Gregory

1
Jennifer Gregory
Ms. Ashley Humphries
ENC 1101-01
February 26, 2015
500 Days of Summer is an unique film and masterpiece. This nontraditional
story of boy meets girl is careful not to romanticize and is anything but clich. In fact,
the beginning of the movie is actually very intentional to warn viewers that it is not a
love story. This film follows the story of Tom and Summer whose relationship is far
from perfect, allowing for an uncommonly realistic representation of relationships.
There is one scene specifically that encapsulates this harsh message of reality and why
it is so hard to deal with. It is a side-by-side view of the same scene played out in two
different ways. The left side, labeled expectations, portrays Toms imagined reality
for a party Summer has invited him to. The right side, labeled reality, shows what
actually takes place. Every aspect of this scene is so strategically contrasted that the
labels are essentially unnecessary.
The scene captures the very essence of film, how messages are conveyed by
showing rather than telling. Instead of the narrator simply saying, The party was not
at all what Tom had expected, director Marc Webb chose to show all that Tom really
was expecting. He explains The key part of telling the story for me is I wanted to put
the audience in Toms shoes. I wanted us to feel what he felt. I wanted us to look at the
world the way he looked at the world (Webb). This is certainly achieved throughout
the movie, but especially in this scene.
At this point in the film, Summer and Tom have stopped seeing each other and
the viewer is conscious of the fact that their relationship was rough and complicated.

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However, as most complicated relationships would have you believe, there may be
some bit of hope for them. Viewers hold onto this hope when Tom and Summer
reconnect at a coworkers wedding. Everything goes as perfectly as you would expect it
to in a clich romantic comedy, which in turn, leaves Toms expectations high when
Summer invites him to her party.
Summer opens the door and greets Tom

Summer opens the door and gives Tom a

with a kiss and a flirtatious compliment,

friendly hug with a purely platonic pat on

holding eye contact as he walks inside.

the back as she invites him inside. The

The shot pans over to guests who

shot pans over to a room full of guests

acknowledge and are happy to see Tom.

unknown to Tom who is visibly

He then gives Summer a gift, the book he

disappointed at this. He then gives

was reading when they reconnected.

Summer a gift, the book he was reading

Delighted, she thanks and hugs him. As

when they reconnected. Thats so nice

the shots move outside, they sit at the end

Summer politely remarks. As the shots

of a full table and have a secluded

move outside, Tom is pestered about his

conversation. The view then jumps to the

job in a group conversation with Summer

balcony where Summer and Tom are

and three others he does not know. The

shown sharing a romantic moment, yet

view then jumps to the balcony where

again apart from all the other guests.

Tom is left with just a beer to accompany

Summer brings Tom to her room for

him while he looks on to Summers

some privacy as their romantic moment

interaction with the other male guests. He

continues and they begin to kiss

then notices something off screen that

passionately.

leaves him disheartened.

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The split screens are done away with as the door closes on Toms expected romantic
moment to reveal that Summer is actually engaged. She is showing off her ring to a
friend in the distance as Tom is forced to throw away all his expectations.
The message of this scene is depicted in the very use of a split-screen. As the
narrator says expectations the left side comes in, and the right side follows shortly
after as reality is said. This immediately preconditions the viewer to realize that
Toms expectations are not going to align with reality. Which in turn, leaves them to
assume his expectations are far too high. Few movies use such an interesting
technique. A side-by-side has been done before, but hardly ever to show two
alternative routes to one situation. While the appearance of the split screen introduces
the viewer to the drastic contrast between Toms expectations and reality, its removal
symbolizes his need to let go of his expectations. The door to Tom and Summers
relationship closes simultaneously with the door in his expected romantic moment
revealing her engagement. From the beginning the audience realized that none of
Toms expectations were going to align with reality, but as the split-screen is done
away with, Tom comes to the same conclusion.
Throughout the scene Regina Spektors Hero plays in the background as a
sort of guide to the viewers emotional interpretation. As Tom enters the gate to the
outside of Summers apartment, the song begins soft and almost eerie, setting a somber
mood. This is particularly noteworthy because the scene viewers are expecting to see
would be accompanied by upbeat music. However, director Marc Webb chose a song
that in some way prepares the audience for something more sedate. Additionally, the
lyrics never, ever saw it coming at all foreshadow the drastic contrast the viewer is
about to see. Tom never saw Summers engagement coming, with things looking

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hopeful for them, that was the last thing he could have imagined. His expectations
oppose the reality of the situation quite remarkably and the lyrics prepare the viewer
for this. Web provides some insight on just how purposeful his choices were
remarking, I always want the lyrics of the music to inform the scene in a subtle way.
He even refers to Regina as a default narrator within the scene (Webb). As this contrast
becomes more apparent and the scene intensifies, so does the song. The climax of
Hero is even reached in sync with the scene as Tom notices Summers engagement
ring. Similarly, the falling action of Toms fleet perfectly aligns with a decrescendo as
the split-screen is done away with.
Although the two frames play out the same situation, the camera angles differ
in subtle but vital ways. They are so similar it is almost ironic because what he
expected and what happened was so close yet so different (Volk). When Summer firsts
open the door, multiple guests are visible in the background of reality, but no one else
is seen in his expectations (CosmisRadio.TV). The average first time viewer does not
actually notice this contrast in the background, however, it works to create a different
atmosphere that the viewer does notice. While the shots appear identical, the
connotation they hold is not (Volk). Without anyone else in the expectations shot, his
welcome feels more intimate, but with others in the background of reality, it seems
nothing out of the ordinary. Similarly, as the shots move outside, Tom and Summer
are the focal point of his expectations, whereas in reality, they are just a mere part of a
crowd (CosmisRadio.TV). This again points to an aspect of intimacy Tom had
expected, and the role of other guests he neglected to anticipate. However, these
expectations are completely understandable and highly relatable. No one anticipates
the role others play in any sort of romantic relationship; that is just not what runs

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through an expectant mind and Tom is not alone in this. Nonetheless, the differing
layout of each frame points to the aspects Tom neglected in his expectations.
In addition, the lighting assists in contrasting Toms expectations to reality.
Specifically, when Tom is looking off the balcony a candle appears in the bottom
corner on the expectations side only. Likewise, the background of the high-rise
buildings is lit better in the expectations shot even though these are thought of to be
happening at the same time of day (CosmicRadio.TV). The brighter lighting is not used
to contrast simply for appearance sake; it gives a happier connotation to this side of the
scene. Think about it, no one pictures gloomy weather to accompany anything
positive. Not to say realitys frame pictures gloomy weather exactly, but the frame of
expectations is brighter in comparison, drawing the audience towards it. Obviously the
viewer knows Toms expectations leave him happier throughout the situation, but they
may not realize just how much even they feel happier to watch his expectations.
Perhaps more obviously, dialogue, and even the absence of it, guides the viewer
to the opposition Toms imagined reality has with what actually takes place. Before the
split-screen even appears, the scene begins with a narration, Tom walked to her
apartment intoxicated by the promise of the evening. He believed that this time his
expectations would align with reality. This not only foreshadows the contrasting
frames, but also reminds the audience that throughout the film, unmet expectations
have been a common theme. In turn, the audience creates their own expectations for
the scene. The dialogue is contained in just one of the frame at a time throughout most
of this scene in order to direct the audience to the important action (Volk.) In the
outside shot, for example, no dialogue is given for the intimate moment expected,
guiding the viewer to focus on the reality. This is when the guests are questioning Tom

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about his neglected desire to become an architect. Tom responds to their questioning
with a sarcastic remark, I guess I just figured, why make something disposable like a
building when you can make something that lasts forever, like a greeting card. All but
Summer laugh at this sarcastic remark which point to a disappointment she likely feels
in Toms ambition. This is crucial in the way it hints toward how she has moved on
and could have been lost if the dialogue was not set apart from the other frame (Volk).
Each element of this emphasizes just how miserable Tom feels at the party when he
imagined to be feeling a completely opposite emotion.
With all of these deliberate elements of contrast, it is almost insulting to the
viewer that the shots were labeled. Everybody knows what it is like to not have their
expectations met. Additionally, the audience is used to seeing the left side play out as
reality in typical romance movies. However, 500 Days of Summer shows that those
clich moments do not play out in reality. This is a film that showcases how
relationships actually take place, and this scene specifically shows why that reality can
be so hard to face. When expectations are set too high it opposes reality in such a
drastic way it is hard to get past. Web demonstrates this opposition in such a distinct
way it is hard to understand why he did not have enough faith in his audience to
understand his message without extra assistance.

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Works Cited
CosmicRadio.TV. Cinematalkraphy - Expectations vs. Reality. Online video clip.
YouTube. YouTube, 1 Dec. 2014. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
Volk, Marissa. Scene Analysis. WordPress. WordPress, 25 Jul. 2011. Web. 13 Feb. 2015

Webb, Marc. Interview: 500 Days of Summer Director Marc Webb. Artistic Direct.
Rogue Digital, 22 Dec. 2009. Web. 5 Mar. 2015.