Exam Question

Soundtrack-

The clip opens with a non-diegetic sound that increases in volume to build up tension. The sound is dramatic and gives the viewer a feeling that a lot of action is about to take place. You then hear the diegetic sounds of alarms and shouting from the ship, this makes the scene feel chaotic and more dramatic. Amongst all the shouting the words of the protagonist are louder and more clear so the viewer focuses on what he is saying. There is then a loud explosion and diegetic sounds of explosions, shouting, and the noises made by the alien protagonists. There is also non-diegetic music playing that builds up tension as the battle continues which creates a chaotic atmosphere.

Editing-

CGI is used to make the large amount of ships seen at the beginning which gives the audience a feeling that the battle about to happen will be big and intense. when they are on the ship Cage is shown and then the camera switches to the officer who is shouting orders. It then goes back to Cage which means it is a shot-reverse-shot. This is done to to show how the officer is ignoring the protagonist which creates a feeling of worry amongst the audience because they know he has something important to say. This builds up tension and connotes that Cage knows what he's doing more because he has already experienced the events a number of times. During the battle scene there is a lot of fast-paced editing which intensifies the upbeat pace of the battle and keeps the audience on edge as they are worried that the protagonist could die at any moment. There is also a lot of CGI used to make the explosions to make the battle look more realistic and dangerous. A jump cut is used when Cage dies because it emphasises how he suddenly restarted and has gone back in time. This is non-continuity editing because the scenes don't flow, however this is done purposely for effects because the plot revolves around the fact that his day keeps restarting.

Camera-

The first shot is an establishing shot which shows all of the aircrafts leaving. This informs the audience what is about to happen in the scene and also creates an uneasy feeling because of the vast amount of ships going to battle. The camera then switches to a hand-held camera which makes it more shaky and gives the audience the feeling that they are actually their in the action. Doing this means the audience is more engrossed and they feel a bigger impact from what happens in in the battle. Next there is a point-of-view shot which shows the camera looking down at the main protagonists gun. This makes the audience relate to Cage more and root for him to survive. During the main fighting scene there are lot of tracking shots to keep up with all of the action that is occurring. When Cage dies and is shown waking up back in time there is a shallow focus shot. This focuses on the main character and blurs the background which means the viewer is concentrated on Cage's face and can see his emotions and reactions to what just happened.

Mis-en-scene-

The setting in the opening shot shows a lot of industrial buildings which makes it seem more futuristic, the ships are the seen moving over a cliff and the sea which suggests they are going somewhere far away. The lighting is ambient daylight. All of the characters are wearing a uniform which shows that they are part of an army. They also have the futuristic armor and weapons on shows they will be fighting. During the fight scene there are a lot of different ships and aircrafts in the background to show that the battle is very large with a lot of people involved as well as a lot of dark smoke to make it look more realistic. The lighting goes quite dark because the sky is grey with smoke and clouds which gives the scene a feeling of danger.