting and positioning surrounding Christof’s face is dark and centred and the angel is done as if to look as though Christof is looking down on Truman, whereas Truman’s frame is brighter in contrast, yet has him looking up connoting that he may still be the smaller person and is still afraid to go on alone.

Just as Christof waits for Truman’s answer he shouts loudly ‘Say something your on television’, at which point the camera switches quickly to montage shots of the TV audience to gain a sense of their reaction and to add suspense to what Truman’s reaction will be.

Truman in true commercial and profound style then states his well-known catchphrase. ‘In case I don’t see ya, good-afternoon, good evening and good night.’ Truman Burbank

At which point, the camera changes position to a medium shot of Truman in full, as he takes a bow and enters through the door out into the real world.

The music then changes as Sylvia, Truman’s true love in the film, begins to run down the stairs, another convention used to close the end of a film the two lovers reunited. The music is now more up tempo in beat, which includes trumpets and symbols, which suggest a cause for celebration, are much lighter in tone, compared to the previous audio, which connoted a sense of hardship and struggle, through its slow bass influence.

The angle between the two characters in contrast to how they were framed prior, shows Truman framed at a medium angle and Christof enclosed in dark shadows around him but not so close up. This connotes the idea of defeat, whereby Truman gains and Christof is the loser. The camera then cuts back to show the joy and excitement of the TV audiences, who are pleased that Truman faced his fears, because indirectly Truman was seen as a source to look up to as he was on the side of the audience and in some ways is a depiction of the audiences as he and the audiences became deluded by the media into believing everything they saw, because it came from a well known and trusted source.

The last few shots of the sequence are framed in the same way whereby the audience are still in the same position as they were from the start and the camera has not moved from its originally place, as this is make3 the shots appear as if they are watching them as they watch the screen, almost like a fly on the wall.

As the film comes to gripping finale and its complete closure we see a tormented Christof, and then a quick cut to a video screen where the transmission signal has been cut and all that is on display is the fuzzy grey screen, this identifies complete closure as the programme and the film have now come to a holt.

As for Christof due to his defeat by his own creation it proves that the media manipulator forced his own profit to suffer by being too greedy and wanting more power. In a sense the films ideologies coincide with the real world as we allow ourselves to become characters that are manipulated by media tycoons who exploit us and invade our privacy. If we are to remain individual and uncorrupted we must be like Truman and face our fears and always continue to question our sources, as it shows that not everything we believe to be real is actually as it is.

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