LIFE THROUGH A LENS

Abstract

This chapter looks at the role of cinematic fantasy and how it shapes the audience’s views of reality. First, it explores Steven Spielberg’s relationship with his audience. It explains that prior to Jurassic Park he had often spoken of his determination to please audiences and build films that drew them into the film world. It offers up examples and autobiographical detail to examine this claim and then details some of the key cinematic techniques he used to achieve it, the most notable of which is The Spielberg Face. As his career progressed, however, Spielberg grew frustrated by these techniques and by the time he was working on Jurassic Park, he was eager to alter his approach. The chapter concludes by investigating how the theme park location of Jurassic Park offered Spielberg the perfect opportunity to critique these techniques (and by extension both his career and cinema as a whole) and ultimately find a new way to explore his relationship with his audience.