Medals: Symbolism And Meaning

Symbolisms & Meanings

Medals are the biggest piece of symbolism in the film. The meal symbolizes different things in the film. For the ‘good guys’, such as Felix, medals represent accomplishment for a good day of work, as well as accomplishment. Medals also provide the symbolism of economic wealth. For the good guys who are able to receive medals, they have more luxury than characters who cannot get one due to the programing of the game. For characters like Ralph and Vanellope, it is a symbol of opportunity because a medal would give them more freedom in their games. Medals also provide a “grass is not always greener on the other side” meaning for Ralph, because even when he receives one, he realizes it is not always worth it.

Lighting

The

lighting techniques that were used throughout the film were pretty unique. The majority of the film used High-Key lighting, which was to be expected for the nature of the movie. The use of high-key lighting was very noticeable mostly throughout when the subjects were in the Sugar Rush setting. The use of high-key lighting provided a positive emotion for the subjects, because at first the setting of Sugar Rush seemed like a positive environment. High-key lighting was also used in the Game Central Station setting, as it was the location of were all the games met during after-hours of the arcade. There was also great usage of saturated color with high-key lighting, especially in the Sugar Rush setting. As more evil started to make place in the movie, the increase of low-key lighting prominent to match the subject’s emotions. Scenes such as when Ralph destroyed Vanellope’s car, or when the truth of King Candy’s evil background was relieved, low-key lighting was used in order to capture that emotion of fear and dark content. Low-key lighting was also used in the setting of the game Hero’s Duty, which was the home game for Calhoun. It was an interesting use of low-key lighting, because Calhoun is considered a ‘good’ character in her game. The game was a first-person shooter, so the use of low-key lighting as well as fill lighting provided authenticity for that type of game.

Sound
Sound was a key element in the film. Because it was a mixture of video games, the film needed to provide accuracy with the sounds to make them have the proper identity. With games such as Fix-It Felix, Jr. the sounds of a video game that was 30 years old was extremely accurate, with the film creating the same noises of the technology as if the viewer was playing the game. With games that had more depth of sound like Hero’s Duty and Sugar Rush, there needed to be more sounds included that provided the same accuracy of those games because they were much more advanced. The use of a Foley Artist was also noticeable throughout the movie as well, because some of the sounds, like doors opening and closing or the sound of Ralph smashing objects, used were created through objects to provided authentic noises for the film to give it a realistic touch. The use of background music was also an important use of sound in the film. Whether the subjects provided positive or negative emotion, the use of the background music matched the character’s behavior in order to add emphasis on the scene.

Editing
Wreck-It Ralph provided multiple types of editing throughout the film.

The most noticeable use of editing was magic realism. With cameos from famous video games, such as Sonic, Bowser, Pac-Man, and Frogger, the film incorporated multiple different video game characters interacting with each other, or intertextual. This was a great example of magic realism because it still seemed realistic to the story, even though it is highly impossible these characters would know each other. There was also editing use of product placement as well. The use of including famous video game characters also was a way to promote their games. With the actual children that played the games in the arcade, they showed product placement with a Subway drink. Wreck-It Ralph was a very detailed film, due to the editing and use of 3D computer-animation. There was also use of a cutaway shot in the film, specifically when Ralph received a medal. Once Ralph gets the medal, it briefly shows a cutaway shot of Ralph’s vision to how is life will change with a medal. There was also technically use of off-screening as well. The characters in the video game had to show their actions in the areas of the screen for the children. But, outside of that screen they could move around however they liked. In the scene when a child was playing Fix-It Felix, Jr. without Ralph, Felix acts like his character in the screen for the gamer but acts in panic outside of the screen when looking for

Ralph.

Camera Techniques
There were multiple different camera techniques used throughout the film.

The use of regular and extreme close ups was important, because it made the viewer focus on the reaction shot of the subject and their emotions. There was also the camera technique of point-of-view and breaking the forth wall. The scene Ralph enters Hero’s World for the first time is a great example of the combination of the two. The film uses the point-of-view technique to provide the accuracy of the first person shooting game. It also breaks the forth wall, as the gamer playing Hero’s War looks directly into the camera. There was also a great use of both medium and long shots as well. The use of medium shots was included to provide every subject and give them importance. In the scene were Ralph is introduced telling his story at the Bad-Anon, the use of a medium shot was important because it included very subject in the scene. Long shots were also an important use of camera technique. Even though it was created through computer-animation, the long shot use was great because it could focus on the subject in front of the shot, then slowly pan out and focus on the long shot of the subjects in the pack. One great example of this was when Ralph was at the top of a tree and learning he was in the Sugar Rush setting. The film uses the technique of an extreme close up of Ralph’s face and reaction shot of losing his medal, then pans out to show the long shot to introduce the setting of Sugar Rush by focusing

on the name of the game. There was also a use of panning in the film. Towards the beginning when showing how Fix-It Felix, Jr. worked, it was shown on a 2D setting. When the characters were able to move once the arcade close, the camera technique of panning show the characters moving in a 3D setting on how they are able to move after-hours.

Signatures of the Director
Director Rich Moore is most known for his work in animation for both TV and feature films. His signature pieces of work for TV have been on The Simpsons and Futurama, while his signature films have been Wreck-It Ralph and Zootopia. Being an up-and-coming director, Moore is starting to become known for having inspirational meaning in his animation films.

Possible cultural effects of the film
After its release, Wreck-It Ralph had a cultural effect of being of the best animated movies since Toy Story. One of the biggest cultural effects that could be taken from the film is the inspirational message Moore created. The story of Ralph understanding the way he is programed for the better and the concept of Vanellope being the glitch had an impact on both children and adults. Overall, the life lessons that came out of the film played a big part of the cultural effects it had for its viewers. Another cultural effect the film provided was a reaction through popular culture. Artist Kanye West has compared himself to Vanellope on his attempts into fashion. Because of that comparison, it has helped the film get more attention in understanding West’s character comparison.

Subjective perception of the film’s value
With success at the box-office after its release and fairly positive reviews on both IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes (7.8/10 on IMDb, 86% on Rotten Tomatoes), Wreck-It Ralph provided a unique and creative plot than most animation films in recent history. With paying homage to classic video games as well as modernizing the topic, the film does an excellent job of balancing a telling story along with teaching moral values.