3.

9 Assessment
Baz Lurhman is an auteur whose style is instantly recognizable. Lurhman has
directed several films since his breakthrough in 1992 with Strictly Ballroom,
and throughout the years his signature style has only progressed yet we can still
identify his red curtain films with spontaneous lavishness and saturated colours
that he is so well known for creating. Two films where we can clearly see
Lurhmans signature style, although they are created 13 years apart they are still
easily recognizable work pieces of Lurhman, are Moulin Rouge (2001) and The
Great Gatsby (2013). In one way or another those both hold very similar
features as well as some features that are different but yet Lurhman has
obtained his style throughout all of his films. Some key examples are the use of
high key saturated colours, high angle shots and in diegetic sounds. Lurhman
states we knew we had to unlock, for the audience, a way of letting them feel
what it was like, his purpose is to put his audience into a dream like state by
taking them back in time and re introducing them to the lavish life styles of the
1900s and the 1920s.
Lighting
A scene in the Great Gatsby where Nick Carraway is invited to Jay Gatsbys
house for a party is where we see the most important stylistic features
throughout the film. This scene is crucial in the film as it gives the audience their
first glimpse of the saturated colours that Lurhman introduces into his films that
lets us step into an almost dream like fantasy. The subtle hues of reds and bright
colours of gold and silver incorporated within the party decorations and
accessories of the guests helps emphasize Lurhmans idea of the lavish
decadent culture that New York city was so well known for in the 1920s and
Lurhmans aim was to put his audience in that sort of atmosphere and show
them what it felt like to live in that day and era, ...although we did very
accurate research on NYC in the 1920s and all the imagery and expression of the
city in the 1920s is accurate in the film (even the rubber zebras in the pool), we
knew we had to unlock for the audience a way of letting them feel what it was
like to read Fitzgeralds book in the 1920s to be in New York City at that time.
Lurhman uses these bold warm colored tones a lot throughout his films also to
make it seem like a stage performance which underlines the voluptuous
extravagant nature that the 1920s withheld. With the use of the bright colours it
puts the audience in a state of wonderment, curiosity and excitement as
Lurhman throws us into an alluring dream of celebration the audience is drawn
into the facade in which Lurhman is trying to lure us into.
Screenshot One

Screenshot Two

A scene in the Moulin Rouge where Christian is first acquainted with the
diamond dogs or the can-can dancers is a vital part in the film where we can
see the use of saturated colours as we see in the great Gatsby. In this scene,
as well as throughout most of the film the audience are introduced to large hues
of red as it accentuates the theme of the movies which is lust and love. In this
film Lurhman uses the traditional outfits of the 1920s and exemplifies it with the
use of the bright bold colours to make them look more like costumes rather than
everyday outfits. The directors purpose was to introduce us to a stage production
rather than just a film he wanted to make the scene outrageously loud in terms
of the colours, he wanted to catch the eye of the audience and make them want
to watch the scene and spark interest in the almost bohemian ways of the
characters seen in this film.
In both of the scenes that i have choosen, Lurhman uses high key saturated
colours that emphasize the elaborate life style that the famous, the rich, the
outcast and the hopeless romantics. In both shot one and two Lurhman has used

very similar colours with the deep tones of red which link to the idea of lust and
love. The very bright, bold and sponataneous costumes used in the costumes
and the ornaments in the room is also clearly distinctive throughout both scenes.
This emphasizes the very festive, over the top party that lurhmann is trying to
make and let the audience recognise. Its a very staged series of shots within
both scenes making it more of a show shown on broadway than a film.
High angle shots
Another aspect used by Lurhman is the use of high angle shots. In both films
several different high angled shots of the characters to show the audience the
grand scheme of things. Lurhman uses these shots to emphasize the boastful
surrounding and, like the use of the high key saturated lighting, really put the
audience in the surroundings of the era.
In The Great Gatsby the use of high angled shots is clearly recognized
throughout the entirety of the scene and shows us the wide spread celebration
that the guests are consumed in. As you can see in this shot the camera is
placed above the two women as the dance under it. High angled shots are
typically used to show the inferiority of a character or in this case several
characters. When the audience watches this scene they are too caught up in the
glitz and glamour of the lavish decorations, costumes and people they dont
release what they are really getting caught up in. Like the characters we as an
audience are subjected to seeing only the exterior of the glamours life style that
we dont really see whats underneath the glamour. Like the characters we are
also entrapped in that idea of the life of money, grand parties and this is how
Lurhman was wanting to make his audience feel he wanted us to get caught up
in the lifestyle of the rich and glamourous. This adds to the idea that we dont
realise how caught up in the everyday media we are exposed to such as
celebrities, fashion and money and we, like the characters, are belittling
ourselves by getting lost in this world of fabricated lies. So is society really
getting to self-involved with possessions and materialistic items? This makes us
question how people live off wants rather than needs and this is what Lurhman is
trying to portray through his film with the use of the high angled shots.
Screenshot Three

A high angled shot is also used in the diamond dogs scene from Moulin
Rouge where the Can-Can dancers are seen dancing across the floor well their
customers spectate. The purpose of this technique is to make the audience
feel like they are watching a stage performance, Lurhman wants to try and
interpret the shows on stage into the film to make his audiences feel like they
are there with them. So with the use of the high angle shots it gives them a
better view of the dancers and what they are doing from an aerial view. It makes
the audience present with in the film as if they are watching it live for
themselves. We can also see the intimacy that the Can-Can dancers have with
their customers as, like Jay Gatsby with his parties, they lure them in and
introduce them, and ourselves, to a world of desire, lust, curiosity and fantasy.
Like the great Gatsby Lurhman draws us into a whole new world and introduces
us to these new dream like worlds we would never think of seeing and the high
angled shot helps us grasp onto that world like we are looking down on it as a
spectator, getting more involved in the scene itself.

Screenshot Four

In both of the scenes I have chosen, Lurhman uses high angled shots on several
occasions to emphasize the vast landscape of the party-like environment that
both scenes both portray. In the Great Gatsby, in the shot shown below, we can
see a great majority of the environment and it shows the audience the large
extent of the lavish decorations large dcor and a very significant amount of
people who are attending the party. It is similar to shot number four in Moulin
Rouge where it shows the grand architecture and crowds like shot number three
in the Great Gatsby. The directors purpose for showing a large extent of the
surroundings is to let the audience take in the grandiose over the top party which
again links to the idea of the dream like fantasy world of the rich and famous and
the outcasts.

Screenshot Five

Screenshot Six

Diegetic sound
Baz Lurhman uses diegetic sounds in both of the scenes I have chosen to
analyses to highlight the depth of people becoming entrapped in a world of false
accusations, lies and desire. In the Great Gatsby and Moulin Rouge a lot of
narration is used to tell the audience the story and lives of each character.

Lurhman uses this technique so the audience can connect with those on screen.
With the voice of a character talking directly to the audience they form a bond
with the character on screen as we get in touch with their personal life and get to
know them as an individual as well as experiencing the same emotions they are
feeling at that time. In the Great Gatsby Nick Carraway dictates the life of Daisy
and Jay as he narrates the book he is writing about their lives as well as
numerous other characters. Nicks character engages the audience, involves
them in the action and creates the feelings of excitement, interest and curiosity
as does Christian well he narrates the love life of himself and Satine. Lurhman
lets us get involved in their love life as well as the love life of Daisy and Jay which
creates interest as the audiences natural instinct is to want to find out how their
relationship ends, making us want to watch the rest of the movie to find out the
end result. The directors purpose was to put the audience in the shoes of the
characters and to make us aware of the issues they are facing as well how they
fix these issues.
For example in The Great Gatsby Nick goes into great depth on the character
of Jay as we go on a journey with him as he tries to unlock the past and find out
the truth about the real Jay Gatsby. What we find out is that he unfolds the lies
and the fake personas people assume him to be in the party scene, such as the
spy, or a world war veteran whom single handedly killed the enemies, Nick is
first introduced to the world of lies that Jay is so caught up in and the Lurhman
makes us believe everything that jay is, is true because of the fact we are basing
our opinions off of what nick tells us through his narration, and this is the
purpose of this technique in this scene, the director wants us to feel confused
and disorientated as we try to believe what is real and what is not. In the scene
we see Gatsby as a spontaneous character and the use of the narration from nick
lets us experience this deep curiosity that is Jay Gatsby's life. The characters
Lurhman uses in this scene shows the interest and wonderment they have for
Gatsby and the how he obtained his fortune at such a young age in his life. With
all the characters rumours and false accusations its hard to identify whats true
and whats not and the narration of nick guides us through that path and helps
us understand what is real from fake. Later in the film Nick unravels these
layers of Jay and exposes the full truth of who he really is. We, as an audience,
get into the mind of both jay and Nick and this is how Lurhman sparks interest in
the audience by unveiling the dark truths of the tortured characters through
the use of voice narration.
With Moulin Rouge we get more personal with the films protagonist, which in this
case is Christian. Unlike The Great Gatsby we get a direct insight into the mind of
the character who is being affected by the life of another character. In the
diamonds dogs scene from the Moulin Rouge when Christian is first introduced to
Satine we can see how Christian feels about her. To him she was the "sparkling
diamond" the centre of the stage and his narration describe in great detail the
infatuation he has for her the first time he sees her hanging down from the
ceiling on a swing. The use of his narration puts us in the trance that so many
characters in the room are hypnotised by and this is how Lurhman wanted his
audience to feel as we become mesmerised by the sheer beauty and persona of
satins characters and we are drawn in by her seductive personality. In this scene
Lurhman makes Christians voice alluring to the ear as he plays a part in drawing
us into the world of deep desire and chaotic mistresses of the Can-Can dancers.

The directors purpose was to toy with the audiences emotions as we go on a

roller coaster of excitement, happiness, fantasy, desire, curiosity, attraction and
a sudden drop of sadness, fear and grief as Satine falls to the ground as she
suffers from the disease that is tuberculosis. So overall the voice over narration
plays an important role in this scene as Christian almost dictates and guides us
through, like the great Gatsby, the problems and obstacles they have to go
through in order to get what they want to be happy in life.

in conclusion Lurhman is a very elaborate, over the top film director who uses
several techniques such as high key saturated lighting, high angled shots and in
diegetic sounds to portray the ideas of desire, lust, festivities and grand
occasions which put the audience in a dream state and a fantasy world. Lurhman
connect his characters with the audience and makes us feel like we are present
in the specific era in time. With the high key lighting he exemplifies the
flamboyant nature of the party people in the 1900s and 20s, the use of the high
angled shots portrays the large extent of what life was like in both eras and the
extravagant lifestyles and riches that the people of that time withheld, and
finally the use of the voice over narrative of both Nick Carraway and Christian
puts us in the shoes of the characters and makes us feel the emotions that they
feel with the relationships they have between differing characters. Lurhman
creates a true bond between his audience and the characters on screen through
the use of these techniques in both scenes that chose to analyse.