How Cinematography is used to create meaning in the "Do Something!" Scene from The Truman Show

In the 1998 film, "The Truman Show" cinematography is used heavily to create a large amount of meaning which cannot be conveyed through just acting and mise-en-scene alone. Over the story arc of the film, Truman the titular character gradually realizes that his entire life is a lie, and he begins to act erratically due to this realization, something which is shown in the clip from the middle of the film, the "do something!" scene with Truman and his wife, Meryl. This scene starts out with a low angle shot of Meryl standing in front of their kitchen island, which is shot from Truman's eye level, as he is sat down in a dining room chair, looking at her. This indicates that Meryl has more power in the relationship and in this scene than Truman, which the audience knows is true, as Meryl is an actor and knows that Truman lives in a television set, while Truman does not know this, giving her the upper hand, as she also has the power of the TV studio behind her, as they guide her in the correct direction. It then cuts to a two shot of Truman and Meryl from behind Meryl's back, which the audience can infer that the two are being filmed from a secret camera in their kitchen. Meryl's domination of the shot also gives indication that Meryl is the more powerful of the pair in their relationship, as Truman only takes up one third of the shot, and is lower down than her, showing his lack of power in the relationship. During their argument about Meryl's reasons for wanting children, there is a zoom in shot to an extreme close up shot of Meryl's face while she begins an advertisement for hot coco mix,  while she gives a bright, cheery smile, which does not fit with the tone of their argument. This zoom and extreme close up shows how suspicious Truman finds this action, as the zoom comes from his eye level and how significant it is in this scene. It can also be interpreted as the camera men who film the in movie show zooming in on advertisement placement for their sponsors, again showing the audience that none of Truman's life is truly real. After this shot the film cuts to a close up shot of Truman's face, which allows the audience to see his expression of disbelief and paranoia. This could also be used to allow the audience to feel empathy with Truman, as he descends into semi-madness while unraveling his life. This again cuts back to Meryl's face and then the tub of hot chocolate, showing how significant these factors are to Truman's slight psychotic break, as this brings relevance to the two areas through the close up shot. The shot then moves to a pan shot into a tracking shot as Truman stands up and walks towards Meryl as she backs away. This represents a shift in power, as when Truman stands up the camera shot also moves up towards the eye line, giving Truman equal power to Meryl, or more due to his height, which is shown in the tracking shot, taking away the power from Meryl. The tracking shot is also shown through Truman's eyes, making it a slight high-angle shot of Meryl, again giving Truman the power in this interaction, as Meryl is scared and cringing away from Truman. This then jumps to a low angle shot from Meryl's necklace, adding the the image that all of Truman's life is broadcast constantly and how Meryl is at a disadvantage in this argument. During this the shot cuts to an extreme high angle shot from the ceiling of their kitchen, which could indicate how insignificant this argument is, as Truman's entire life is essentially scripted and written for him. However, this then cuts to a two shot of Truman and Meryl struggling, seen from a point of view shot of Kristoff, the director and creator of The Truman Show. This allows the audience to see again how Truman's entire life is scripted and watched by others. This is also where Meryl cries out for the set workers to "do something!" and help her, breaking character and the fourth wall in the show, making this point of view shot significant, as it shows this break visually, through Kristoff's view. This then cuts again to a tracking shot of the pair as Meryl runs towards the door of their house, trying to escape from Truman. This shot is filmed from a number of secret cameras in their house, as shown by the lens flare, again adding to the image that Truman's life is entirely filmed and scripted, and he cannot do anything to escape. The tracking shot also keeps the audience with the action, making the viewers feel empathy with Truman, and giving them the same sense of heightened emotion as the characters. A cut to a close up of the front door being pounded on by an unknown entity again heightens the sense of panic and alarm which is felt in this scene, while a cut back to a two-shot of Meryl and Truman still struggling against each other, again increasing the panic as the multiple cuts add to the drama of the scene. This frequent cutting then slows down when the door opens to a tilt shot of Marlon, holding up a six pack of beers, which mimics the movement of Truman and Meryl's eyes, showing them taking in the whole scene before moving on to an over the shoulder shot of Marlon and Meryl hugging, indicating another power change and dynamics. This is how cinematography is used in the "Do Something!" scene, in The Truman Show.