One of the main sources of conflict in the movie Super 8 arises between the children and adults. The adults have more control over the children because of their size and age, yet the children understand the crisis better than the adults, a fact that increases the tension beyond normal adult/child opposition. This conflict is demonstrated in this image of Jack Lamb (Kyle Chandler) and Preston (Zach Mills).
Jack Lamb’s dominance is immediately apparent in the image, as he takes up the top, middle, and bottom of the frame, whereas Preston is relegated to the bottom left corner. Coupled with the tightly framed shot, these visual tactics portray Preston’s discomfort and a feeling of confinement. In addition, adults wander in the background, further trapping Preston. As he has elected to stay behind while his friends rescue Alice (Elle Fanning), Preston is left alone in a world of adults.
Proxemic patterns are also at play in this image. Jack and Preston’s proximity to each other fall in the personal proxemic, as they are roughly eighteen inches apart. Since Jack is not Preston’s father, this closeness is intrusive to Preston. It also underscores Jack’s authority, which he hopes will convince Preston to tell him what he knows.
Finally, the role of film, which is the dominant, carries the most visual significance. Placed roughly in the center of the frame, it serves as a dividing line between Preston and Jack in multiple ways. First, it physically separates them, providing Preston with a bit of protection, if only imagined, from Jack. Secondly, it reinforces the tension between the adults and children by reminding the audience that, despite Preston’s inferiority to Jack, Preston still has a card to play. Since the film contains footage of the alien, the spool represents the children’s knowledge that the civilian adults lack. However, once Jack watches the video as Preston recommends, the barrier between the adults and children will thin, allowing the film to gallop towards its conclusion. Thus, this image depicts the final standoff between the children and adults.
Sweet and to the point. The relationship dynamic between adults and children becomes the main conflict after the alien crisis. This picture does a great job of representing that power struggle in terms of the safeguarding the alien’s future, as symbolized by the role of film. I wonder if the director played around with framing this shot any: Preston sitting tall in the chair looming over a stooping or sitting Jack, waving, almost taunting him with the film. That’s only one example. The warmer colors on Preston helped my interpretation as him being more dominant, while the blues and cool greens and even the subtle look of anger on Jack’s face means Preston has the upper hand emotionally. Good comment about the density of the frame underscoring Preston’s anxiety, while I would argue that instead of confining Preston, the adults in the background are the rest of humanity who away the decision of what to do about the alien.
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