Jake Ranney

Ms. Bishop

AP Lang

31 May 2016

Serenity Film Analysis

Passion is a force that keeps people fighting for what they believe in.

On the other hand, the curiosity of the unknown can also drive someone to

explore and stay determined. In Serenity, writer-director Joss Whedon uses

tracking shots and high- and low-key lighting shifts to effectively portray the

themes of passion and curiosity of the unknown, and how they can motivate

someone to fight for their beliefs.

In the opening credits of the film, there is a continuous tracking shot

that explorers the titular ship and its crew. The shot follows Mal Reynolds, the

captain of the Serenity, as he converses with each member of the crew as

they attempt to land the ship on a planet. As the shot introduces the cast, it

demonstrates the passion each character has for each other, and that they

wouldnt stop at anything to save any one of them. At the end of the shot, it

pans over to River, who at this point we hardly know anything about. The

shot combined with the voice over of Mal and Simon talking about her

portrays the curiosity of the unknown and that Mal and the crew do not know
anything about this girl but are determined to find out what to do and how

they will do it.

Ranney 2

In the very first scene of the film, River is having a dream where a girl

is in a class and she speaks out against the teacher. The lighting here is very

bright. The scene abruptly shifts to a laboratory where River is being studied

and experimented on. Simon, her brother, then rescues her. The lighting in

this scene is somewhat dark. This shows how Simon is passionate about

saving his sister, and it also demonstrates how they dont know what is

coming next but they still continue.

While there are many more themes in Joss Whedons Serenity, the two

main ones are that passion and the fear of the unknown keeps us fighting

and determined. By using tracking shots and lighting shifts, Joss Whedon

effectively gives the audience an entertaining and thought-provoking film.

Works Cited

Serenity. Dir. Joss Whedon. By Joss Whedon. Prod. Barry Mendel. Perf. Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres,

Alan Tudyk, and Morena Baccarin. Universal Pictures, 2005.