Copy Shop Social Commentary Essay

Social commentary is the use of a medium by the composer to address a social concern with the aim of promoting change. Social commentary critically examines a variety of issues present in the composer’s world, and also demonstrates the composer’s perspective on these issues. This can be effectively seen in the short films Copy Shop (2001), directed by Virgil Widrich, and L’Homme sans Tête (2003), directed by Juan Solanas.
Widrich and Solanas each provide commentaries which criticise society through exploration of social issues. Widrich comments on the homogeneity of an increasingly conformist society. His criticism of this is achieved through corruption of frame used throughout the film. Prominent examples of this include the climax in which

Widrich employs long shots, which is present in the final scene where a huge number of clones stand on the ground. Combined with the high angle, the shot makes it difficult for the audience to see any individuals and emphasises the amorphous mass that society has become. The effect is compounded by the costume design, which is identical for the Employee and his clones. In scenes such as when they restlessly stand in front of the copy shop, the geometrical vests overlap and form a collective pattern of rigid, structured diamonds. This conveys his thematic concern of homogeneity in society creating interchangeable and indistinguishable people. L’Homme sans Tête criticises society’s fixation on physical appearance. This is seen in the use of props in the mise-en-scene. A catalogue of heads is presented to the protagonist, Mr. Phelps, by the first head-seller he visits, which allows him to choose the appearance he desires. However, the prop indicates a finite number of possibilities; Solanas communicates to the audience that society’s strive towards physical perfection results in the loss of any true uniqueness in people. Solanas further examines the pursuit of physical perfection in the scene where a