Voiceover Narration as Focalization on Characteristic of Wade Watts on “Ready Player One” Movie

Abstract

This research aims to analyze focalization using Wade Watts' voiceover in film “Ready Player One” (2018), understand how voiceover can shape Wade Watts' internal focalization as a means of developing Wade Watts' characteristics. The theory used is the concept of focalization explained by Peter Verstraten in his book Film Narratology (2009), which discusses how narrative perspective can influence the way the audience understands characters and plot. The descriptive qualitative approach was used in this research aims to analysis Wade Watts’ voiceover. The results show at the beginning of the story, Wade is depicted as a passive figure who escapes from stressing reality and prefers the perfect virtual world of the OASIS as a place to find freedom and identity. As the story went by, through the Halliday puzzle, his conflict with IOI, and his connection with Art3mis and his friends, he begins to understand that the OASIS is not just an escape, but also a responsibility. With regard to Halliday, his choice to shut down the OASIS on some days shows that he has come to understand the value of reality. Based on the results of analysis internal focalization through Wade Watts' voiceover in Ready Player One, it can be concluded that the use of this technique plays an important role in shaping Wade's character and emotional development.