John Proctor's Cinematic Techniques In The Crucible

How far will one push themselves in order to achieve what they want? In Salem, Massachusetts, a group of young girls were found dancing in the forest, and rumors of witchcraft spread throughout the town. At the same time, John Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth was sick and he was simultaneously having a secret affair with a young girl named Abigail Williams. Elizabeth did not forgive her husband for a majority of the story, and much controversy followed. In Salem, Reverend Parris is a highly respectable man. He should have spent a great majority of his time preaching of the light and message of hope that the gospel brings, but he rarely spoke of that while preaching to the people. This demonstrates hypocrisy because rather than focusing on preaching of redemption, he spoke of damnation and told followers that if they did not change their ways, they would be thrust down to hell. Director Nicholas Hytner uses specific cinematic techniques on the characters of John Proctor and Abigail Williams in order

to portray the existence of good and evil and ultimately shed light on the idea that some people will do whatever it takes in order to get what they desire.
Throughout the film, John Proctor is portrayed as virtuous and righteous.

In the beginning of scene three, the director used low angle to show John’s superiority. When the townsmen came to take away John’s wife, Elizabeth, he spoke very clearly against it. However, it was some of his own actions that resulted in the consequence of her being taken away. Although his choices may have been a determining factor, low angle being used on him at this particular point showed that he was typically a very well-respected man. Secondly, non-diagetic sound was utilized throughout various points in the production. Specifically in act three, when Elizabeth was being taken away from the Proctor house. The mournful melodies conveyed to the audience the same emotions being felt by both John and Elizabeth. By using these techniques in scene three to portray the character’s goodness, the director is sending the message that our decisions affect not only our lives, but the lives of those around

us.
Abigail Williams is portrayed as evil and belittling throughout the film. Furthermore, Hytner uses zoom on Abigail when she claimed that Reverend Hale’s wife was making her lose sleep. This specific example demonstrates hypocrisy because Mrs. Hale was one of the most religious and lawful people in the town. Zoom is a specific camera movement that may show the characters when they are at a very personal moment. When the camera zoomed in on Abigail, it showed her when she was not telling the truth; thus, making her appear to be more vulnerable and more alone than ever before. Finally, in act four, the director used side lighting on Abigail when many of the innocent people were getting hanged because of her. The use of side lighting often makes the object appear as evil or dangerous. In this specific example, Abigail’s true colors shine through and the audience learns that despite her efforts to end up on top, evil will never fully prevail. By using these techniques to portray the character this way, the director is sending the message that sanctimonious people will never triumph over those that are good, honest, and truthful.
Director Nicholas Hytner, in the film The Crucible, uses a wide variation of cinematic techniques in order to show the good and evil sides of some characters. He heavily utilized zoom throughout the film, making it appear as though everyone was quite vulnerable in their town. He may have also done that to show personal moments or to demonstrate the character’s separation from the audience. Many of the characters pushed themselves in order to achieve their goals, no matter how unbelievably unattainable they seemed to be.