The Hurt Locker is a 2009 American war film based on a three-man Explosive Ordnance Disposal team who face the constant threat of death from incoming bombs and sharp-shooting snipers. It is based during the Iraq War. The film was produced and directed by Kathryn Bigelow and is 131 minutes long. The beginning of the film follows a current trend; there are no introductory credits and the first scene begins with the characters in action. There are three main characters in this sequence, Sgt Thompson, Sgt Eldridge and Sgt Sanborn. Thompson is wearing an EOD or blast suit and is advancing towards the explosive device. Sanborn and Eldrige however are staying back and keeping a look out for any suspicious activity. The scene I have analysed begins …show more content…
Instead of aiming to create smooth and steady shots, the cinematography was shaky, as though it were a home made film. I felt this approach was more effective because it gave the film a stronger sense of realism and made it seem more like a documentary. To portray the documentary-like movements, the camera moves up and down and is often jerky at times. There is also fast film stock to create a grainier effect. For example, when Eldridge is looking through his gun; the picture is grainy to demonstrate to the audience Eldridge’s position and viewpoint. The speed of the sequence varies; there are moments where slow motion is used. There are moments of fast-paced shots to lead up to explosions and as the bomb explodes, the speed slows down. The use of slow motion in this sequence emphasises the extreme impact of the explosion on …show more content…
The non-diegetic sound in the sequence is the music. The music is instrumental, which really emphasises long, low, eerie sounds, which helps intensify the situation. It also helps guide our attention towards Eldridge, Thompson, and Sanborn and foreshadows events that are about to take place. Diegetic sounds in the sequence were the dialogue and the sounds of the environment. Throughout the sequence there is background noise of explosions and aircraft, which enables the viewer to identify they are in enemy territory. There was a lot of dialogue in this sequence between Eldridge and Sanborn, but it soon turned into yelling, which got louder and louder. Eldridge and Sanborn’s desperate demands to each other and the butcher man emphasized the chaos. The sounds overlapped in this sequence to portray the commotion and confusion. The sound blends well with the action. There were also diegetic sounds of rocks crashing after the explosion. We hear Thompson’s heavy breathing during the shots of him struggling to run in his clearly heavy EOD suit. As a result, we hear his breathing is labored from the stress of the situation and the equipment he is wearing whilst desperately trying to get away. These sound effects help to capture the reality of a specific aspect of
The vast majority of sound used in the film is non-diegetic, especially the musical ideas, which is
When I watching this movie, I notice that I felt less separation from the movie. Initially I could not find a reason for that but, soon after I realize that the camera is not static but it wobbling slightly. In most movie, camera does not move and it creates the frame. In the other hand, this movie’s handheld camera type of camera works imitate the human eyesight feeling and make people feels like to experience the event in a movie as a one of the character. In this perspective, do not explain too much about the detail is emphasizing this experience. Consider these things, I really excited and enjoyed couple of scene which are the running through battle field and engaging to the baby. In the every day world, both scene is pretty rare to experience. For the battle field scene, majority of the people have avoiding to be in there so that is rare. The engaging to the baby experience is quite normal event for most people and of course it is grate experience but, in this movie setting, baby is extremely rare and seeing baby is truly miracle event. To emphasize and provide this miracle event, this camera work is perfect to apply.
“The rush of battle is often a potent and lethal addiction, for war is a drug.” This quote is the first thing that flashes across the screen as viewers begin their journey into The Hurt Locker, a critically acclaimed war movie written by Mark Boal and directed by Kathryn Bigelow (Hurt). The quote was written by former New York Times war correspondent, Chris Hedges and it perfectly sets the stage for a story that depicts just how potent and addicting war can be (Corliss). The 2008 movie won six Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Actor in a Leading Role (“Nominees & Winners”). The Hurt Locker is an exceptional movie that contains everything one would expect from an award-winning film: an intriguing plot, heart-wrenching tragedy, breathtaking visuals, top-notch acting, believability, and even a bit of controversy.
In the opening scene of the movie we see Frank’s character played by Denzel Washington. Right away we are shocked by his violence and see his power. This is the first motif we are introduced to. We see Frank stand tall over his victim, and the dark shadowing we see on his face and body show his dominance. Another motif we are introduced to is how real this film is setup to be. The car headlights that setup the background and introduce where we the setting is as well as motivate lights. They have a purpose in the film in promoting its authenticity. We also hear the all the sounds in the forefront. When hear the sounds up close it dramatic for us as viewers. We hear every 7drop of gasoline that is poured on the man’s body and we even hear the flick of the lighter as Frank sets the man on fire. This is the director Scott Ridley’s way of saying to the audience I want to fool you, and I want you to feel like you were there and what you are watching in front of you is real.
As, the scene fades back from black, non-diegetic sound takes place as the background sound source. Sound that hasn't been implied to be present in the action: added for the dramatic effect. The suspense in the scene is constructed from this sound. Furthermore, props throughout this movie are essential, the audience are
The sound used in this scene are all diegetic, the sounds of gunfire and explosions show that the characters in this scene are in very real danger of being shot or blown up, this helps the viewer grow a more personal connection with the characters since the scene is towards the end of the film, the viewer has developed a personal connection with the characters and do not want them to die. The diegetic sounds of military personnel can be heard, this is used to show the urgency that the military personnel have to get The Sapphires and Dave out of the dangerous situation.
Sound as we discuss in our discussion question section, sound plays a significant role in every scene, it helps the audience in many ways such as to know the audience what is going to happen or to get the into the character. Now on days many directors increase realism brought on by sound inevitable forced acting styles to become more natural the scene can be identifying a digetic sound. Many people may think that the sound effect that a director use in a movie, novella or documentary is the same, they are totally confused, its two types of sound such as digetic sound and non digetic sound
The aim of the opening sequence of the James Bond movies is to put across to the audience, the genre of the movie they are watching (action/adventure/espionage). The opening sequence also tells e... ... middle of paper ... ... occurring in Russia and shows James Bond saving the world. Once again this movie has more action in it and is more creative because of the technology they have used.
The first scene we are going to look at is the party at the beginning
War is never a happy subject. Although sometimes it is for a good cause, lives are lost, innocent people are in danger, and it affects more people than expected. War involves everyone from the soldiers on the ground, to the families watching the news about it at home. Wherever someone is, they are going to have their own view of war. No opinion will be exactly the same. The way a person views and expresses the war depends on how they come in contact with it.
The opening scene (0:45 – 12:30) starts with sinister looking claw hands creating a doll that looks exactly like Coraline; insinuating that control will play a large role in the film. The film then progresses to the establishing shot; of the
Diegetic Sounds were the primary source of sound in the movie. Non-Diegetic sounds were in the opening of the film but they were so loud one could confuse it with Diegetic Sound. The sounds played at the beginning of the movie heighten our senses and puts us as the audience on edge with in the first
Next, we hear Norman’s voice as he yells “mother, oh god, mother, blood, blood”; his voice, is a very distant, reverbed, non-diegetic wet sound. Afterwards, we hear the soundtrack, which is non-diegetic, playing simultaneously along Norman’s figure in frame. The reason behind it, is a way to demonstrate that he is, indeed, the killer, hence why the same track takes part when the killer commits the crime as well as when Norman approaches the room.
As the scene starts out, we can hear the non-diegetic instrumental sound track playing as the background music meanwhile there is also diegetic sound as we hear Christopher shivering and heavy breathing while he lies still on his bed. From there, the volume tends to get louder as it gets closer to Christopher’s moment of revelation. After a while, it goes from silence when he reaches out to the sky then Penn includes a high pitch sound as we hear Chris yelling. When Chris yells and then cuts to him hugging his family, there is a muffled-like effect as if he’s trapped and then it goes back to complete silence. It is clear that this was intended to make the audience feel as if they can relate to the character’s experience through these sounds. The last sound that we hear in this sequence is the sound of his last muffled-like gasp again before his death. It was the moment we knew that all of his pain inside of him would suddenly be gone. We were able to sympathize with his character just by the sounds that were deliberately
Therefore, it is possible to notice how the cinematography, the mise-en-scene and the editing are used to resemble the peculiarities of the space in which the actions are taking place. For instance, the first part is characterized by long pan or tilt shots, the camera is steady but still manages to follow the characters actions. The editing points to the linear occurring of the events. Also, the characters and the objects are usually methodically placed in the scene. All of the elements are used to convey the rigid organization, efficiency and control typical of the military environment. On the other hand, in the second part, there are usually shorter shots and steadicam shots. The camera is free to investigate the space of action. Here, the editing is used to create a dynamic perception of the events. In this way Kubrick is able to bring in the spectators’ minds the chaotic reality of the war. Moreover, colors become another tool to communicate to the audience this sort of split within the film. In fact, after Pyle’s death the viewer can notice how those metallic and cold colors, that are present at the beginning of the film, shift into wormer colors. It is actually through Pyle’s suicide that the the spectator gets this switch. In that scene the dark red blood stains, and ideologically violates, the cold white tiles of the bathroom. This film is also different on