The Truman Show

The Truman Show Glossary

adjustor

a professional who works for an insurance company and is in charge of investigating insurance claims for damages and uses the information to recommend settlements

amnesia

the medical term for partial or complete memory loss

amputation

the medical removal of a limb or body part

Burbank

A city in Southern California, 12 miles northwest of Downtown Los Angeles. It is often referred to as "The Media Capital of the World" because many major media companies have headquarters and film studios there.

capsize

in boating, when a ship overturns in the water

craft service

the employees on a film set who provide food and beverages to the crew

dystopia

the opposite of utopia, a dystopia is an imagined place where everything is negative/cruel, and generally governed by some kind of despot

extras

on a film set, extras are people hired to fill in the background and do not have speaking roles

Fiji

An island nation in the South Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Zealand. Fiji is known as a tropical paradise and is popular with tourists.

hero shot

in film or television, the hero shot showcases a product or brand in the best possible way

Panopticon

A design for an institution that Jeremy Bentham designed in the 18th Century. In this kind of building, one person (or watchman) can observe all the inmates of the institution without their knowing.

paranoia

a mental condition driven by illusions of persecution, being followed, and exaggerated self-importance

Plato's Cave

Plato's allegory for illusion in which a group of prisoners are chained to a wall and can only see shadows of the real world, a mere projection of the truth outside the cave.

product placement

when companies pay for their products to appear in movies or on television programs

satire

the use of humor, exaggeration, and dramatic irony to criticize a type of person or an institution

simulation

an imitation of something real

The Great Magellan

Refers to Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese explorer who led the first full circumnavigation of the Earth (1519-1522).

utopia

A term coined by Sir Thomas More in his 1516 book Utopia to describe a community with desirable, even perfect qualities where everyone is happy.

vignette

A style of framing an image where the central image blends into an undefined (usually circular) border. Filmmakers often use vignettes to depict surveillance or even memories.

voyeurism

the practice of spying on people during intimate moments

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