Analysis- The Hurt Locker

I understand i have wrote rather a lot - appologies but i struggled to cut it down, enjoy:

When analysing a scene from the Hurt Locker it became clear that the main and more prominent analytical part of the scene was the cinematography and therefore it is what I am going to focus on from the scenee cinematography and therefore it is what i more. Cinematography is basically known as “the art of making motion pictures” and specifically that includes how the use of camera shots and angles help to portray the film and its themes.

In the scene from the Hurt Locker the cinematography is used coherently and in interesting ways throughout the clip as well as focusing on other aspects which vaguely link to cinematography like the framing of each still. The film is about a bomb squad unit in the Iraq war trying to deactivate a bomb, however in the scene even with limited knowledge of the plot and storyline one can still enjoy and be interested in the scene as there is little knowledge needed to come to grips with what is happening in the scene. In this scene specifically the bomb squad unit enter a house in order to find a group of people, for a unknown reason, however they discover a mangled body of a local boy as well as coming to the understanding that who they were looking for had only recently just left.

The scene starts off with the unit preparing to enter the house as well as preparing a plan for what is ahead, the cinematography in these first few shots allows the audience to come to terms with what is happening as there is a high angle establishing shot of the unit which enables the audience to establish the scene however the use of the high angle shot implies there is a vulnerability within the group as they are not sure what they could be walking into and could also be foreshadowing what is to come in the scene as they start to understand the danger in which they are in after they find the dead boy. The idea that the unit is in danger is again foreshadowed in the next few shots and camera movements as they include a zoom and close up of the soldiers prepping their guns; this is used in vague way to show that there is some form of danger or else they would not have the guns but the use of the zoom helps to emphasise this and create more significance to the weapon putting the idea in the audiences mind that it may be needed more than they might have originally thought.

As well as here and throughout the rest of the clip and most probably the film the camera uses handheld shots which includes jerky camera movements and creates an incoherency of the shots which could confuse the audience however this is done to create a sense of a realistic scene for the audience as it is as if it is in the form of a documentary or even a news broadcast, the realism of the scene is also added to later on by the use of eye level shots of each of the characters and the setting itself.

Although the cinematography used helps to create a realistic feel of the clip there is also an emphasis on the fact that the director is also trying to make sure the audience doesn’t start to believe it too much as she uses many techniques which are conventional of film rather than documentaries such as the use of a tilt up which is used early on In the scene to establish the character as well. The mise-en-scene also plays a part in this reality fix for the audience as there is a shot where the soldier is seen walking through the reflection of water on the ground which therefore shows him upside down, this shows that the soldier is out of place of where he is but is also very technically done which makes the clip leave part of the documentary or news broadcast idea behind.

The cinematography however is used very fluidly through the use of shot reverse shot between the characters when they are walking through the building communicating with each other as this helps to not create any confusing in the audience for who is talking as well as showing the reactions and body language of each character when communicating with the others and therefore not missing any key points. The fluidity of the cinematography is also shown through the use of a long take pan of the characters searching the building this long take is used specifically to create a fluidity which is clearly shown as well as bringing back the idea of a news broadcast.

With pretty much all of the shots that are used in this scene the rule of thirds is highly considered throughout although there are some shots where this as well of the framing of the shots are used impressively. Including when the soldiers are walking down the corridors, the rule of thirds is used as the two outside thirds are taken up by the walls and therefore the middle third is focused only on the soldiers walking down the corridor so that the audience will just focus on them .It could also show a sense on confinement as it is seen as a very narrow space and therefore again showing the danger of the scene as well as unnerving the audience and creating tension.

There is also a shot in the corridor where there is two soldiers at the top close to the camera but another at the bottom of the corridor alone and out of focus this shows the isolation of the soldier as well as the danger he could be in. Framing is used well in a shot where we see on the soldiers through a window this enables the audience just to focus on him as it is as if he has a box around him emphasising his character.

However my personal favourite still of the clip is before the soldiers walk into the bedroom as the first third contains one soldier and the last third contains another soldier however the middle thirst is full of the darkness which is the doorway, there is a use of contrasting colours that juxtapose each other  as the outside is rather bright however the doorway is pitch black creating a tension and showing the danger of what could be ahead. This shot is done in a long shot to show all of the soldier’s bodies and the doorway completely to make sure that the audience can see everything that is going on.

When the soldiers enter the doorway they do not come across anything immediately however when searching the room the scene is shot in silence this is significance as it creates a tension within the audience as non of the soldiers seem to be at ease, It also creates tension through the fact that the only noise that it being played is the diegetic sound of the guns which again shows there significance within the scene and emphasising that they are still in danger.

When the soldiers then leave the bedroom and enter more of the abandoned house there is a quick pan used to show the room which they were just in but also to show that they are about to enter more of the unknown, during part of this scene where the soldier then begin to search more of the house there is the use of many close up shot reverse shots of the characters faces to create a tension within the audience as the audience is able to see the fear and danger in the facial expressions of the soldiers and it becomes clear there is a definite danger. This fear of danger is then fulfilled as they find a local boy who has been mutilated by a bomb placed in his body and then sent off, during this part of the scene more close up shots of the faces of the soldiers are used to show the horror they have just found, there is also a close up pan of the body used to shock the audience after it is clear that the victim is only young.

Overall I feel that the cinematography is used well in this clip as it is used very fluidly and in a way which is attempting to make the audience emote different emotions such as fear and shock, and it not only attempts to do this I feel that it achieves this with flying colours.