The Adjustment Bureau

Explain how the director uses language features (film techniques) to communicate an important idea.

In the movie, The Adjustment Bureau Directed by George Nolfi, language features are used to communicate the idea of fate and how it gives the impression that everything has a plan set by the chairman (a higher power). In the film, Nolfi uses music, settings and lighting to do so. In this scene, David and Elise are being chased by the Adjustment Bureau Officers because they are not supposed to be with each but their love and will to risk everything for one another eventually changes this. 

In the film, the setting is used as a guide to show us where they are located and to show us that it is destiny that David and Elise are able to be together in the end. The setting gets us to understand the bigger picture of the movie and that we don’t have authority about what happens to us in life and everyone has a plan. In this ending key scene, they are running up the stairs to the top of a high building in New York. At the top, you can see the rest of the city and it all looks very silent and quiet like they are the only ones this high. I believe this resembles the meaning that they are the only ones that have really pushed and shown the people above/at a higher power that they are supposed to be with each other like the original plan says. New York is known for being important because it shows what it is like to live amongst many souls. It shows that if you were to bump into someone not knowing their number or not on a planned occasion that its really rare and the fact that David and Elise did this is just fate. Showing that they really are supposed to be with one another. This reflects back onto that everything has a specific plan and that it was all a plan that they bumped into each other again and again because everyone and everything has a specific plan. 

Nolfi has used lighting in this scene to show a clear understanding of the fate of the two lovers David and Elise. Lighting is one of the biggest clues to understand the feelings behind each scene and really get to know the characters and understand how their fate has changed during this scene. At the start of this scene at the top of the building, it is very gloomy and dull not many colours. The feeling of the scene is very quiet and calm. But this all changes when they kiss. After the kiss, the sun comes out, their faces are shimmering with golden rays of the sun and the whole feeling of the scene has changed. This for me defiantly resembles their fate because before the kiss just like the lighting they weren’t really supposed to be with one another but after it the whole mood changes. Everything becomes happy, bright and lively just like it’s supposed to. David and Elise were made for each other and even though they were told that this is not how it was meant to go they ignored this and still fought for each because they believed that them being together was meant to be. When David and Elise kept bumping into each other in NYC their love grew but if they were not too they would have just moved on this is just another sign of fate and that bumping into each other multiple times was all part of the plan for them to fall in love with each other.

Another main technique is Music. Music helps to set the mood and change the feeling behind each scene. For me, I feel like music can change so much about a scene because it changes it as a whole. After the kiss, the music goes dead until Richardson is told to leave and a silent violin starts to be heard and stays loud enough to be understood but not loud enough to take over the speaking. As soon as they are told the chairperson rewrote the plan so they can be together more instruments come into action to join the violin and the scene is more upbeat and happy. In this scene, the music changes a lot, to one second it is upbeat and happy the next it is dull and sad. This is an easy resemblance to fate as one moment David and Elise are scared and not knowing what is going to happen to the next when they are able to be together and super happy. Even though David and Elise were feeling like the whole world didn’t want them together it changed just like the music. But I think this was all part of their fate.

In conclusion, David and Elise were set on a plan to fall in love and it was followed through. But without Nolfi’s knowledge of techniques like Lighting, setting and music he wouldn’t of been able to. All these important techniques help get the main idea across of fate and it gives the impression that everything has a set plan from the chairman (higher power). This idea is important for viewers because it made the movie entertaining and it highlighted important spots where Nolfi wanted us looking or paying attention to.