Ferris Buellers day off Flashcards
Who directed Ferris?
John Hughes
Was Ferris released?
1986
What company produced Ferris?
Paramount
The cinematography of the opening scene
The first time we see the parents is in
POV shot, positioning the audience as the
‘child’ in the scene. A POV rack focus is
also used when Ferris looks at Jeanie.
When Ferris opens the curtains there is a shot
from the outside looking in, solidifying Ferris’
position as a privileged prince in his tower.
The cinematography in the parade scene
The cinematography in this scene
shows off Chicago’s landmarks and the
impressive architecture with a series of
longshots down the parade route.
The camera is placed in the crowd looking up
at Ferris in wonder, we are part of the masses,
and he is in an elevated position on the float
and in society as a wealthy white male.
Who are the main characters in Ferris
Ferris Cameron Sloane Jeanie Mr. and Mrs. Bueller
The Mise en scene in the opening scene
Establishing shot is of a classically suburban,
upper-middle-class home, a ‘white house’.
There is an iconographic of the American dream,
complete with 3 new cars parked out front.
Ferris’ room is filled with the trappings of
an 80’s teen in consumerist America, a TV
stereo, synthesizers, and a computer. These
were high-value goods at the time
Performance and breaking the 4th wall,
it becomes clear that this is not a realistic
approach.
The text on screen ‘Faking out parents’, pushed
the sense of postmodernism even further, Ferris
is aware that he is in a film.
The mise en scene in the parade scene
The American flag appears in almost all
of the shots, at times it frames Ferris on
the float but looks into the corners of the
frame, in the reflection of windows.
Ferris is positioned at the center of the
crowd, the heart of this joyous mass hysteria,
representing that the white middle-class male
is ‘king’ in this culture. At the end of the
scene Ferris brandished a silver cane - he
is the ringmaster, a rock star, a hero.
Sound in the opening scene
Music is used to appeal to the teen audience,
to anchor the feeling of excitement and
demonstrate how cool Ferris is in this scene.
Sound in the parade scene
The choice of a Beatles song implies
‘Beatlemania’ is a form of hero worship.
The sound of the crowd and the music bleeds
into Mr. Buller’s office, connoting that this
celebration of America, of youth, cannot be
stopped and is embraced by all generations.
Who are the main characters in Ferris
Ferris Cameron Sloane Jeanie Mr and Mrs Bueller
Context for Ferris
An obsession with labels and designer goods meant
that status was tied into external symbols of
wealth (which Ferris has in abundance).
Generation X, had less adult supervision than previous generations.
MTV was launched in 1981 and became
the voice of the teen generation.
