Wonka's Grand Entrance

Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory - Wonka's Grand Entrance

The linear media I chose to analyze was a scene from Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory (1971), specifically Wonka's Grand Entrance. Things to be kept in mind while watching this scene are: 1. This is the first time we and the characters in the movie are seeing Wonka after years of a complete isolation from society and 2.the 5 prize winners and their guests are the only ones that are going to be able to see inside of Wonka's factory.

This scene has good variation in the types of shots that are used to evoke the emotion of the crowd and the winners. The first shot is important to pay attention to in order to understand the mood of the scene. It is a medium shot of the crowd waiting behind the gates for Wonka to make his appearance. In this shot children, adults, people with cameras are visible. The camera then shows the same shot but from behind so we can see the place from which Wonka will appear. From here we close-up on some of the prize winners' faces. Reaction shots like this are so important to this scene of the film because these shots make up a big portion of the scene. They reappear when Wonka actually comes out, begins walking unsteadily with a cane, and when he finally tumbles and immediately gets up to show he's okay. Sound is very important as well and it is shown when he begins walking down the red carpet. The crowd is completely quiet and all you are able to hear is his cane tapping and his feet walking. This helps evoke the suspense that people in the crowd are feeling. The way in which the shots were sequenced together is very important and works very well in this scene. Watching this again and seeing the use of the extreme longs shots when Wonka is walking, the close up shots of facial expressions, and seeing the use of high angles and medium shots, helps me to understand the intent of the director. I deduce from this scene that the intent was to show how much of an impact Wonka had on the reactions of people through his personality (which, actually, only made a small appearance here but is still prominent) and I believe that it was accomplished mainly through the use of the reaction shots. I'd also like to add that the cuts are pretty seamless and the reactions were used as markers for the cutting.