How Directors Can Influence Representation

Film directors have a huge influence on our perception of characters, forever meticulously storyboarding the inaugural scenes of heroes and villains to ensure the audience understand a characters stature. In todays lesson, we analysed the introduction of Darth Vader in "Star Wars: A New Hope" and discussed the features that distinguished him from the other characters. Director George Lucas employs a number of techniques in the scene, most notably using the characters around Darth Vader to convey his concepts. An important factor in introducing Darth Vader as a villain was the state of the surroundings and environment in which he entered - a series of corpses piled beneath him, emphasizing his superiority. To add ambiguity, Vader enters into a realm of silence which makes for a mysterious and compelling entrance. If the scene where to be analysed in accordance with Levi Strauss' theory, some established binary opposites can be identified: the dead clone troopers lay in white armor whilst Darth Vader is dressed in a jet black set of armor and draped in a cloak - also black. The idea of 'Clone Troopers' denotes they do not possess an identity, which makes Darth Vader all the more conspicuous. Probably one of the most obvious binary opposites, the dead and alive contrast: Darth Vader looks upon the corpses contemptuously, before vacating the area emotionless. Strauss theory thrives on the notion of binary opposites, e.g. dead and alive, black and white, and we realised that the scene acts in correspondence with Strauss' theory. Another significant feature that embossed Darth Vader's authority was the reaction of the clone troopers upon his entrance: as Darth Vader entered, the troops readjusted their posture into a more respectful stance before following him - the fact that they followed him reinforces his authority.

After a dramatic succession of music, it becomes quiter to draw attention to the sound of his footsteps. Only Darth Vader's footsteps are heard, which reitterates his superiority and further outlines the troopers' inferiority. The entire scene/set is white, meaning the clone troopers blend into the environment seemingly peripheral, however, Darth Vader becomes all the more the more embossed and appears as more of a silhoutte.

There are a number of strategies deployed by directors to build the persona of a character.