Terrence Malick’s 1998 film The Thin Red Line utilizes several stylistic devices. This Sergeant Keck’s death by grenade sequence, starting at 57:32 and ending at 58:32. The highly subjective action in this scene is illustrated through the strategic use of shot scale, sonic point of view, and both diegetic and non-diegetic sound design. By using these stylistic devices in tandem, Malick successfully guides the audience on an emotional journey of soldiers in combat. Terrence Malick’s cinematic decisions regarding shot type in The Thin Red Line effectively draw the audiences’ attention to multiple subjective character responses to the action onscreen. Throughout the grenade scene the use of medium shot scale is paired with the shot reverse …show more content…
The varying degrees of dialogue serve as aural cues to inform the audience of which character’s perspective the action is happening. This is most notable in Sergeant Keck’s subjective aural POV when the sound of the soldiers yelling to him is muffled as he suffers hearing damage. In addition to the sonic POV, there is a recognizable shift in dialogue from the few characters that do converse in this scene. At the start of the sequence the soldiers are panicked trying to calm down and reassure Keck who is freaking out and screaming in pain. Then the shift happens towards the end of the sequence as Keck is on the brink of death and his nervous system is quickly shutting down. He begins to repeat that he is cold, and a tone of tragic acceptance is set among the other soldiers who either try to console him or do not speak at all. By keeping the dialogue minimal, the important emotional elements of the scene are emphasized resulting in a stronger connection between the viewer and the film. The diegetic sound in The Thin Red Line works in tandem with other sound elements to cue the audience into the emotional nature of the action
The films, The Thin Blue Line and Cloverfield are both alike and dissimilar in different film aesthetics. The aesthetics that are presented to the film’s viewers vary in many ways ranging from the type of camera used to the lighting in the films. Despite the differences both films present truths about the world using aesthetics. I think these certain aspects helps the audience give a full, undivided attention to what is currently happening in the movie. When the movie has our full attention that is when we fully understand the truths that are being presented to us from the two films, The Thin Blue Line and Cloverfield.
Even though the films “Battleship Potemkin”, “From Here to Eternity” and “Saving Private Ryan” are all movies based on military life during war time the variation in time periods and culture made each film very different. These differences did not take away from the impact the films had on their audiences at the time or the messages they were each trying to covey. The Horrific images and hear wrenching scenarios helped to evoke strong emotions and patriotic feeling from audiences allowing film makers to pass along their truths. Thru these films we are magically transported to several dark periods in the world history and left to experience the pain, fear, isolation and ultimately the triumph of these soldiers’ lives.
In another budgetary adaptation, the film crew, lacking the funds for cranes and dollies to do moving and panning shots, quickly switched between multiple shots for dynamic dialog, giving a certain frenzied feel to the dialog interactions (Hervey 38). The style this lends to th...
I have discussed how Francis F. Coppola exploits a wide array of audio and editing techniques to create suspense, tense, and anxiety in the sequence to affect the audience’s feelings. Despite the simple fabula, this multifaceted film requires certain intellectual involvement and efforts of the audience to grasp fully its underlying meanings and subtle nuances.
For this free choice final paper, I decided to analyze Oliver Stone and his two films Platoon and JFK. Oliver Stone, a three-time Academy Award winner and known as one of the best filmmakers in his generation, ignores Hollywood convention warning against making films with a message. Among some of his great films, he made the two films Platoon and JFK. In Platoon, he presents a gritty and emotional examination of American soldiers during the Vietnam War through the lens of Chris Taylor, a biographical representation of himself and so...
Dr. Strangelove (1964), an adaptation of Peter Bryant’s novel Red Alert, although still bearing the usual traits of a Kubrick film, is something of a departure for him in terms of editing and spatial strategies. The film’s run-time more or less corresponds with the fictional or represented time in the story. This direct correspondence between fictional and real time adds to the sense of temporal compression induced by the film’s insistent editing patterns. Although Dr. Strangelove employs many long takes, it contains the shortest average-shot-length of any Kubrick film. The film consists of roughly 700 shots and has a run time of 94 minutes for an average-shot-length of 8 seconds. Despite the rather short average-shot-length, Dr. Strangelove still resorts to crucial long takes to slow down the rapid momentum of the story (Falsetto, 35).
Macnab, Geoffrey. ìThe Thin Red Line (motion picture review).î Sight & Sound.v.9 no3 (March 1999): 53-54.
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 develop 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. This scene is used to emphasise the danger that Dave and The Sapphires are in very real and very lethal danger, the mixture of sinister camera angles to emphasise the visual danger that the characters are in to the inhospitable sounds portrayed by the scene to highlight the explosive danger that the characters are in. The lighting used features the darkness and the difficulty to see due to the night sky.
Appearing in the 1903, The Souls of Black folk had emerged, a collection of 14 proses, written by one of the single most intellectual blacks in America, W. E.B. DuBois (Oxford Companion). This dynamic collection of essays reflect on African American history, sociology, religion, politics, and music. DuBois begins saying “The problem of the 20th century is the color line (5). This quote pronounces DuBois bases for his collection, that is being different form the others (Whites) makes you feel like you are being shut out from their world by a vast veil; hence the color line(8). On the other had we have Birth of a Nation, which comes out later in 1915 (TCM). Ironically it becomes the top selling film in White America during that time, but degrades everything that DuBois and another activist stood for. While DuBois hopes to educate White and Black America on their boundaries, the color line, the film’s director, D.W. Griffith, undermines these ideas. Defiling images of African Americans by distorting the perception of Blacks using stereotypical examples such as the mammies, mulattos, and bucks, Griffith tries to justify that blacks were inferior to Whites. In spite of the many controversies that are expressed in the film, it had become a known as the most innovative, American Epics and was a top seller during its time because of Griffith’s technical breakthrough and format. While comparing and contrasting these two pieces I hope to reveal to you this why this ‘double consciousness’ exist, even todays society as a result of these stereotypes displayed in “The Birth of a Nation.”
A certain matter-of-fact quality pervades the descriptions of the wounds inflicted and received by soldiers; the face-to-face attacks with rifle butts, spades, and grenades; the sounds, smells, and colors of death and dying in this book.
The movie I chose to do my report over was, Walk the Line. This film is about the life of the late, musical legend Johnny Cash. In the beginning of Walk the Line, they introduce the traumatic event that shapes the rest of Johnny’s life. John and his brother Jack planned to go fishing one day, before they could go his brother had to finish splitting wood. Johnny was getting impatient and Jack told him to go ahead and would catch up with him as soon as he was finished. While Johnny was fishing, Jack had a fatal accident with the wood splitter. Johnny’s father blamed him for the death of Jack, because he was not there to help him. He had a very rough childhood, because of the broken relationship he and his father have.
Before I start, let me say that I accidentally decided to make my theme song choice requirements needlessly complicated. To encompass the year, not only did the lyrics have to fit, but I had to have heard it before—multiple times—and I had to have some sort of spiritual connection with the artist. Why? I don’t know. Perfectionism? No matter. Luckily, after debating using “I’m Breaking Down” from Falsettos (it wasn’t really enough to say more than “I’m really tired” and “I’m having a breakdown”, and didn’t really encapsulate my year), I decided to go with “On the Borderline” by Thomas Sanders. It fit practically perfectly in every way. For one, this song is about changing, and the fear of being unrecognizable to those you love. Also, I’d heard the song many times, fell in love with it instantly, and followed the artist, Thomas Sanders, religiously throughout the year, as he is a YouTuber whose music and skits I enjoy. Now, all that needed to happen was the analyzing.
The reclusive film director Terrence Malick has to date, only directed a small number of films. His twenty year hiatus between directing Days of Heaven (1978) and The Thin Red Line (1998), may provide the explanation for such a sparse back catalogue. Malick’s refusal to talk with the media, has led to hearsay, as to how he occupied his time during the hiatus. Malick’s directing debut Badlands (1973) is a collection of concepts, all carefully moulded together to create one iconic piece of film. This process draws in and also alienates the audience. Malick’s style is positively noted by critics to be influenced by European philosophy. This is clearly due to Malick’s study of philosophy at Harvard and Magdalen College Oxford. There is no given explanation to the mindless violence featured within the film, mainly due to the films resistance to the straight forward approach. The familiar and the unknown are carefully merged together. The only way of gaining an understanding into the hidden meanings within Badlands is by breaking down the film, by looking at the characters, the use of sound, the visual setting and the films genre. The illusionary effect of Malick’s style means that all is not as it seems.
Due to the film’s quality and interest it became an award winning film. The film had excellent sound effects such as the battle scenes. The image quality was also outstanding; it used many different angles to depict the actor to make you feel involved in the scenes. In the action scenes the most common viewpoint used was a close up shot which allows the audience to see and feel the intensity of the scene. The second viewpoint mostly used was a tracking shot due to the actors c...
Almost every scene that occurs in Jasper’s house is diegetic. All the music heard comes from a stereo, and every character can hear it. This adds to the realisticness of the film since it represents real parts of the Jasper’s everyday life. One specific soundtrack played more than once that holds significance is this loud screaming sound. Towards the beginning of the movie, Theo and Jasper are sitting on Jasper’s couches when Theo mentions the ringing in his hears again. Jasper tells Theo that some zen music should help, but as a joke, he plays loud, screeching music. What seemed at first to be funny actually foreshadowed a scene further into the film. This type of sound is heard again after Theo brings Kee to temporary safety at Jasper’s. In the early morning when the Fishers break into Jasper’s house the alarm and the same screaming music heard earlier started to sound. This diegetic sound and precise music choice helps develop foreshadowing from the beginning to the end of the movie. Following the breaking in, Luke, one of the Fisher’s leaders, shoots Jasper. In the background a very high pitched noise is heard. This can compensate for Theo’s ringing and add to the theme of life versus death. Another high pitched ringing sound is heard as someone else close to Theo