Spirited Away Intro Samples:

Explain how a director used film techniques to create a strong sense of character for one
of the characters in the film.

“…Any woman is just as capable of being a hero as any man.” The film ‘Spirited Away’, by Hayao
Miyazaki, depicts a young girl on a journey of transformation as she is forced to enter the working
world of the spirits after she and her parents are trapped there. From a whiny, self-absorbed
character, Chihiro begins to mature and show independence as she seeks to free her parents after
they have turned into pigs. Through the use of camera shots, symbolism and colour, Miyazaki is able
to create a strong sense of character for the audience, and the film serves as an example of ‘shojo’, a
narrative told from the perspective of a female protagonist.

Chihiro’s strong sense of character starts to take shape through symbolism as she enters the spirit
world on a journey to save her parents. The spirit bathhouse is symbolic of the working world and is
also a resting place for the Kami or gods, and it is here Chihiro must adapt or quite literally die. In
order to work she needs a job, and she does this through persistence in asking Yubaba, the
bathhouse witch and also a symbol of power and greed, as highlighted through low camera angles
and exaggerated features and facial expressions. Chihiro’s name is taken away from her by Yubaba,
and she becomes ‘Sen’ or ‘Chi’, which means ‘a thousand’. The ‘hiro’, which is removed, means to
‘search or inquire’, which tells us she has lost part of her identity and what makes her unique.
Chihiro is reminded by Haku that she must not forget her name or risk being trapped in the spirit
world forever, which is what has happened to Haku, a spirit who helps Chihiro survive her initial
introduction to this new world. Chihiro encounters other symbols of greed such as No-Face who she
is able to overcome through focus on her mission, and she grows her confidence after she helps
clean a river spirit overwhelmed by pollution, a symbol of Japan’s growing greed and
overconsumption. Symbols are powerful in helping us to understand Chihiro’s personal journey
towards becoming a stronger and more independent woman.

Comment fully on how the director of the film you studied used film techniques effectively
to make the opening or closing sequence of the film interesting to the viewer.

"Modern life is so thin and shallow and fake. I look forward to when developers go bankrupt, Japan
gets poorer and wild grasses take over." The film ‘Spirited Away’ by Hayao Miyazaki is a masterpiece
in animation and story-telling. Through the opening scene Miyazaki effectively uses film techniques
to create a compelling opening scene, full of intrigue. He uses colour, camera shots and symbolism
to introduce us to the world of Spirited Away along with its themes of growing urbanisation at the
expense of the natural environment, as well as Japan’s growing disconnection to its cultural
heritage.

The opening scene introduces us to the world of Spirited Away through powerful contrasts in colour.
The scene opens with Chihiro and her parents in a car driving through a Japanese suburb. The
colours of the buildings and roads are deliberately dull and mundane greys and browns, and the lack
of trees is obvious. The low angle P.O.V shot of Chihiro looking out into the suburb reveals a series of
bland houses passing, laced by power-lines. A wide angle shot shows the family turning up a road
with the foreground dominated by concrete, adding to the uninspired feel of this scene. There is
greenery in the distance, and when the family are forced to stop at the sudden ending of a road, we
can see, through a wide shot, that a nearby forest is being cleared away. The mis-en-scene reveals
piles of logs showing the ongoing destruction, as well as a clear section of forest missing. The dense,
rich forest colours contrast with the dull greys just seen, clearly highlighting the rich and
irreplaceable value of nature.

Comment on what you consider to be two of the film’s chief concerns or themes, showing
how the director conveyed these to his audience.

"Modern life is so thin and shallow and fake. I look forward to when developers go bankrupt, Japan
gets poorer and wild grasses take over." The film ‘Spirited Away’ by Hayao Miyazaki is a masterpiece
in animation and story-telling. Through the film Miyazaki is able to convey important messages to
the audience, especially around the conservation of nature and Japan’s growing disconnection to its
cultural heritage. Through the use of symbolism, camera shots and strong characterisation, Miyazaki
effectively communicates these important themes still relevant today.

The importance of nature and our conservation of it is highlighted through symbolism, camera shots
and colour. At the start of the film, Chihiro and her family are moving into a new town, and our first
impression of this environment is unappealing. The colours are mundane and dull, with greys and
browns dominating the scene as viewed through a wide shot. The lack of green, symbolic of nature,
is missing. Later, when Chihiro’s father is forced to stop after the road ends, there is another wide
shot that reveals a forest that is being cut away to make way for new development. The piled-up
logs symbolise this destruction, but the deep saturated green of the remaining forest reminds us of
the rich and irreplaceable value of nature, and thus this contrast highlights the growing issue of
urbanisation at the expense of the natural environment.

Explain how the director used film techniques to convey a contrast effectively in the film
you studied. (The contrast could be in setting, character or event.)

"The creation of a single world comes from a huge number of fragments and chaos." The film
‘Spirited Away’ is a masterpiece in story-telling and animation, and Miyazaki’s attention to detail in
creating this story and its world is exemplary. Within the complexities of this world exist many
contrasts conveyed through a number of film techniques such as colour, symbolism and strong
characterisation. These contrasts all serve to share important truths about the world we all live in,
such as growing urbanisation, lack of concern for the environment and Japan’s growing cultural
disconnect.

Colour contrasts in the opening scene serve to highlight the problem of growing urbanisation at the
expense of the beautiful natural world. The scene opens with a number of close ups of Chihiro, the
film’s protagonist, as she resents moving into a new neighbourhood. The use of a low angle P.O.V
shot shows that the world Chihiro is moving into is dominated by mundane buildings and power
lines, bereft of trees. This lack of colour and nature is further developed when her father stops their
car at the edge of a forest that is being cut back to extend the road they are on. The deep saturated
green of the forest is contrasted to the grey of the road, highlighting the dull reality of a future
where urbanisation dominates. A wide shot of their car at the edge of the forest reveals a carefully
arranged mise en scene where piles of logs symbolise the destruction of nature, with a discarded
Torii gate leaning against a lone tree to symbolise Japan’s growing disconnection to its own culture,
which links to society placing less value on nature, an integral part of Japan’s identity.