Wednesday 15 September 2021

RESEARCH: ART OF THE TITLE LORD OF WAR

CLICK the pictures to open link:

This title sequence is effective in introducing the audience to the key themes and problems that will appear in the film. It illustrates the story's wry, tongue-in-cheek tone, whilst also portraying to the audience the primary motif of the film (shown through the bullet). The most unique aspect of this opening is most likely the use of a object-oriented POV shot, which is generally rare in to see in film, but is effective to make the audience feel helpless as they are carried on this journey from manufacture to voilence. As the audience we are helpless as we are shoved into the barrel of a gun and fired straight into a child soldiers head. The shot that sees us looking at the voilence taking place through the barrel of a gun, deliberatly has a limited field of vision, which means the audience is forced to look where the gun is pointing. This further enforces the helpless feeling and the inevatibility of ending the journey with voilence. 

The opening starts off with non-diagetic sound (guns firing) and the first set of titles coming up on a black background. This is then followed by ominious music and a cut to live action, where the camera slowly pans up from looking at a floor covered in bullets to a man standing, with his back facing away in which we find out is the main character. This is effective as the slow pan helps the audience to take in the bullet covered floor, considering the theme of the movie, as well as take in the main character as the camera tracks up. The main character then states a fact, which helps to further enforce the theme of the movie and his role. Throughout this there is still the faint sound of firing guns off-screen, which helps the audience feel negative to the character, as we start to realise he helps to 'fuel' this voilence. 

The fact that it is also continuous shot, meaning it has, or gives the illusion of having, no cuts, makes the journey even more impactful. This is becuase audiences are given time to think and see events unfold, which increases the dread in audience as well as highliting the inevitibility of a bullet's lifecylce. This journey also symbolises the main character Yuri's inevitable and deadly course, as he is the lone bullet with a single journey in mind. 

The music used acts as a cocky opposition to what is unfolding around us, 'For what is worth'. The song carries more humorous and joyful qualities, which contrasts heavily to the cold surrounding enviroment of the conveyor belts. However, to help ground the audience back into the reality of the situation is the diagetic sound, which helps to increase the realism of the opening.

The lighting used also changes throughout the opening, starting off with cold and dark feel in factory followed by more brighter colours of Africa, to end with the dull red of the soldier boy's blood. By having planning the lighting in this fashion, it shows the cold hard enviroment of business and manufacture, as well as making the red of the blood more impactful. It also helps to clearly state a change in location. The flashing of the gun being fired helps to increase the feeling of dread in the audience as they the bullet gradually gets closer to the end of its journey. To make the sensation of 'traveling on the back' of a bullet more realistic, the camera shakes and moves as the bullet is tossed or shaken. Moreover, a deep depth of field allows the audience to see the world around the bullet enfold. 

The credits displayed use a war themed font and are lined very neatly, which gives the illusion of order even though later on chaos is all that unfolds. It also helps to further enforce the war genre of the film. Lastly, the use of sound is very naturalistic, the gun firing, the bullet clinking together and so on, which helps to increase the realistic feel of the opening.  

No comments:

Post a Comment

FILM OPENING: CHAIN REACTION

 Finlay Williamson 1986 My group consisted of Ruby 1996 and I. We were set to follow a brief which consisted of making the titles and open...