Moon

In Moon, the clones are depicted in a way that makes us unable to compare them to humans. In this world, artificial life is all we can see. Sam’s only form of company happens to be himself. Though he is not a real person and GERTY, a robot with a specific amount of things it can say. Cinematography and sound help to emphasize the suspense driven by the two characters in a way that forms issues surrounding the idea of cloning.

 The non-diegetic sound during the scene depicted in fig 1 and the music in clip 1 adds to the emotional outlook that Sam constructs in his head. “Non-diegetic music does not belong in Sam’s world” (Corrigan and White, 183) but rather in the world of the audience. The death of his wife makes a means for the change in music as the constant theme linked with Sam changes dramatically. It forms a change in character and a change in motivation. Similar to how the theme becomes quicker during the clip shown in fig 2 and heard in clip 2

                               

  This non-diegetic sound, clip 2 assists in highlighting the frantic behaviour Sam adopts when he realizes he can leave. We want him so desperately to leave which only adds to the tension and stress we acquire throughout that scene. This is a blunt comparison to the virtually quiet scene Sam has with himself in fig 3 which emphasizes the mutual respect these two clones have for each other. If there was music playing the background, the conversation between the two would not seem as important.

As the realization of the clones finding out that they are in fact clones sinks in, we become inebriated in the ongoing theme which provides an emotional outlook on artificial life. Unlike Never Let Me Go and The Island, one of the clones in Moon hates to accept the knowledge that he isn’t the real thing in Fig 4.

  Thus cinematography assists in conveying expressions that help us understand the sheer conflict within these characters. The characters are mostly presented in a medium long shot which “shows a three-quarter-length view of Sam” (Corrigan and White, 110). The scene then cuts to a mid-shot of the assertive version of Sam to show how incredulous the idea of him being a clone is. This whole scene is driven by “the way we depict the idea of the Sam we’ve known from the beginning which implies that we have a kind of control over him.” (Corrigan and White, 123) We do not know for sure that he is a clone but we can only assume that he is. In fig 4, Sam on the right is slightly hunched over but the more recent clone is stood in a way that shows he has control over the situation. There is a definite hierarchy between the two and we see that through the way they are stationed and characterized.

Works Cited 

Corrigan, Timothy and Patricia White.  The Film Experience: An introduction. ^4th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2015. Print.

 Duncan Jones, Moon, Sony Pictures, 2009. Film