In Marc Webb’s film 500 Days of Summer, his “expectations and reality” scene utilises a split screen to juxtapose Tom’s (Joseph Gordon Levitt) hopes of getting back together with Summer (Zooey Deschanel) and his bleak reality. Webb opens with a wide establishing shot of Tom entering the gate to Summer’s apartment building. The camera pushes in slowly (this serves to heighten the drama and significance of the scene) as the melancholic non-diegetic soundtrack of Regina Spektor’s Hero begins to play. The scene is matched to the rise and fall of the song and the lyrics foreshadow the events at the party “…never ever saw it coming at all.” ‘Voice of god’ style narration informs the audience that Tom is “intoxicated by the promise of the evening” and hopes that his expectations will align with his reality. The wide fades to the split screen entitled “expectations” and “reality” which literally shows the vast divide between the two. In the first expectations shot, Tom is at the front of the corridor framed in a mid shot looking hopeful as he rounds the corner. In comparison, the reality shows him at the far end of the corridor looking isolated and alone in an wide. On both screens, Tom is shot from a high angle indicating his powerlessness and lack of control over situation. On the expectations screen a close-up of Summer turns into an intimate two shot as Tom enters the frame. Their bodies overlap as she greets him with a kiss. In the reality shot however, there is only a mid shot in which Summer gives Tom an awkward hug. At this point Zooey Deschanel purses her lips to convey Summer’s visible discomfort. Once inside the apartment, we see Tom nod his head towards party guests on both screens. However only in the expectations shot do other party guests acknowledge him in a POV shot, demonstrating his comfortability and acceptance at the party.

On the terrace, ‘expectations’ shows Tom and Summer in the middle of the frame, deep in conversation surrounded by people who they ignore as they are so enamoured with each other. The camera pushes in on the two to convey their intimacy. ‘Reality’ shows him on the edge of the frame representing his lack of importance at the party. Summer stands far away whilst Tom sits. This evokes a sense of tension and distance between them.Webb uses a shot/reverse shot as they converse to further separate the two. The diegetic sound is contained in only one half of the split screen the majority of the time. Webb has done this in an effort to direct his viewer’s attention towards the more important of the split screens. This is evident here.

Again there is another intimate two shot of Tom and Summer compared to a single shot of Tom drinking alone and looking disappointedly out into the distance. Whilst the framing of these shots is only slightly different, they do effect the overall tone of each shot. The intimate shot is framed by more objects which demonstrates their blossoming relationship and gives a sense of warmth to the viewer.The other shot is crowded by less objects and exaggerates Tom’s isolation. Here, Tom watches Summer interact with other men and Joseph Gordon Levitt clenches his jaw and upturns his mouth to show Tom’s heartbreak. As Tom pours himself yet another drink in his reality, he and Summer embrace passionately in his expectations. The overall colour tone of the shot is blue (Summer’s motif in the film) and Tom is surrounded by it with her dress and wallpaper- he is completely enthralled with her.

As the song is reaching its crescendo, the scene reaches its climax as the camera pushes in on Tom’s shocked face as he realises Summer is engaged. The camera pans around Tom in a semi circle whilst the reality screen wipes to smoothly push away ‘expectations’ (Tom’s expectations have no place in his reality) to reveal Summer showing another woman her engagement ring. Webb uses an over the shoulder shot to again show the great distance between the characters. Tom is incredibly close to the camera while Summer is far away and they appear on opposite sides of the screen. Shallow depth of field and the close up of Summer’s hand demonstrates the impossibility that she and Tom will ever be together again. Webb then cuts back to a mid of Tom also in shallow depth of field- his whole world has come crashing down. As he rushes out onto the street low-key lighting is used to represent his sombre mood. As he comes to a stop in the middle of the road, the world around him turns into a sketch and he appears as a single silhouetted figure. This greyscale highlights his desolate mood.