Task 2.1 Adventureland

Task 2.1 Adventureland Textual analysis

Adventureland is a romantic comedy set in 1987. It was made in 2009 and stars Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart It is about a college graduate, James Brennan, that accepts a summer job at an amusement park, as his parents suffer a career setback preventing him from going on a European tour. He then falls in love with one of his co-workers at the amusement park, Emily Lewin.

At the beginning of Adventureland, two studio titles appear, MIRIMAX and Sidney Kimmel. Following this, the title ‘Adventureland’ appears. The title comes 3-4 letters at a time, which could represent that there is something that is put back together and, considering this is a romantic comedy, this could be love. The titles are light colours on a dark background, which could show that these characters are the light in a dark situation perhaps.

 While these titles are displayed, happy music is playing. The non-diegetic music continues into the beginning of the film, and transitions to diegetic music at a party, albeit quieter. This transition between non-diegetic to diegetic allows the viewer to be instantly immersed into the setting.The music connotes that the environment they are in is positive, but the reduced volume could show that maybe things are not as perfect as they seem.

 The opening shot is a medium close up of James Brennan in conversation. Close up is used to show that he is the main character in this film. The camera then zooms in to a close up, which connotes that he is isolated from his surroundings and moving apart from the person he is talking to. They do not use an over-the-shoulder shot for the conversation, making it initially unclear who he is communicating with which tells us that maybe this person is not significant in the story. . The director Greg Mottola replicated this shot for the other person in the conversation, which emphasizes that the awkwardness is shared on both sides. It also emphasizes the struggle to communicate with this person as they are in separate shots, suggesting that they are not connecting. As the lady walks away, it shows the back of James. This could represent that his emotions are concealed. This conversation tells us that he is struggles in social situations. The camera cuts very infrequently, showing that the environment is very relaxed and also that there is no action in the scene.

The protagonist is wearing a dark coloured shirt and a black t-shirt, symbolising that he is hidden and blends into the background. In contrast, the person he was communicating with was wearing a red colour, which shows the opposite, as she stands out. This also shows the difference between both characters.

When James Brennan joins the group, there is a long shot to include the whole group, this shows how easy he can blend into the background, but as he is in the center of the shot, it still brings the attention to him in a subtle way. As he is talking, the camera pans and follows another member of the group as he moves. This has hidden meanings, as it shows that no one is paying attention to what he is saying and also connotes that he is often ignored when speaking. This emphasizes the isolation that he is feeling.