FMJ Character Constructs

How does Kubrick construct the characters of Pyle, Joker and Hartmann in the opening sequences of the film?

Hartmann is automatically seen as the dominant figure of the group. The camera is constantly attached to Hartmann as he walks around the troop. The audience have no choice but to follow him around. There is also a scene in which Hartmann stares directly down the camera as he shouts abuse. Here, Hartmann is directly addressing the audience. This has been used to make the audience one of the troop, someone who fears Hartmann. It also gives more of an insight into Hartmann’s morals and helps the audience form a judgement of him. Before Hartmann is introduced, the audience get their first viewing of Joker and Pyle. The audience don’t know to align or identify with these characters yet however because they are amongst a dozen more characters all getting their haircut. The camera is stationary and uniform for all the different characters in this scene, and all the characters have the same body language. The screen time is also the same. This is a suggestion of their loss of individualisation now that the characters are in the Marines; they are all ‘equally worthless’. However, another reason for this may be the director’s lack of intent to make a character that the audience can identify with.  Later in opening sequence, Joker is seen as an arrogant character that isn’t there to take the events seriously. The audience have some sympathy for this character when Hartmann beats him to the ground. When he is on the ground, we receive a POV shot of Joker as Hartmann shouts abuse straight down the barrel of the camera. Because the audience now fear Hartmann, and question his morals, we identify with Joker. We similarly have sympathy for Pyle’s character also. When Hartmann is choking him, the camera does not stray away from Pyle’s face. The audience are forced to watch Pyle struggle for air and is made to look weak by Hartmann. While most audiences don’t necessarily have their own experiences of this, they still identify with his character and feel sympathy due to their A-Central Imagining.