The document analyzes how the characters of Ferris Bueller, Will Hunting, and Harry Potter are represented through elements of filmmaking like cinematography, editing, costume, setting and dialogue. It discusses how these elements are used to create initial false impressions of the characters that contrast with how they truly are. For Ferris it shows him as relaxed and confident despite skiving school, for Will it emphasizes his poor background despite his genius intellect, and for Harry it portrays him as a normal British child despite his special magical abilities. The document examines specific shots, scenes, costumes and settings that are used across the films to represent key aspects of the characters.

1. We learn about Ferris from his
Body language in the film. He is
represented as very relaxed and
we can tell this from his posture.
For example in this picture the
feet on the desk shows he is
very confident and thinks that
he will get away with skiving
school.
From the opening sequence we see what Ferris’
room is like. It looks like a typical teenage room
with posters on the wall and low key lighting. The
low key lighting shows that its morning but also
that teenagers like to hide away in their rooms
closed off from the outside world.
Ferris’ clothes also represent
him as the typical rebel
teenager. For example the
classic converse shoes show his
age and also his clothing shows
the audience that this film was
made a long time ago.
The sound in the film adds to
the representation of the
character. The language of
Ferris is not like a lot of
teenagers. He does not curse or
use much slang. This may be to
convince people he is older and
more mature than he is.
There is no soundtrack in the
opening sequence. This could
be to make the audience focus
more on what is being said by
the family.
Ferris Bueller
The editing in the opening emphasises the cheeky nature of
Ferris. He is communicating to his sister behind his parents
back and joking about the situation. The fast pace switching
of shots back and forth creates a slightly tense atmosphere
as the audience thinks he might get caught.
The close up shots add to The representation of Ferris.
They show his facial expressions and give the audience
more of an idea of what Ferris is like. The high angle
helps create the false representation of him being ill.
Most of the cast is young which tells the
audience that the social group is teenagers.

2. Will Hunting
Will’s dress code tells us about him. It represents
him as quite poor and rough. It is a contrast to his
character because he is actually a genius who could
have a very successful life. We think that he is like
Ferris because he doesn’t look studious or smart
however we find out in the film that this is not the
case.
In this shot we see the main
characters drinking alcohol. This tells
the audience that the social group is
older than most coming of age films.
The setting of the film is in Boston and Will lives in in a
rough area of it which represents him as tough. This
adds to the false representation of him not being clever
and not having much of a life ahead of him. His poor
background is emphasised by him having a job at MIT as
a janitor. The audience sees that he is unlike the
students their and doesn’t fit in.
The way Will speaks compared to the
students and teachers of MIT shows
his rough upbringing. He swears
frequently and has a distinct accent.
This represents him as dumb and
poor when in fact a genius
In this bar scene when there is an intense talk between Will
and an MIT student there is fast paced editing where the
camera swaps back and forth between the characters
quickly to emphasise the hostile nature of the scene. A lot of
the film has fast paced editing because Will is insulting and
sarcastic in conversation. However in some more emotional
scenes there is a slow pace made. For example in one scene
the camera does not move from a close up of Robin
Williams. This shows that he has a softer side that he hides
away like a lot of teenagers.

3. Harry Potter
Here the audience sees Harry's geeky
look throughout the film. This is a
false representation as Harry is a
rebellious character who doesn’t
concentrate In school. This matches
the stereotype of orphans struggling
to fit in and act normally.
In these two pictures we see
that Harry’s clothing style
stayed mostly the same
throughout the films. This
style links the films and
shows that harry is the same
boy from the first film.
However, at the same time it
shows that Harry has grown
up and is much more mature
than before.
Harry’s accent is a typical
British one which changes
very little throughout most
of the films. This represents
him as a normal British child
when in fact he is actually
very special and stands out
in the films through his
adventures.
The setting of Hogwarts represents
Harry and his friends as very lucky
special. This setting is part of what
makes Harry Potter so special to fans.
In this classroom
scene in the Half
Blood Prince Harry
and Ron fight over
a book. The editing
here is fast paced
to show the
tension in the
scene. The pace
constantly changes
throughout the
films to show the
different amounts
of tension in each
scene.
Throughout the franchise there are lots of
medium and close up shots. These show
clearly the facial expressions of the
characters as they are on their adventures.
It also shows how the characters have
grown up throughout the films.