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Back to Heavenly Creatures:HEAVENLY CREATURES - YEAR 13 VISUAL TEXT

The film __Heavenly Creatures,__ by Peter Jackson contains the ideal matching of techniques or production features to the film's central ideas. They are utilised in order to reveal and capture key themes. The key theme of reality as imagination is treated by the use of computer techniques, camera usage, dialogue and music to gain the effect of subjectivity where the audience takes their insight into the film through the characters point of view: Pauline and Juliet. The audience looks at the world from their perspective.

The treatment of the key theme imagination versus reality is superbly brought out by the use of camera techniques. In the scene when Juliet, her family and Pauline are on Easter holiday, the technique of morphing is used to a great extent when Juliet's father hints a possible trip to England which would require Juliet to remain in New Zealand on her own. The technique is used as Juliet runs away into the neighbouring hills - the camera and music used in this scene echos "The Sound of Music" - and she enters the Fourth World, a paradisical refuge from the "real" world. Computer techniques are used brilliantly in order to change the scenery into a "blissful" arena which demonstrates the theme of reality versus imagination. The key theme is brought out by the use of morphing which is a computer special effects technique, thus helping to take us to see the world from Juliet's perspective.

Another scene which demonstrates this theme of reality versus imagination and achieves the intended effect of subjectiveness is when Juliet and Pauline are buildin a sandcastle, and describing their fictional storyland of Borovnia. The use of camera tracking in this scene helps embed this key theme of reality and imagination and produce the efect of looking at life through the girls' perspective. The camera enters the sandcastle and gallops through. This then follows with a tracking movement that ascends the spiral staircase, and then halts as it captures Juliet and Pauline in a close up. The camera use in this scene expands the audiences' experience so that it reflects and shares the character's minds and imaginations, as they makes their storyland, Borovnia, come to life. This scene definitely treats the key theme superbly as the techniques help bring out this theme as well as the intended level of subjectivity.

Also, there are several other dramatisations and scenes that contain the combination of techniques such as computer and camera techniques, thus also highlighting the effect of subjectivity and revealing the theme of imagination versus reality. One particular scene that utilises the combination of techniques is when Pauline sees the psychologist. Pauline is being treated for her individuality and is being interrogated about her relationship with Juliet. However, we see life through Pauline's perspective again when the Weta Workshops laytex constructed figure of Diello from the girls' storyland of Borovnia, appears and stabs the psychologist. What follows is a close-up shot of Pauline's reaction of enjoyment as she looks on. The costume and computer effect combined with camera usage to capture Diello's actions and Pauline's reaction helps to echo the theme of reality versus imagination.

However, as these dramatisations carry through the use of production techniques they become more intense and disturbing. They hammer home the key theme and begin to foreshadow the matricide that the pair commits and a result of a full descent into imagination. For instance,the use of dialogue helps reflect, or supports, the key theme. When Pauline suggests that they plot to murder her mother, she says it in a theatrical and music hall manner by pronouncing it "moider". This highlights the key theme of reality versus imagination by showing that even planning a homicide has become part of the fun of an act in the greater drama of their lives. The brutality of the action is not worth consideration in their imaginative world,let alone that the consequences might be the reverse of what Pauline's dream sets out to be.

Lastly, the theme of reality versus imagination is supported and reflected by the use of music and sound effects. The pair who become so obsessed with each other, commit matricide because they are unable to distinguish reality from imagination. The of use in the final scene helps to make the unbelievably harsh reality of this scene into just another reflection of the girls imagination. The "Hummingbird Chorus" accompanies the girls and Honora down the bushland path. Although the scene is being shot in real time, the music seems to slow the action to slow motion. It is soothing, but also creates great tension, as the audience wishes they could make the music stop and have Honora turn around unhurt. The theme of reality versus imagination and, in this case, its complete loss to imagination is supported by Puccini's music. The "Heavenly" walk through the bush becomes a nightmare. Jackson replaces the music with the reality of a cry from a bush bird and there is no sound to take stand between the horror of the action and the audience. Jackson makes sure the audience hears the agonised cries of Honora and the squelsh of Honora's brains being hit by the brick. Therefore the use of the production features of music and sound effects worked well with the real and slow time shooting of a reverse tracking shot to reflect the central idea of reality versus imagination. And that at this point the girls had lost the battle of sanity to the strength of their imaginations.

In conclusion, the treatment of reality versus imagination supported and reflected by the use of production techniques in particular scenes in Jackson's __Heavenly Creatures.__ These production techniques included: camera tracking shots, music, costume construction, special effects, sound effects and dialogue.