Neve's textual analysis of 'Hurt locker'

textual analysis of the thriller opening 'Hurt locker'.
camerawork
mise en scene
sound
editing
media terms

figure 1

Scene 1- 
We are introduced to this thriller with a text shot which says 'the rush of battle is often,a potent and lethal addiction, For war is a drug' this sets the scene and shows thriller is about a war or a person who was in the war, The camera then fades to the ending part of the sentence 'war is a drug' this suggests to me that the thriller is about someone who is addicted to fighting in the war. The sound is a quiet eerie sound like the noise a phone makes when it goes dead, this is a creepy sound and usually symbolises bad things or death in other movies.
The second shot establishes the setting of the thriller, this is very fast pace, It is a p.o.v shot of the person running however we can only see dessert like ground, This setting suggests that it is set in middle eastern country. There are sounds of a man shouting he sounds like he is in control, This refers to the setting as in middle eastern countries there is dictatorship.

Scene 2 -

figure 2

We see a mid/long shot of women and soldiers this looks like a an evacuation. The fast pace of the scene gives the audience the feel that they are in danger this scares us. There are sounds of someone shouting and some quiet shouts and screams. The footage is slightly blurry this gives us the impression  it is a real thing happening. The lighting is high key lighting and has a white glow like it might be early evening as the sun glows or early morning. Non Diegetic sounds add to the effect of evacuation.



                                                       Scene 3 - 

We see a long shot of an army vehicle, The camera pans the vehicle till it reaches a mid point in the frame, Where men jump out of the vehicle holding guns. This creates suspense and worry because we can see that there is a lot of chaos and the women and children look scared. The pan and zoom implies urgency and reality. The camera jolts a lot this adds to the rush and urgency and a  sense of reality. The diegetic sounds coming through a speaker implies urgency in what they are saying.

figure 3

Scene 4 - 
In this shot we see the soldiers jump out of the van in a p.o.v shot, Then into the roads where there are people running in panic this is filmed in mid shot and the transitions are cuts these are very fast pace cuts, This makes us pay attention so we keep track for the problem unfolding. The soldiers stand looking very aware the props are there guns this also links to there costume protecting them from people with guns. The shaky camera work makes it look real life and creates a feeling that we are in the film experiencing it with them. The setting is plain and hasn't got many props, The colours are a sand colour, The lack of objects and props symbolises that this place is in poverty. There are a few match on action shot from soldier to soldier this shows us the urgency fast pace.

figure 4

Scene 5 -
In this p.o.v long shot we are being taken through the train tracks the soldier is running fast and we struggle to keep up with the pace, This makes us pay attention and fills us with suspense. There are cows or goats in the shot as the camera tilts up, This implies that they have runaway from there owners or they are stray animals this also suggests that the country is very poor. We then see that the p.o.v is from a robot device tracking people and searching the area for explosives. The diegetic sound of voices keeps us aware of the danger and disruption that may occur. This scene creates enigma because we haven't yet seen an antagonist that caused this disruption. The filming of the surrounding's connotes to me that the robot is looking for something in particular this is also forshadowing what we might come across in the future. After this shot there are multiple fast cut shots that make us pay attention because there's something new in every cut. We can see by the peoples reactions that they are used to this happening however it doesn't get any better as every time they have to run for there life's

Scene 6-

figure 5

In this shot we are shown a big object under white sheets, the pace is increased as the robot charges to the object, This could be the equilibrium's as the object could have been the cause of the starting disruptions. There is diegetic and non-diegetic sound in this shot, The shouting fades and there is an eerie sound similar to a sound when someone passes out in films and there in a haze. This makes the audience feel disorientated and wondering why all shouting has stopped.

Scene 7- 

figure 6

This atmosphere changes in this scene, We are shown an extreme close up of the soldiers eye, This connoted to me he is concentrated on getting his aim perfectly accurate. This gives us hope that it might be okay, Because his body language is calm and professional. During this ecu we can hear diegetic loud voices however the two soldiers aren't phased by this off putting sound, The soldier says 'approaching' which denotes that there is regimental language and mind. His costume looks neater and brighter colour this suggests to me that he is a senior soldier with a high level of training and perhaps experience? They have used the blocking technique with the corner of the frame so we can only see quarter of the soldiers face, He looks serious and locked onto the task. The second soldier is fazed out in the first close up shot this shows the importance of his focus.

figure 7

figure 8 

Scene 8-
In this shot we are shown a p.o.v of what the soldier can see, He is looking at people on top of a building surrounded by clothing drying this shows the severity of there poverty as they have only the use of lines from house to house.  The main women looks old and has a yellow Islamic costume on, She is staring at the soldier looking angry, This suggests that the public aren't happy with the army intervening. This is an extreme long wide shot, Showing us the poor setting. there is non diegetic eerie sounds of aeroplane's flying in the sky. This is a shot of the soldiers perspective which creates the effect that we are involved in the film and gives us an insight into what he might be feeling.

figure 9

We then see a similar two shot of two men on a flat balcony watching the soldier this is also filmed in a p.o.v shot, However the men look dangerous like they might be the disruption. It looks like the two men are trying to hide behind the walls and the hanging clothes. There is a cut to the robot finding the object this suggests to me that the men watching are waiting for the object to explode?

narrative 
this thriller is told in linear narrative, it is chronological order however there are flashbacks which make us wonder what happened?