The film ‘Her’ directed by Spike Jonze, presents an exceptional tale of the breakthrough connection created by love. The pursuit of love is given in an iconic cinematology that makes a seamless experience and adventure in what is seen as a delicate, daring, and funny movie to create a real experience with the audience. The film goes deeper into creating a narrative that defines man’s alienation by technology with its possible effect that sounds a warning into a whole new experience as human beings try to find their position. The correct choice of cinematology helps create a seamless experience in understanding the main idea and, more so, overcoming the challenges and barriers experienced in film creation (Pappas, 2021). Theodore, the protagonist in the film, creates a connection with a computer system named Samantha and is given a voice to complement the completion of a fantasy world.
The choice of picture intentionally creates a futuristic and dreamy look of Los Angeles, an essential blend into what Theodore seeks as a modern man’s life. The craft of the pictures reflects a heavy warm contrast with a low contrast look into the frame’s opening that grabs the audience’s attention by resolving the various scopes of the film. For instance, the photograph of Los Angeles is created to blend a dreamy experience that includes a natural taste, as demonstrated in the photograph below.
The image shows a low contrast, the color temperature is boosted towards yellow, and the saturation is toned down. This essential component completes the world of fantasy that forms Theodore’s experience. Further, scenes reflecting the night interiors are shot utilizing relatively low contrast to create a reasonably dark atmosphere (Merchant-Knudsen, 2021).
Framing is another vital aspect utilized to make meaning the scenes contribute to the film’s overall meaning. Most scenes consist of one actor, which also frames the need to allow the actors to work off using only one face, as demonstrated in the images below.
The images represent four different shots with only one actor in the scene. To reinforce the craft of the image, it is essential to consider the shift from the broader shot to the medium shot with a back-and-forth switch based on the different angles to capture a natural phenomenon in the scenes. The use of the cattle in the framing is intentionally significant to demonstrate the character’s mind; the kettle represents temperature, while the boiling of the content in the kettle represents the issues within the head of the actor (Theodore). This necessary framing pushes towards refreshing the actor’s experience into creating meaning. The use of the camera captures and supports the cinematology by creating a possibility of improving the pleasure around the movements of the actor. The film is shot mainly in Los Angeles. However, a blend of scenes from Shanghai is demonstrated while using skyscrapers, as noticed by the Chinese signs throughout the film (Merchant-Knudsen, 2021). The complementary factor created by the two locations helps reinforce the meaning and support the realization of the dream of a modern man.
Using colors is an important element achieved through yellow and red and combining the two. The consistency of the color setting creates an important experience at a specific level. This includes eliminating the dominant blue that would have failed to realize the right support, which creates a warm feeling as a specific development of identity.
Eliminating the blue color is an important aspect that creates a modern feeling that establishes a sleek and stark feeling. The alienation of humanity by technology creates a warm, soulful, and tactile feeling, which made the product designed to eliminate the use of a blue color.
The film’s lighting creates a pleasing and soft feeling reinforced by natural light. Tiny LEDs are evidence to create an accurate reflection of the city look. The use of quality cameras and high—speed lenses. This is an essential element that pushes toward creating innovative ideas. This is seen through CGI technology, such as airplane sculpture.
The movie’s inspiration is made by the image below about the creation of memory to reinforce the film’s mood. The image of the back of a girl’s hair illustrates a foggy forest in what would be seen as a sci-fi romance reflecting on a middle-aged divorce (Pappas, 2021). This is an essential element that illuminates the choice of Theodore’s love for Samantha, which is made of a computer operating system to create what would be termed as an intellectually and emotionally evolving version of the fantasy.
The choice of the image is used to reinforce the application of the photograph to explore the fantasy created in the film to support its meaning. Sound has also been used to support the film’s mood, especially to articulate the anticipated change brought about by technology and influence individual choices (Pappas, 2021). The choice of a computer operating system has been utilized to reinforce the use of sound waves to create a connection. For instance, Theodore is connecting with Samantha, who is not in the physical form. Sound is amplified in two forms, mainly diegetic and non-diegetic. The diegetic sound includes the voice of the characters, musical instruments, and objects to amplify the narrative into the reality of the universe.
Editing is an essential element that helps in simulating experience within the film, especially by nurturing feelings that connect to the film’s main idea. Cutting is the most profound technique deployed to express editing effects in the film (Surahman & Riyadh, 2021). Also, the automated dialogue replacement tool has been harnessed in the film to realize a spike in directing the film to realize the intended feeling and emotions. The use of music footage in the film also illuminates the film’s message more so by harnessing the use of fantasy to create meaning that the audience can connect with. The blend of the production design, visual effects, and subtle creates references to the future, especially in complementing the digital processes in filmmaking. Such interventions are appreciated to create a connection that does not distance the film from reality. For instance, in night shoots, the camera persons shot reference material and took advantage of the digital processes that allow proper film design (Formisano, 2021). The capacity of the editing room is said to have compensated for the gaps in making the film.
Analysis
Technology is creating a new reference to the development of the fantasy world, especially by creating a connection between desires and reality. Theodore, the film’s main protagonist, declares his love for Samantha, a computer system that has been given voice to communicate (Pappas, 2021). This aspect reflects on a modern man’s prospects and success, especially in realizing the capabilities of technology in making a constant connection that compensates for the physical gaps. Amazingly Samantha is an unseen and non-existing person, but Theodore’s love for her is fascinating and unending (Das & Balakrishnan, 2021). The love would be seen as disarming, and the possibility of divorce and the influences that come with divorce cases are eliminated. The use of technology, and especially Theodore’s phone, creates a masterpiece in a speculative future whereby advancement enables multiple connections. The technology is essential to enhance Theodore’s emailing work, whereby the connection with her computer is robust (Surahman & Riyadh, 2021). This concept dives into the film’s primary setting, especially by experiencing the use of cinematic to create an imagined ‘Los Angeles’ as perceived in the thoughts of the modern. This aspect has been harnessed by incorporating Chinese elements such as skyscrapers to make the film’s meaning coherent. The transition into the future is an enormous practice through which technology is the only bridge to realize this reality, especially by considering the instrumental factors that fashion into reinforcing the world of fantasy into reality.
Theodore reinforces the film’s theme by exploring a future that man dreams of, primarily through her unusual love story with Samantha, characterized by compensation for damages incurred in his breakup. The action of Theodore falling in love with an artificial operating system creates an opportunity to interact with a female voice conscious of human emotions and feelings. This is an essential intervention in defining man’s relationship with artificial intelligence. Samantha is designed to reinforce the use of artificial intelligence in countering issues affecting humanity, such as depression, which is considered a significant setback after the divorce for him to seek a quality life. Theodore says, Sometimes I think I have felt everything I will ever feel.
Furthermore, from here on out, I will feel the same. Just lesser versions of what I have already felt (Merchant-Knudsen, 2021).” This critical aspect helps us accept human intelligence’s role in human relationships. Theodore is seen to have developed an anti-social personality disorder as a vulnerable person, but spending time with artificial intelligence creates a new world of compassion (Surahman & Riyadh, 2021). This is based on the rationale that Theodore has control of Samantha by the touch of his phone, and this availability is a vital asset to experience the operating system’s absurdity. This essential element relates to creating an indistinguishable experience that goes beyond real life by understanding the user’s needs and fulfilling them as a technology that describes a futuristic landscape to make a distinction.
In this context, the application of Samantha in the connection between man and machine, which are considered not the same but creates a complementary association. The film ‘Her’ indicates the reliance of human beings on technology as an indication of convergence to recognize biological and intellectual differences. However, the codependency and heartbreak associated with technology reinforce the inevitability aspect (Surahman & Riyadh, 2021). While Theodore controls Samantha, there is an important demonstration that humans can do more. For instance, Theodore works at the Beautiful Handwritten Letters, whereby he works in the company of transcribers to help amateurs craft letters that develop the innate nature of humanity. Theodore, unlike Samantha, is compassionate, empathetic, and able to share emotions, an essential aspect of grounding human relations (Surahman & Riyadh, 2021). Although technology is being advanced into replicating human qualities, the limitation of this capacity is demonstrated by the fact that human understanding and emotions are limited to human beings. This concludes the advancement of incomprehensible levels of humanity, intelligence, and empathy by warning the world (Formisano, 2021). This includes the need for appreciating and seeking control over the use of technology to harness evidence for improved human relations. The film has made the audience perceive Samantha as a natural person based on the capacities embodied in artificial intelligence. This is a necessary implication that enforces the need for integrating human thoughts and emotions and being considerate of the impact they create. Also, the implication of this setting creates a critical demonstration of how human beings are trapped in the use of technology (Merchant-Knudsen, 2021). This becomes an essential foundation for warning the illusion world that human beings have been caged in with traps causing more harm than we could imagine. Such attributes are associated with the role of robotics in fueling a life that is magnified through the charms of utility by being aware of human thoughts and feelings. In the film, Amy and Charles decide to end their relationship due to the evidence of petty arguments and unspoken tensions that continues to grow and escalate over time. This is an important demonstration that the operating systems created by robotics fail to identify. About Samantha and Theodore, it is essential to note that they cannot be separated by mutual understanding by the decision of Theodore, who has the power to control the machine.
As the future of modern man is built on machines, it is crucial to deliberate on the false connections created by operating systems coded to replicate human qualities. In this case, realizing that the connection between human thoughts and emotions cannot be separated is fundamental. This brings forth an important argument that reinstates that the connection between humans and machines is based on discussing their differences without seeking a consensus. However, human beings seek to create an interactive session that helps to develop a relationship based on the conscious nature of their relationships by understanding the emotions and effects raised due to their engagement (Formisano, 2021). Humans and machines, by no chance, can relate and connect but are based on engaging in patterns that have been coded or simulated, and achieving beyond that is a mere impossibility. This brings into context the identification of the intrinsic connection between machines and human beings whose foundation only lasts on a monotonous foundation based on the desired outcome rather than seeking diversity in interactions. Therefore, machines cannot understand and link the emotions and feelings required by man, and thus so many gaps still need to be addressed in the long run. Humanizing technology is an important aspect that continues to enforce breakthroughs in the industry. Still, it is essential to understand that the gaps cannot be reinforced effectively to make relationships outstanding and sensitive to the dynamics of human understanding and the ability to connect with emotions and thoughts. On this note, human beings need to appreciate the value and connection created by machines and be observant of the harms of being too attached to them.
Reference
Das, A., & Balakrishnan, K. (2021). Her: An Expecting Future. Annals of the Romanian Society for Cell Biology, 17645-17649. https://www.annalsofrscb.ro/index.php/journal/article/view/7841
Formisano, M. (2021). Echo’s revenge: Ovid’s Metamorphoses and Spike Jonze’s her. EUGESTA, (11), 221-247. https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8729550
Merchant-Knudsen, T. R. (2021). Filmed Love Letters: The Dialogism and Intertextuality of Lost in Translation and Her. Cultural Intertexts, 11(11), 170-183. https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=1002172
Pappas, N. (2021). Spike Jonze’s Her: Love and the Science Fiction Film. Journal of Comparative Literature and Aesthetics, 44(3), 7–17.
Surahman, A., & Riyadh, A. (2021). Embodiment Relations of Technology (Computer) in Digital Design: Case Study Her Film by Spike Jonze’s (2013). REKA MAKNA: Jurnal Komunikasi Visual, 1(2), 58-64. http://ejurnal.itenas.ac.id/index.php/rekamakna/article/view/6053
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