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SWAT Codes Wall-E
1,110
SWAT Codes
Year 7 English
Film Study
What are SWAT Codes?
What are SWAT codes?
- Codes and conventions are well established in the medium of film.
- As an audience, it is important to be aware of the codes and conventions in order to be aware as to how a particular meaning is being created.
- Codes: elements used to construct meaning in media.
- Conventions: accepted ways of using codes to create meaning.
The film Wall-E contains many examples of SWAT codes in order to get the meaning accross to the viewers.
SYMBOLIC CODES
SYMBOLIC
A symbol is an object that creates meaning within an image or frame.
This includes: objects, settings, body language, colour, clothing, and lighting.
For example: a dove is just a bird, but it is also a symbol of peace. A heart is just a part of the human body, but also a symbol of love.
There are many symbols in the film Wall-E, some of which we will explore.
SYMBOL #1 The seedling
The seedling or plant
Upon discovery of the seedling music changes to holy, almost wondorous sounding, welcoming the importance of the plant in the story.
What do you think the plant is a
symbol of?
Symbol of seedling / plant
Throughout the film, the seedling has been symbolic of hope and a new beginning for humanity after being stuck on a ship not doing anything for nearly 700 years.
The filmmakers also use technical codes and audio codes in order to highlight the impotance of the plant. The soft wondorous music is different to any of the other audio we have heard in the beginning sequence of the film. Also, the extreme close up shot of the plant as well as the change of focus from Wall-E's expression to the plant increases the importance of the plant to the rest of the story.
Buy N Large
BNL is responsible for the Earth becoming a junk yard so it is ironic that the Axiom is still controlled by the BNL (However, as we later see, they are still dumping their rubish, just in outer space) The buy n large logo is seen everywhere throughout the film, it is even the owner of the newspaper (Buy N Large Times).
SYMBOL #2
Buy N Large
Buy N Large
It is a major part of the setting and is meant to comment on globalisation and the damaging impact that large companies, like apple and Nike, can have on the world. In fact within the film numerous references to Apple are made; when WALL-E is fully charged by the sun, he makes the same "boot up" sound that most of Apple's Macintosh make, WALL-E watches his favourite movie every night on the screen of an iPod, Auto's voice is provided by Apple's text-to-speech system and MacinTalk -EVE's sleek design as an evolution of WALL-E's parallels the sleek iMac design having evolved from the boxy, beige Apple IIe.
Significance of BNL
The portraits of the Captains
In the 700 years since the destruction of the Earth, humanity has changed quite a lot. As they had robots completing more and more of their duties they let go quite a bit and as a result have increased in size. As their reliance of technology increased their free time, so did their laziness, thus contibuting to the deteriorating health of humanity. The portaits of the Captains in the Captain's headquarters is a symbol of this change.
How has their uniform changed?
SYMBOL #3
The Captains
WRITTEN CODES
WRITTEN
Written codes is any use of words. This includes: written text on screen, font and style, titles, names, subtitles, and credits.
The logo for BNL (Buy N Large) is seen throughout the film. Especially during the opening scenes of the film, and the scenes where we see the Axiom. Along with it are advertisements and products created by the company.
EVE
EVE - Extra-terrestrial Vegetation Examiner
While Eve can be considered a written code, she is also a symbol of hope, new beginnings, and a reminder of the Mother of Christianity.
"Stanton, who is a Christian, named EVE after the Biblical figure because WALL-E's loneliness reminded him of Adam, before God created his wife. Dreher noted EVE's biblical namesake and saw her directive as an inversion of that story; EVE uses the plant to tell humanity to return to Earth and move away from the "false god" of BnL and the lazy lifestyle it offers."
WALL-E
WALL-E stands for Waste Allocation Load Lifter. The "waste" refers to all the rubbish humanity leaves behind. Interestingly, although the things he is allocating are waste, Wall-E seems to disagree - simply adding it to his collections.
The advertisement created for "Wall-E working to dig you out!" as seen on the left also shows how much humanity relies on technology to take care of their problems (something that the Captain hopes to change at the end of the film).
WALL-E
AUDIO CODES
AUDIO
Audio is any use of sound - such as music, dialogue, and sound effects.
Although the film has very few dialogue, much of the meaning is shown to viewers using music. Renowned sound designer Ben Burtt recorded thousands of sounds for the film.
Emotions and messages are revealed through music throughout the film. After addressing the lack of dialogue, answer the following questions:
What might be the deeper meaning behind the lack of conversation and dialogue throughout the movie?
How does Wall-E use his music?
Significance of lack of dialogue
Significance of lack of dialogue
"Wall-E is Pixar’s most sustained and arguably most successful experiment in employing this radical narrative simplicity. For the first twenty minutes of the movie, there’s basically no spoken dialogue, only recorded human voices echoing around a long-abandoned Earth. During the making of the movie, the Pixar team studied and drew inspiration from silent films, particularly those of Chaplin and Buster Keaton, and the influence is palpable throughout the movie, but especially in these opening scenes."
"In Wall-E’s reality, there isn’t any dialogue because there’s no longer anyone to talk to, to talk with. Oddly enough, when we eventually get a glimpse of human existence later in the movie, there’s still no dialogue—plenty of noise, prerecorded messages, automated announcements, and verbal commands, but no conversation, and certainly no meaningful interactions between people."
https://www.tor.com/2012/06/19/wall-e-pixars-lasting-tribute-to-the-power-of-art/
Another interpretation may be the fact that actions speak louder than words. Even though Wall-E does not speak much other than some robot sounds, his actions speak much louder about his caring personality. He shows us what we all should be doing in order to save the planet.
TECHNICAL CODES
TECHNICAL
Use of technology to create meaning. This includes camera shots, angles and distance; lighting; and editing.
In films there are 5 main shots:
1. Long or wide shot.
2. Medium shot.
3. Close-up.
4. Extreme close-up.
5. Extreme long shot.
Angles:
1. Low camera angle.
2. High camera angle.
3. Point of view.
4. Over the shoulder.
Why filmmakers decide to use particular shots:
Effect of shots
A close up shot of a character usually takes in their head and shoulders. It can be used to emphasise how important a character or object is. It also allows viewers to see their emotions.
This still is when Wall-E discovers the plant. Why has the filmmaker used this shot?
Extreme close-up
An extreme close-up usually focuses on the part of the face such as eye or mouth. It is used to convey emotion to the audience and is often used at key points in the film.
Extreme close-up
Extreme long shot
Usually used in the beginning sequence, the extreme long shot is used to establish the setting of the story. In the case of Wall-E, the first five minutes of the film (except for one sequence where we see Wall-E scooping up the garbage) almost all of the shots are ‘extreme long shots’.
Extreme long shot
Long shot
In the long shot full body of the character/s is shown. This shot is also used to show location but it may also be used to show the relationships of characters.
Long shot
Medium shot
A mid shot shows the body from the waist up. It shows some background and whole body language. The focus is on the character; it lets the audience see what they are doing but also how they are feeling.
Medium shot
Why filmmakers chose particular angles:
Effect of angles
A high camera angle is positioned above the eprson or palce. It can make a person look vulnerable. It is designed to make the audience side with the character in the shot.
A low camera angle is positioned below the person or place. It can make a person look powerful or important.
Point of view - the camera becomes the character and shows us exactly what they are seeing, as they would see it.