Textual Analysis of a Film - Australia

·         Picture 1 - Completely black background as writing scrolls up onto the page. The writing tells the history of Japan and Australia in the last few years of World War Two.

·         Background sounds and music consist of diagetic sounds of insects and other Australian wildlife. Music consists of violins/violas. The music sets the scene for the film and gives the audience an impression of what kind of atmosphere the film will have.

·         Picture 2 – this shows us a boy and a man outside doing activities, in this case, you can see that they are throwing boomerangs. The sun is setting (or rising) so you get the silhouettes of the people and tree. The sunset can give a calming feeling to the audience; they will expect that the rest of the film will be this way.

·         At first, you may have to guess what time period the film is set just by looking at the props, the costume and even possibly the language used. There is no need for this as it tells you the year and even the month that the film is set. It will give the audience a good clue into the types of items the characters would be using and the dangers they might be getting into.

·         This scene also shows two of the main characters, considering that they are the very first people to be shown.

·         The music continues with the violins/violas whilst the boy narrates about his walkabout.

·         Picture 3 – In this scene, the bay and the old man are at a billabong. The camera is zoomed right up close to his face to show the boys concentration on spearing the fish that he has seen.

·         The lights and colours used give the scene a serene feel and a calming effect for the viewer. This can also give a good image of Australia, showing it to beautiful and a wonderful place to live.

·         This scene is shown in slow motion. This could be so that we can see everything that they are doing and we can almost be doing it with them. This could also reflect their relaxed and calm lifestyle.

·         The calm violin/viola music still continues, along with the boy’s narration.

·         Picture 4 – We can see the less serene side to Australia. The cattle Droving. It shows them shadowed by the sun. It doesn’t show them in a bad way though, it just shows them as regular people doing their job. Although they could be seen as people who are taking over the native peoples land.

·         Unlike the shot before it, this scene is not filmed in slow motion. This could reflect their hectic lives or to show us that there is nothing special about them to be shown in every detail.

·         The music still continues with the non-diagetic sounds in the background and the narration of the boy.

·         Picture 5 – We can see that the light levels have almost picked up again in this scene and we can also see some flowers in the background including some greenery. Compared with the previous scene, it shows us that these cattle drovers are possibly darkening the landscape and that the aboriginal land is pure. It also shows us that where the cattle drovers are is harsh, with dry, dusty ground and a murky river. The billabong, on the other hand is clear, and calm. This could also show the difference between them. The cattle drover ‘crashing through’ the land and the aboriginals being ‘at one’ with the land.

·         Filming returns to slow motion in this scene. Again it could reflect lifestyle or to just show you every little movement that the boy does.

·         The music stays the same up until a camera angle change when it starts to get faster and more intense with the sound of drums and trumpets/horns. This is when a man falls into the river, speared. This could symbolize the nature between the herders and the aborigines. Peaceful, until out breaks of un-rest.

·         Picture 6 – This shows the boy calming the fallen horse. The ease in which he does it suggest a natural affinity between the boy and the horse. A reason the film makers could have put put in to make you feel sympathy for the Aborigines, knowing that cattle drovers are taking over their land. This could also be to help make you have a connection with the boy, as this could be to make you more angry if something happens to him.

·         Filming also continues in slow motion for this scene. This time, however, it could be just showing us the relationship the boy has with his surroundings and the animals that inhabit them, even if they do not ‘belong’ in it.

·         The music returns to how it was, soft, gentle violin/viola music with just other diagetic sounds in the background.

·         Picture 7 - this scene, just like the others, has bright but natural lighting and is filmed in slow motion. These scenes must be continued like this to show that the lifestyles of these people aren’t hectic but calm and tranquil, living with the landscape.

·         The music still continues with the calming violin/viola chords with natural diagetic sounds in the background.

·         Picture 8 – in this scene it now shows the boy riding the horse across the baron landscape. This could symbolize his journey out of the comfort of his land into the dark and dangerous land of the cattle drovers/”white fellow”.  However, this scene is till in slow motion so you can still see that he is still calm and doesn’t think that there is danger.

·         The music is still the same, calming a gentle although it has picked a little pace and there are drums now.

·         Picture 9 – in this scene the boy has arrived outside a house and has just noticed the owners coming back in a large vehicle. Still in slow motion, it could have a different meaning this time. He has noticed that the owners are coming back so he has little time to get off the horse and hide somewhere. The slow motion emphasises the fact that the vehicle is faster than him.

·         The music has picked up more pace and has more emphasised drums this time. This could indicate the danger that he is in or the hecticness of his decisions/movement.



·         Picture 10 – this scene shows a woman walking along the sand. The way that she is framed by the tear in the metal shows us that she is important to the film. The boy also mentions that she (and the man who also exited the vehicle) are different from the other people. This shot is the only shot in the first few minutes where the boy hasn’t been put into slow motion. This is when he is running to find cover from them.

·         The music is still picked up. This time it is relatively fast. This could mean that something is going to happen, but in this case it is more likely to be the climaxing scene for the title credits.

·         Picture 11 – in the final scene before the title credits, we are given an establishing shot of the house and land that the man and woman own. This shows us the place where most of the action will be taking place or the place that is Central to the film.

·         The music has now picked up majorly the music is now more upbeat, still with violins/violas but it has more of an exciting nature about it. This shows us that these people are of no danger and could even be helpers/friends of the boy.



The presentation above shows the textual analysis of a romantic drama film that I picked for myself. The film that I picked is 'Australia'. This analysis gave me ideas of how to shoot the film that I will make and the type of camera shots that make up the film. It also helped with the type of editing that is used in the film. All of these things helped me finalise and develope the final piece that i will be creating.