When I first watched this scene the first thing I noticed was that the entire thing is one long take. I have to admit that long takes are one of my favorite styles of editing. The scene takes you through a television studio that houses a trivia game show meant for kids and adults to play against each other. The little boy in the scene, Stanley, is a young savant that has been appearing on the show at the behest of his father. His father is exploiting his son to gain some semblance of success.
The music that accompanies this scene does not however feel light, as a game show involving kids should be. The music takes on a foreboding almost ominous tone. The music reflects the hollow, shallow, and exploitative nature of some television production. Being on this game show is nothing but pain for Stanley, the little boy shown in the video. Being smart enough to be on this show has brought him nothing but pain, and even more hardship with his relationship with his father.
The use of the long take lets the audience be thrust into the television studio the same way Stanley is probably experiencing it. The camera barely stops moving throughout, giving the impression of the break neck speed at which television production happens. The camera barely has time to let a moment land, mirroring the process of television studios working fast to make money. The long take also acts as a tour through the studio, allowing you to travel through it's seemingly never ending and depressingly lit hallways.
The way this entire scene is lighted gives a sense of extreme sorrow. This is definitely not a happy occasion at this point in the film. Even someone who has not seen the movie can tell that this is not a happy scene. The television studio is full of terrible lighting, and that is showing the audience just what a hollow unhappy place this truly is.
This whole sequence accomplishes a great number of things just using Image and sound. I would argue that the conversations that happen between characters literally have nothing to do with anything. What's more important is the image and the sound. "Magnolia" is very much about the consequences of failed parents, and the effects it has on their children. This scene shows the hollow idol in which Stanley's father is trying to use to gain financial wealth. At the end of the day Stanley's father is using him to win money on this game show, even though Stanley doesn't want to. Everything about the image and sound in this clip reflect that. So I have to say that Paul Thomas Anderson was successful in this scene, as it portrays strong emotions just using image and sound.
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