V For Vendetta Film Techniques

Practice test essay (V for Vendetta)

1. Describe an important relationship in a text you have studied. Explain how this relationship develops a key idea.

2. Describe visual or verbal techniques used in a text you have studied. Explain how these techniques are used to convey an important message to teenagers

1. Identify the relationship

2. Identify a key idea

3. Describe how film techniques develop and build on the relationship

4. Explain how the film techniques help develop the idea through the relationship

“The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.”

It is intriguing how two people with entirely different personalities

are able to come together and impact each other in order to represent the public’s opinion towards the government. In the movie V for Vendetta directed by Jamie McTeigue, the two protagonists Evey and V comes together and influences each other with their own strengths and successfully demonstrates that “ideas are bulletproof” and freedom. Director McTeigue uses several film techniques, including dialogue, camera angles, and symbolism to depict how V makes Evey become a person who is more confident in her strength and how Evey creates V to become more human throughout the movie. Together, V and Evey support each other to build the idea of revolution for freedom in Great Britain, speaking for the public as they gain more supporters.

In order to build a stronger relationship between the two protagonists Evey and V, dialogues are used throughout the film to convey their thoughts to each other and increase the interaction between the two characters. Through dialogue, the audience is able to anticipate the personality of the characters as the movie builds to a climax. V conveys his strong passion for revolution through his speech to Evey when they first meet as he states “The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.” Using words starting with the letter ‘v’ emphasizes V’s obsession on achieving his vendetta as V, the Roman numeral five, is the number he was given to when he was in the government’s concentration camp. Their relationship becomes stronger when they watch a movie together and Evey states that its sad how the guy cared about vengeance more than the girl. This gave a huge impact on V as he represented the guy at the beginning of the film but changed into another person at the end when he cared about Evey. Contrastly, Evey becomes more confident after V had ‘tortured’ her to make her fearless as Evey tells V from the beginning that she wanted to be fearless. As the two characters communicates the needs and thoughts they have, they unite each other into a stronger character with distinctive qualities. V gives Evey a decision to pull the lever that leads the explosive subway to the parliament, in which Evey fulfills V’s ideals of freedom even though he was not present when it happened. The communication between these two characters become a vital role as they convey their thoughts to each other to help each other out.

McTeigue also portrays the idea of freedom through the different camera angles used. Low angles are used when Chancellor Adam Sutler’s face is shown in the video in front of his five high ranking officials as it shows his position above all of them and he is looking down upon them. However, as V and Evey opposes the government using fear and oppressions to control the public, McTeigue uses high angle when Chancellor Adam Sutler makes a speech to the public. Using high angle to portray the screen Adam Sutler is in making his speech, it shows that the chancellor of Norsefire is gradually losing control and power throughout the movie as high angle makes a character feel more vulnerable and powerless. However, since Adam Sutler is the chancellor of Norsefire, he cannot be powerless but rather losing the initial power he had over the public as V and Evey comes into play. V and Evey guides the public to stand for their own freedom, which is what the citizens of Great Britain have been thriving for over the past years. As V’s speech is being broadcast across the BTN, a low angle is used to show the dominance of V and his majestic role for the revolution. The low angle shot also shows the gradual shift of power from Adam Sutler to V as V’s idea of a revolution for freedom appeals to the citizens of Great Britain more. At the same time, McTeigue uses eye level angle on Evey and V, suggesting that they hold the same power and none of them is more powerful than the other.

As the movie develops around the idea of freedom, V also emphasizes that ideas are bulletproof and therefore, the idea of freedom is bulletproof where Norsefire cannot destroy V’s intention for libration just by killing V.

The movie V for Vendetta uses the Scarlet Carson, an extinct rose, to symbolize and prove that ideas are bulletproof. The Scarlet Carson is believed to be a species of extinct rose; alternatively, the Scarlet Carson makes several appearances throughout the movie. V leaves a Scarlet Carson everytime he kills his targeted victim ---- officials who were involved in the concentration camp a few years ago. The use of a Scarlet Carson is to show the deep desire V wishes for vengeance and freedom. Each time V leaves the rose on his victim, an extreme close-up zoom is used to depict V’s hunger for freedom. The Scarlet Carson is believed to be extinct, but V has somehow managed to revive the extinct breed of rose. This symbolizes that V believes that even though the government prevents freedom and censors internet access to control its citizens, revolution for freedom is possible and will happen, just like he was able to plant an extinct breed of rose. The Guy Fawkes mask V wears also symbolizes the idea of freedom. As the movie flashbacks where V rises in the fire with his face burnt, V uses the mask to cover his identity, thus the V and his Guy Fawkes mask becomes an ideal, and the ideal is freedom in the country. Director McTeigue uses a long shot at the end of the film where many people wears the Guy Fawkes mask and watch the Parliament Building being destroyed. As they unmask themselves, it represents that the idea of freedom has finally been achieved. Wearing the Guy Fawkes mask, V himself, represents an idea when his identity is not revealed. As Creedy approaches V trying to shoot him, V explains that “beneath this mask, there is more than flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea, Mr. Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof.” A close up shot and low key

lighting is used to make V more mysterious and let his words sink in as the audience and Creedy finally understands V and his pursuit while Evey has already grasp the meaning after her stay with V.

Using the two main characters as an impact, V for Vendetta has unraveled the perception of freedom to the citizens of Great Britain as Evey and V encourages the public to pursuit liberation from their own government as Norsefire uses censorship and fear to control their own people. Director McTeigue facilitates the message being conveyed by using effective film techniques such as dialogue, camera angles, and symbolism to portray the relationship between Evey and V as they help each other achieve the idea of freedom and helping the government understand that ideas are bulletproof. This makes the audience ponder about the meaning of the movie as they decipher the movie differently; some viewing V as a nationalist while others consider him a terrorist. Director McTeigue leaves this for the audience to decide the verdict, whether they believe that V is a good person or a bad person.