Soundtrack
At the beginning of the clip there is diegetic sound, the protagonist shouts a command and another pirate shouts it back as a short art of dialogue signifying the beginning of the battle. The background sound is quieter for the dialogue so that the audience can hear what they are saying, this is commonly done in films as the background noise in reality would be louder than the dialogue. Throughout this clip, the main form of sound is synchronous sound. The main sound is shouting from the pirates and the sound of the cannons being shot, these are the main sources of sound that you would expect to her when a battle is taking place. All of the sounds help to create the overall effect of the battle and build the tension as it gets louder and louder and more cannons are shot. About midway through the scene, the film score is brought in behind the synchronous sound. The film score is at first dramatic to match the tone of the battle, the synchronous sound and the film score fade out at the same time replaced by silence, the film score is then re-introduced but has more of a sad and emotional tone to it. The turn in the music is followed by one of the ships sinking, the change may be used to signify to the audience that something bad is about to happen to change the tone of the sequence. After the ship has sank the film score is removed and the previous tension returns, this ensures that the audience are engrossed and don't focus on the sinking of the other ship.
Camerawork
In this clip a series of different shots are used to create a successful action sequence, the different shots show the audience different aspects of the scene that they wouldn't see if the camera stayed in the same place. Near to the beginning of the scene the Director uses an establishing shot showing the two ships that are fighting each other in the battle, this is used to set the scene for the audience so that they understand the setting. Later on in the scene, this camera shot is used again showing the same two boats but this time there is a thick cloud of smoke. This shot is used to show a contrast to the image that was shown before as they are now in the depths of the battle and the audience can fully understand the extent of the fighting without being in the depths of it. The Director uses a point-of-view shot from the perspective of one of the pirates stood behind the protagonist at the beginning of the clip. Although the pirate isn't necessarily a main character, the shot allows the audience to see the protagonist who appears to be calm despite the chaos that is unfolding in front of him. The camera shot allows the audience to gain a further understanding of the character as they can understand that he is taking charge by watching over the other pirates.
Editing
During this action sequence the main editing technique used is cross-cutting, this is used to show action happening at the same time in two different locations. An example of this in the clip is when the audience sees both what is happening on deck and below deck where the cannons are being loaded and shot. This editing technique allows the audience to understand that everybody is taking part and see everything that is going on behind the scenes of the battle. The audience is also able to see the action taking part on the opposing ship to see what is happening on their part. Another important and commonly used editing technique, fast-paced editing, is used in this action scene as well. This technique is effective at building tension as it cuts between different camera shots quickly, it is fast enough but allows the audience to see a large amount of the scene. Continuity editing is used throughout the scene to maintain the illusion of continuous action to ensure that the audience remain focused on the scene and don't lose interest. This will be done when moving between different camera shots, the audience don't notice that the camera shots are different which is what makes it effective but keeps them hooked with a steady flow.
Mise-en-scene
The lighting for the scene is grey, dark and murky as a reflection of the tone for the action sequence while also matching the setting of the scene at sea. Set at sea, the setting is established from the beginning of the clip to help give the audience context. Unlike most action sequences, this sequence doesn't include physical fighting between the protagonist and the antagonist and instead they are fighting each other from their ships. The costume for the pirates matches the stereotypical image of what is expected of pirates and what has been created in films and books. Nearly all of the pirates are wearing hats and all of them are wearing murky green/brown clothing that look like rags. The props help to give the audience more of an understanding about the film. An example of this is when the pirates move a UK flag up the flag post, this helps the audience to understand that they are the side that they should support as they are representing the country in the battle. Spacing and blocking of the different characters gives an indication about their power. The protagonist is placed high up and stood away from everybody else, this suggests that he has the most power and is an independent character. The rest of the pirates are stood lower than him and crowded together, this shows that they are more of a collective and don't have much power at all compared to the protagonist.
No comments:
Post a Comment