Chris Hardwick

For this group assignment, we decided that we wanted to create a stealth/action based war film sequence revolving around a hostage rescue attempt. Three groups of characters were identified as needed, these were: Special Forces soldiers, Terrorists and Hostages.

We wished to create a piece slanted towards the good triumphing over the bad action/war films that are created often, but also wanted to create a twist towards the end, where the good side encounters a failure early on from the start. This was done to try and add a sense of tension and fear in the viewer, as the expected ending may not be possible, and the evil side may triumph.

I took responsibility for the cinematography of our piece. I had to decide what types of camera shots were needed, how to frame the characters in each shot to get the maximum effect and which shots would be best for portraying the edgy, action sequence that we wanted to create.

During the preliminary research for the assignment, films such as Black Hawk Down (Ridley Scott, 2001), Saving Private Ryan (Steven Spielberg, 1998) and The Rock (Michael Bay, 1996) were watched so as to see what kind of camera work was used to add drama and action to the films.

We also looked at some short films on youtube.com by OpsGear (below), as they showed the kind of finished product that we wished to produce in regards to effects, camera angles and de-saturated colours.

When taking the narrative of the sequence into account, I had to think of what shots would aid the viewer in understanding the story. It was decided that a series of wide shots would be used to try and include as many elements into each scene as possible.

The first few scenes of the sequence, where the Special Forces sniper is getting into position (below) sets up the sequence well. This is because it shows the viewer right from the start, that it is an action heavy film sequence, and it is possible for them to feel comfortable with the type of sequence they are about to see.

With certain scenes in the sequence, I decided that it would be appropriate to centre certain characters in the shot to emphasize their roles within that specific scene (for example the sequence where the grenade is thrown, shown below).

To contrast with these fairly closed shots, I decided that following up with a series of wider angled shots showing several characters, would add a large effect to the more action based sequences.

As we introduced the Special Forces characters to the sequence, a series of close up and slowed down shots were used. This quickly added drama to the sequence.

Whilst filming our piece, it was quickly realised that several of the higher angled shots we wished to include would not be achievable with the equipment available. This included the high, mounted shots during the terrorist ambush scenes.

Working closely with the all members of the group, a strong idea for the types of shots possible, and creative style was decided upon. This is especially true when working alongside the group art director. This was important because we were able to work together to get a strong sense of what would be achievable in regards to possible shots and effects that would be included. We were also able to decide on which views would need to be changed due to time constraints or technical limitations, but in a way which would still give us the style that we wanted.

With regards to audience response, we wanted people that saw the sequence to want to know what was going to happen with the rest of the film. I think that ending the sequence with the held wide shot of the single, un-captured sniper helped us to achieve this as it gave a sense of both helplessness and hope to the sequence with regards to the captured characters in the scene.

Due to time constraints, it was not possible to get every shot that we wished to include in the sequence. This included close up shots of the terrorists as they moved in to ambush the Special Forces soldiers as they rescued the hostages. Also, due to camera issues, panning shots of outside the warehouse were deleted and therefore not included in the sequence.

Due to feedback received, it was clear to us that although the action sequence we wished to portray was created effectively, the overall aim of the sequence with regards to the hostage rescue, was not clear. This may have been remedied by including a close-up view of the hostages to show what the piece revolved around.

I think that our aim with this sequence was met quite well, although some of the missing shots and audio, such as the wide panning shots and close-up views may have helped with regards to the overall narrative of the sequence.