How Do Composers Use Distinctively Visual Techniques to Position the Audience to See Their Unique Perspective?

How do composers use distinctively visual techniques to position the audience to see their unique perspective?

Tom Tykwer explores the themes of time as well as choice and chance in the film Run Lola Run. Time is a manipulative force that compels the audience to recognise its power and influence in life. Choices that an individual makes at different times differ and can result in a number of different possibilities and outcomes, depending on the chosen path. This is also exhibited in the advertisement “Microsleep” by the Roads Traffic Authority (RTA) and the poem Wild Swans by the Coole by William Yeats. These composers employ a variety of distinctively visual techniques to convey their ideas, and engaging the responder.

Time is a recurring theme in Run Lola Run that is greatly emphasised by the director Tom Tykwer. The audience is positioned to see the importance of time throughout the film as Lola only has twenty minutes to find 100,000 marks to save Manni. The limited time positions the audience to feel a sense of urgency throughout the whole film, making the audience wonder if she will make it to Manni on time. This is achieved through the close-up shots on clocks as well as the position of props and settings within each run. The close ups on clocks gives the audience an idea as to how much time Lola has left to obtain the money. Along with the background music, the audience feels a sense of suspense and tension as the outcome is unknown. An example of this is the split screen at the end of the first run. The close up here focuses on the second hand rather than the minute hand leaving the audience in suspense as Lola just misses Manni. The position of props and settings within each run also tells time as it provides an indication as to whether Lola is ahead or behind in time. An example is the position of the train overhead with respect to Lola in each of the three runs, allowing the audience to compare her place in time. This engages the responder by creating a feeling of expectation and suspense as it may be an indication of if Lola will make it on time.

Similarly, time is also a recurring theme in the poem Wild Swans by the Coole. Here, time has the ability to age human life, creating a sense of loss and grief. The antithesis of “still sky” and “still sky” reflects the lack of movement and inactivity in both the surroundings as well as Yeats’ lifestyle. The emotive word “twilight” reinforces the peacefulness of the last of the day and suggests the end of human life. The motif of autumn and the “autumn beauty” enables the responder to visualise the red and golden leaves and the beauty that nature is able to retain during this time of passing. The beauty of nature that it maintains over time is enhanced through the metaphor of pristine swans flying above with a “lighter tread”. The swans are portrayed as angelic and heavenly with