Stephanie Colb - Paris, Texas

Throughout the film, Paris, Texas, the display of improvements in communication as well as the filmography used were both important aspects in portraying messages in the film along with the character’s journeys and individuals. At the start of the film, the main character, Travis, is shown wearing a suit and a red hat while in a desert seemingly disoriented from civilization and any means of communication. The picture shown in this scene remained distorted with little exposure, similar to the way we believe Travis was feeling during this time. The filmography used allowed the audience feeling more connected to the feelings and emotions in scenes. Soon, a hawk is shown in the picture, along with mounts of rocks that are falling down. Again, the film creators used filmography to connect the audience to the emotions and the character’s journeys. Travis continued to walk, following power lines, which are the next means of communication displayed. While walking down this straight path, Travis comes across his brother, Walt. During this scene the use of the camera and background images were used in a clever way to display differences in the two brother’s lives. Behind Travis stood a mountain filled with trees and obstacles and Walt’s background mountain seemed to be clean with a more fulfilled, completed life. During this scene, Travis’ brother said that it looked like he had just gone through a whole lot of obstacles; reflecting the view of the mountain. The use of filmography and background images such as the falling rocks and the clutter-filled mountain helps the audience see that Travis’ life is not fulfilled or he is attempting to reach satisfaction; however, many troubles have come between him and happiness. After his meeting with Walt, many more means of communication come into play: the train, trucks, freeways, telephones, and airplanes. The way that each scene was shot had the purpose to show more about characters and the type of society they lived in. The display of progression of communication and the clever use of film was used to better understand the story and journeys of the individuals.