Task 4 - Remember the Titans
What film techniques do the film makers use in 'Remember the Titans' to convey issues associated with racism and friendship? To what extent are these techniques effective in communicating this to a range of audiences?
The raging unexpected success of Boaz Yakin's Remember the Titans, made it clear this was a film that would not be forgotten. When T.C Williams High is integrated in 1971 and the new African American head coach Herman Boone appears on the scene, insurgence flares fiercer than ever in prejudice Alexandria, Virginia. However, Boone's ambition for 'perfection' for the Titans football team makes the amalgamation inevitably rough and the obstacles never small, nevertheless a feel-good resolution is reached with a championship season and a final triumph over racial prejudice. The underlying true story strikes an emotional chord with most viewers-football enthusiast or not, nourished by the film techniques which accentuate themes of racism and friendship and their unlikely fusion.
Coaches Bill Yoast (center) and Herman Boone (righ...
Remember the Titans
Coaches Bill Yoast (center) and Herman Boone (righ...Evidence of the existing racial tension is particularly elevated by an effectual blend of film techniques as the Boone family move into a disapproving neighbourhood. The camera establishes this gossip driven scene through a long shot, framing the entire Boone family standing before their new residence from the safety of a speculating neighbour's window. The following shots give the audience the desire to be distanced from them. This is evoked by the camera placement behind curtains being carefully opened, lyrics of adopted song Heard It Through The Grapevine and large framing silhouettes madly gossiping. This tension is similarly expressed through the symbolism of the American Flag. During the first appearance of Boone in Yoast's office, the camera uses medium, eye level shots to flick between the coaches faces. Amid the background area, the entire American Flag reigns...