Minority Report
US 12415
1.1 At least one idea is identified with reference to
at least one relevant section of the text
Q What is it like to live in this society? What shows
this in this scene?
A. It is difficult to live in this society. The police hunt
people down and arrest them for crimes they have not
committed yet. People feel threatened and have little
freedom.
This is shown with the big helicopter arriving and all
the police getting out and entering the building. They
run in and invade people’s lives with the spiders.
These are used to scan people’s eyes and check their
identity
Minority Report
US 12424
1.1 At least one main idea in the text is explained
with reference to at least one relevant section of the
text.
Q. Explain what this extract shows about the
relationship between the state and the people. Refer to
at least one section of the extract to support what you
say.
A. This extract shows the state controlling people using
extreme methods. People have few freedoms. The
police are brought into the housing complex to find John
Anderton. They are using thermal scanning to find
people and metal spiders to scan eyes and identify them.
The spiders enter the rooms quickly and there is no
respect for the individual. People are shown in private
situations, such as having sex, arguing or on the toilet
but the spiders ignore this. By scanning people’s eyes,
they can identify and control them.
1.2 The significance of a main idea is explained with
reference to at least one relevant section of the
text. Range: significance relates to social,
historical, cultural, physical, political, or
personal contexts.
Q. Explain what impact living in this society has on
John Anderton. Refer to at least one relevant section of
the extract to support your views.
1.2 The significance of a main idea in the text is
analysed with reference to at least one relevant
section of the text. Range: significance relates to
social, historical, cultural, physical, political, or
personal contexts.
Q. Analyse the personal significance of living in this
society for John Anderton. Refer to at least one section
of the extract to support your points.
A. John Anderton lives in a society which is highly
controlled. He can easily be tracked and captured.
John’s freedom is threatened and he is in danger of
being caught by the police and sent to the prison even
before he has committed a crime. He has to get his
eyes changed so that the police cannot identify him
with their spiders so living in this society has a huge
impact on John. This can be seen in the extract where
he has to hide in the bath to escape the spiders. They
do find him, however, and he does not escape their eye
scanning.
A. The state can control John Anderton and can arrest
him for a crime he has not committed. His individual
freedom is threatened by the state. As he is hunted down
by the spiders, he is being treated like an animal. He is
nearly captured in this extract and taken to prison. For
example, when he is in the bath, his eyes are scanned
and it is fortunate that he is not identified. He has to go
to extreme lengths to escape the spiders and this
involves having his eyes removed so he cannot be easily
identified. The state is forcing him to change who he is.
Minority Report
US 12431
1.1. Ideas or meanings in the text are analysed with
reference to relevant sections of the text.
Q. How does the relationship between the state and the
people develop in this extract? Refer to at least one
section of the extract to support what you say.
A. In this extract the state is controlling the people by
invading the privacy of individuals in the housing
complex. The precrime police enter the complex and
with one announcement, send their spiders in to check
on everybody’s identity. This shows the extent of power
that the police have over people. Being able to scan
people’s eyes is an invasion of their privacy and should
not happen unless permission is obtained first. Here the
young children, arguing couple, young couple in bed
and the old man on the toilet have no say in the actions
of the spiders. The director’s intention is to show how
the state intimidates people.
1.2 The significance of a main idea in the text is
critically evaluated with reference to relevant
sections of the text. Range: significance relates to
social, historical, cultural, physical, political, or
personal contexts.
Q. How successful is the film in demonstrating a social
class system and why is this significant in the film?
Base your answer mainly on the extract but you may
refer to other points in the film.
A. This extract successfully shows an underclass of
people living in poor surroundings and having little
happiness in their lives. The married couple is arguing,
the family is terrified and their room is small and
cramped. This underclass is also seen earlier in the film
when John goes running by the man under the bridge.
Here a blind man is shown living in desperate
conditions with no eyes, and therefore no identity. In
contrast, the people in the shopping mall look affluent
and are able to afford many material things in their
1.3 Three examples of language features are
identified using appropriate terminology, and each
example is described in terms of its effect. Range:
at least one verbal and one visual feature. Visual
language features could include – lighting, costume,
camera shots, and camera movement. Verbal
features could include – spoken or written words,
sound, music, silence.
Identify
Describe effect
techniques and
example
Low angle shot
This shows the helicopter
Shot of police
landing. The helicopter looks
helicopter at the
big and powerful as it comes
opening of the
down.
scene
High angle shot
This shows people as small
Shot of mother
and frightened as the spiders
and children
check their eyes.
running into
room.
Costume
It is dark and the helmet
The uniform the
looks scary. They have
police wear
fingerless gloves and guns.
They look intimidating/
frightening.
Sound effect
The “pop” sound makes the
The noise of the
spiders notice John in the
air bubble
bath and come back into the
bursting in the
room. It causes tension as the
bath
police could find him now.
Sound effect of
It makes the scene
1.3 Three examples of language features are
identified using appropriate terminology, and each
example is described in terms of its effect. Range: at
least one verbal and one visual feature. Visual
language features could include – lighting, costume,
camera shots, and camera movement. Verbal
features could include – spoken or written words,
sound, music, silence.
Identify
Describe effect
techniques and
example
Reverse
We can see the men directly.
Tracking
Being face on we see their
The camera
expressions and their
movement as the determination to find John. We
two policemen
also see the background which
walk down the
looks run down and neglected,
corridor
suggesting the area is poor.
Close up
This shot emphasizes how
The shot as the
significant the spiders are. They
policemen pull
are the tools the police use to do
the spiders out of their job. They are examples of
their belts
highly developed technology and
are important to catch criminals.
They are a tool to frighten and
intimidate people.
High angle
Despite being small the spiders
(would accept
are dangerous because they are
tracking)
leaving no area uncovered and
The shot of the
their searchlights emphasize this.
spiders running
Spiders are usually things we are
along a blue and scared of. The high angle shot
lives. In the extract, the housing complex is an effective
setting for showing the underclass because it is shabby
and dirty. The high angle shot of the corridor shows the
decay and dilapidation of the environment these people
live in. Such details show the extent of the gap between
the rich and the poor. Social class is significant in the
film because it shows that poverty is linked to crime but
also shows that the rich and affluent can be morally
corrupt as well
1.3Three examples of language features are
identified using appropriate terminology, and each
example is critically evaluated in terms of its effect.
Range: at least one verbal and one visual feature.
Visual language features could include – lighting,
costume, camera shots, and camera movement.
Verbal features could include – spoken or written
words, sound, music, silence.
Identify
Critically evaluate effect
techniques and
example
High angle/
This effectively shows a cold and
tracking shot
run down area of the complex. The
The shot of the spiders are running all through the
spiders
building and no one is safe.
running down
Ironically, the high angle makes the
the corridor,
spiders look small yet still
blue and white dangerous, whereas it would
normally make items look less
powerful. The director emphasizes
their danger through showing them
running around leaving nowhere
unsearched. Their searchlights
also emphasize their power to find
anything. This ‘eye of God’ type
shot gives the viewer the sense that
they are looking down and spying
on this event.
Low angle
This shot is deliberately used by the
Shot of John
director as an effective contrast to
Anderton in the the previous high angle “God-like”
dark walking
shot of the spiders. Here we have
metal spiders
The metallic
noise we hear as
the spiders go
upstairs.
Dialogue
“It’s an awful big
cat.”
frightening. The metal
spiders sound scary as they
run up the stairs.
The police woman knows
there is another body in the
building and doesn’t think it’s
a cat. It is not something they
can ignore. Her doubt builds
tension as the police will
explore further.
white corridor.
shows how they are closing in on
him. High angles normally show
things as being powerless but
here we see the reverse as it
shows their determination to
search everywhere.
Use of nondiegetic music
The music we
hear as the
spiders start
running up the
stairs and
around the
building
The orchestral music reflects the
action and the running of the
spiders. It is fast and builds
suspense. It starts with string
music which reflects the urgency
of the spiders as they run up the
stairs. It becomes deeper and
slower in contrast as the police
make their announcement to the
residents. Then the strings start
again to emphasize the urgency of
the spiders coming after John.
The orchestral music is building
up in sound becoming louder and
more intense as the spiders close
in on John, heightening the drama
of the situation. As John sinks into
the bath, the music reverses and
goes down reflecting his
movement down into the water.
The music changes to drum beats.
It sounds like a fast heart beat
and again builds tension.
The policeman says this to the
woman in the hall. It builds his
character and shows him as
someone who is intimidating/
frightening. He does not care
about frightening children and
show his lack of concern and his
lack of humanity.
Non-diegetic
music or drum
beats
The noise we
hear as John
sinks into the
bath.
Dialogue
“If you don’t
want your kids to
know terror,
keep them away
from me
been pulled into John’s world and
his predicament. Low angles would
normally emphasize the power of
the subject in the shot but here the
effect is different. The director
wants to show John from the
spider’s perspective. Although the
spiders have not yet entered the
room, the shot intimates that this
will soon happen. The director’s
intention is to build suspense with
this shot and it does do this. Soon
the spiders enter through the floor.
Tilt
This effectively shows an empty
Camera
bath and then John in the bath. The
movement
tilt is successful at showing his
when John is in predicament. It shows what the
the bath and
spiders see (nothing) and what we
the spiders
know, that John is there. Here the
enter. From
director wants the viewer to feel the
above to below sense of danger that John feels. He
the water.
is cornered and unable to breathe,
see or hear. His senses have been
taken away from him and the shot
of him underwater is a visual
representation of that.
Sound effect
This successfully shows the
Noise of the
mechanical nature of the spiders.
spiders
Electricity and water do not mix
touching the
and so the noise heightens the
water.
threat to John and builds tension.
It is also the noise which brings
John to the surface and allows the
spiders to find him. The electric
charge is a powerful sound because
it makes the viewer imagine the
pain that John must be feeling. The
noise is associated with torture,
almost like a taser sound.
Sound effect
This is a clear way to remind the
Ticking of the
audience that John’s time is not up
to get ice
bucket.
clock as the
spiders lift
John’s
bandage
1.4 The relationship between one verbal feature and
one visual feature in the text is analysed in terms of
the effect.
Q. Analyse how lighting and music are used together in
this extract to develop mood. Look particularly where
John is moving across the room to get to the bathroom.
and he should not be removing the
bandage, without damaging his
eyes. Repeating the noise at this
point builds tension again. The
director wants to make the audience
think of the “doctor” telling John
not to take the bandages off early or
he will go blind. The noise of the
clock is combined with a shot of the
timer to reinforce the point. It
happens at the crescendo of the
scene, delaying our knowledge of
the outcome of the eye scan and
building suspense.
Dialogue
The scene starts with “I gotta eat”
“I gotta eat.”
showing the policeman is keen to
move on and doesn’t want to mess
“Let’s eat.”
about. “Let’s eat” ends the scene,
showing that they are keen to move
on without pursuing the man any
further. It is effective for keeping
the plot going and as a structural
way of defining the scene.
1.4 The relationship between verbal features and
visual features in the text is critically evaluated in
terms of their effect.
Q. How effectively are camera shots or movements,
music and sound effects used together in this extract to
develop mood?
A. The lighting is subdued as it is night time and this
helps to develop a mood of fear. Light sources are
mainly from a lamp on the side wall and the TV screen
at the back of the room. Lights do flitter across the
scene almost like police searchlights, searching for
John. The brass instruments which are deep and low in
this scene act as a contrast to the high pitched string
music used when the spiders are in the shot. The dark
rooms and the low drawn out music create a sense of
danger for John Anderton. He cannot see what he is
doing so the darkness in the room helps us to
A. The director wishes to build up a feeling of suspense
and tension in this scene. He effectively uses camera
shots and music to develop this. For example, the
spiders are always accompanied by a short musical
motif with a short range of notes and a fast rhythm.
This emphasizes their dexterity and speed. The high
angle shots of the spiders show them scurrying around,
searching the building and we get almost an omniscient
god-like view of them. Together the music and camera
work, combined with a metallic sound effect, emphasizes
the spiders’ high tech nature and their lack of feeling.
understand his situation. A blue light is used in the
bathroom to reflect the water which might keep him
safe.
As they are so efficient and thorough, tension is built up
as they close in on John Anderton. Whenever the
spiders appear in the shot, the musical motif is repeated
and this effectively signals to the viewer that they are
hunting John Anderton down and creates suspense.
1.4 An aspect of the organization of text is identified
and explained with reference to at least one relevant
section of the text. Range: organization could
include – treatment of time, act structure, contrast.
Q. What editing technique is used to build tension at
the end of the scene, when John gets into the bath?
Explain how this technique builds tension with
reference to at least one relevant section of the text.
1.5 A technique used to shape the text is identified
and analysed with reference to at least one relevant
section of the text. Range: organization could
include – treatment of time, act structure, contrast.
Q.What editing technique is used to build tension at the
end of the scene, when John gets into the bath?
Analyse how this technique builds tension with
reference to at least one relevant section of the text.
1.5 Techniques used to shape the text are identified
and critically evaluated with reference to relevant
sections of the text. Range: organization could
include – treatment of time, act structure, contrast.
First technique:
Q. What editing technique is used to build tension at the
end of the scene, when John gets into the bath?
To what extent does this technique build tension? Make
reference to at least one relevant section of the extract.
A. The scene cuts between the bath and the police in
the hall. This makes it exciting because the viewer
knows that the police are closing in on John Anderton
and could catch him at any minute. They are actually
at his door when they get the fake identification so they
walk away. Cutting helps us to see what is happening
at the same time in two different places and makes the
scene tense.
A. Tension is built up by cutting between the bath and
shots of the police in the hall or in the helicopter. The
scene with John and the spiders cuts to the police even
though the viewer wants to know what will happen. Our
level of concern is heightened by switching back and
forth. Additionally, a shot of the timer is included in this
section which also helps to build tension and reminds us
that John’s time is not up and he should not remove the
bandages. The cuts gradually become more rapid as the
scene builds to the climax. The moment when his eyes
are being scanned is delayed with a fast cut to the
corridor. It comes as a relief when the identification is
made and it is not John. The music ends and the rapid
cutting finishes.
A. The use of rapid cutting is used to a great extent at
the end of the scene as it looks as if John is unable to
escape the precrime police. The shots show what is
happening consecutively in the bathroom, out in the hall
and in the helicopter. The shots of the police, however,
interrupt the flow of the scene in the bathroom so the
viewer is waiting longer to find out what will happen.
This deliberately heightens the excitement and tension
for the viewer. At first the cuts are longer but as the
scene builds to a climax, the cuts become more rapid,
effectively delaying the climax. Included in the cross
cutting between the police and John is a shot of the
timer to heighten the audience’s anticipation. It
reminds us that time is running out for John and that he
could be blinded. The director’s intention is to remind
the viewer of previous events. Once the identification is
made, and the policewoman says it is not John
Anderton, the music stops and the tension is broken.
The policeman smiles for the first time.
music and the TV show to the next shot of the police to
heighten the irony which would not be lost on a modern
American audience as “Cops” is a popular show. This
transition also strengthens links between the society
shown in the film and our own society, implying that this
film has a message for us.