The Black Balloon Essay

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The Black Balloon “What film techniques has director Dowd used to show how Thomas makes the transition from feeling like an outsider to feeling like he had belonged?” To answer this question it is necessary to observe the variety of techniques the director has portrayed by analysing the film. Alyssa Dowd, director of ‘The Black Balloon’, has used a range of techniques including symbolism, characterisation, camera angles and shot sizes to help the audience understand how 16 year old Thomas learns to accept his strange family, his new school, his new suburb and the hardest challenge of all his autistic brother Charlie. Through all of these techniques Dowd has effectively shown the audience how Thomas makes his transition from feeling like and outsider in both his family and society to feeling like he belongs. Director Dowd has successfully portrayed the techniques of characterisation and silence to show the audience that Thomas feels like an outsider in his family. Thomas has just walked into Charlie’s room to confront his mother Maggie about Charlie, words are said and it quickly escalates with Thomas calling Charlie a freak, resulting in Maggie slapping Thomas in the face. A deathly silence comes between the two leaving Thomas feeling alone inside his family. When Thomas calls Charlie a freak, Maggie slaps him across the face sending a shuttering silence across the room. Dowd has used this technique to emphasise the tension between Thomas and Maggie and the hatred that Thomas has towards his brother. This makes the audience feel shocked because of the way Thomas doesn’t want anything to do with Charlie. She has also used the technique characterisation to express the disgust and aggravation Maggie is feeling towards Thomas in that scene. This makes the audience feel uncomfortable because it is also how Thomas is feeling. Director Dowd has successfully portrayed
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