Download Just thought I needed to add that this text is not usually

Just thought I needed to add that this text is not usually answered at Level 3, mainly at level 2
– be aware of that 
“The use of a range of production techniques in a film helps the audience understand the
ideas. To what extent do you agree with this view?”
In the film Billy Elliot underline titles , director Stephen Daldry utilises a range of production
techniques such as music, montage and camera work to help the audience to understand the
idea of the difficulties and rewards of perseverance in following your dreams. Therefore, I
completely agree with the view that the use of a range of production techniques in a film
helps the audience to understand the ideas.
The production technique of music is one of a range of techniques used in Billy Elliot to help
the audience understand the idea of the difficulties and rewards of perseverance in following
your dreams. This has led me to agree completely with the view that the use of a range of
production techniques in a film helps the audience understand the ideas this is a little
repetitive (cf first para) . Through the use of music in Billy Elliot, we come to understand the
difficulties that the protagonist Billy faces in trying to follow his dream of becoming a
professional ballet dancer. For example, the song “Children of the Revolution” by T Rex
plays after Billy has called his dad a ‘bastard’ because his dad has banned him from taking
ballet lessons. This song, in particular the lyrics “You won’t fool the children of the
revolution” helps us to understand the difficulties Billy faces in following his dreams by
showing us that Billy will not be stopped from working towards his dream how does it
signify this? analyse means you need to really delve into this connection . As the song plays,
he runs off to Mrs Wilkinson’s house to arrange for secret ballet lessons behind his father’s
back. Challenges are a fact of life, and through the use of a range of production techniques in
Billy Elliot such as music we are shown that if you want something badly enough, you will
do everything you can to get past the things holding you back from it.
As well as highlighting the difficulties that are inevitably faced in the pursuit of dreams,
music is one of a range of techniques used in Billy Elliot to demonstrate the rewards of
persevering, even in the face of adversity. It is this use of a range of production techniques
that helps us as the audience to understand the ideas presented. The famous “Swan Lake” by
Tchaikovsky, a piece of music synonymous with the ballet, is played at the end of the film,
when we see the grown-up Billy starring as the lead role in an all-male performance of Swan
Lake. As the music builds to a crescendo, Billy leaps on to the stage in a grand jete. This
shows us that Billy has reached the pinnacle of his career as a ballet dancer. His hard work
and perseverance through the difficulties he experienced have paid off, with the reward being
that he has achieved his dream. Another piece of music, “I Believe” by Stephen Gately, plays
shortly after, as we see fading between the young Billy bouncing on the bed and the grownup Billy pirouetting on-stage in Swan Lake. The lyrics “I believe I can do anything. I can
spread my wings and fly” help us as the audience to understand the idea that dreams can
come true if you just believe in yourself. Although the message of ‘believing in yourself’ can
be seen as somewhat cliched, it is fundamentally very true. If you don’t believe that you have
what it takes to achieve your dreams, you won’t have any motivation to persevere when faced
with challenges. a better argument
Montage is another example of the range of production techniques used in the film Billy
Elliot to help the audience to understand the idea of the difficulties and rewards of
perseverance in following your dreams. This film shows the statement that the use of a range
of production techniques in a film helps the audience to understand the ideas to be true in my
opinion you do not need to add this phrase in as often – it should be implied in your answer a
bit mor An example of montage is when Billy is learning how to pirouette. We see a series
of crosscut shots of Billy practising at the ballet studio with Mrs Wilkinson and in various
rooms at home. Throughout the montage, we hear Mrs Wilkinson repeatedly saying
“Prepare...Go!” This shows us the dedication and perseverance that Billy has by inferring that
he has had to practise the move countless times in order to perfect it. Billy is willing to put in
hours of practise ad as a result he is becoming a better dancer and getting closer to his
ultimate dream of dancing professionally. Mastering the pirouette is only a small step on the
way to becoming a professional dancer and yet it takes a lot of perseverance to achieve so
this montage is a suggestion of the amount of perseverance that will be required on Billy’s
behalf to achieve his dream. The use of a range of production techniques such as this
montage helps us to understand the rewards of perseverance in following your dreams by
showing us that in the end, hard work pays off.
Another production technique from the range used in the film Billy Elliot to help us
understand the idea of the difficulties and rewards of perseverance in following your dreams
is camera work. I believe that it is the successful use of this range of techniques that helps us
to understand the ideas in the film. Hand-held shots are a stand-out example of this. Handheld shots are commonly used in the protest scenes, where the miners are campaigning to
stop the government closing the mines down. The use of this technique gives the viewer the
perspective of being amongst the angry masses for whom mining is the only form of income
and the only way of life they know. This is the oppressive environment from which Billy
must escape in order to achieve his dream, a social group where “Lads do football, or boxing,
or wrestling, not friggin’ ballet!” The use of hand-held shots helps us to understand the
difficulties of perseverance in following your dreams by making ‘real’ the social barriers that
Billy had to persevere in breaking in order to achieve his dream. As a teenager growing up in
21st century New Zealand, it is difficult to relate to this social situation because in
comparison to 1980s small town England, New Zealand society now is fairly open-minded
and accepting of differences is it? thi is a fairly generous statement . However, through the
effective use of a range of production techniques in Billy Elliot, I am able to understand the
ideas conveyed in the film.
In the film Billy Elliot directed by Stephen Daldry, a range of production techniques
including music, montage and camera work are used to help the audience to understand the
idea of the difficulties and rewards of perseverance in following your dreams. I agree to an
extremely high extent that it is through the range of techniques used in combination with each
other throughout the film that we are able to gain an understanding of the ideas presented.
You have a solid structure but your essay is very pedestrian in it’s approach to the question –
I suggest reading over some of the posts on this thread to get an idea of the level of
sophistication required for a very good Level 3 response.
ET5