Exam Practice Question

With reference to the films you have studied for this topic, explore some of the film techniques that are particularly powerful in triggering an emotional response in the spectator.

The opening sequence for Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) is different to that of A Clockwork Orange (ACO). In the scene there is a lack of alignment with any of the characters that are shown on screen. The reasons for this are that none of them respond to us. Examples of this is that there are no emotions shown on any of their faces and also there is lack of identity as everyone of them are getting their head shaved. The camera shot is always the same type of shot used for each character. This is shown to us by a medium shot. Also the amount of time people are on screen is also the same time for each of them. There is no emotional response triggered by the spectator and therefore we don’t align with any of them.

This is different to how much alignment is shown in ACO. From the opening of FMJ there is no character we can respond to and therefore we are shown not to align with anybody. Our main character in ACO is Alex de Large. The first shot we see of him is an extreme close up of his face. The camera then starts to pan away from his face. We notice that he is always looking directly at the camera while it is panning away from the group. The other who are around him are all looking away from the camera so we are seen not to align with any of them and so we are forced to align with Alex as he is in the centre of the screen throughout the shot and also looking directly at us. This shows that he is “breaking the 4^th wall.” Also he narrates the whole film so he connects with the audience through his voice over. This is how the spectator gets an understanding of the film as we are shown to get an understanding of the world he lives in. Also if there were no narration it would make the film very different, as we would think that Alex was a bad character and therefore we wouldn’t align with him. Because of his narration we hear his thoughts and opinions and his reasons why he carries out the attacks like beating up the tramp. In the tramp-beating scene we are shown to look away from what is happening. The silhouette of the Droogs is shown on the wall beating the tramp. This shows lack of identity and also so that we don’t align with the tramp getting beat up. Also in the rape scene Alex looks into the camera and says ‘viddy well my brothers.” He is not talking to the male victim but to the spectator showing that we are aligned to him. Also he doesn’t want us to see what he gets up to in case we go off him and un-align with the character.

In FMJ Pyle is seen as a threat to the group. We don’t align with anyone in the group as they are all together all the time with the same camera angles being shown. Pyle is seen as a person who is alone.

Not always in shot

Brings the whole group down

Alone and not in sync with the other marines – climbing frame

Gets picked on the most