Spielberg uses a variety of shots to show us how horrific war really is. For example, in the first scene he uses a low angle shot to show us the rows upon rows of graves. This shows us how many people must have died in the war and how their life was just taken away and all that is left of them is a small white cross that is crammed between hundreds of others. This shows us the true horrors of war as it shows how many people gave their life to win the war. In the second scene, the same type of camera shot is used, but it has a different effect. When the American soldiers have just jumped out of the boats they go underwater a low angle shot is again used here. The effect shows us the entire beach from the water so we can see how wide and frightening the beach would have looked like when approached from the water.
In scene one Spielberg also uses a Medium Shot to show us the family with the aged man walking down the path. The effect of this shot is to include most of the scene and show us where the man is walking to and where he actually is. It is a nice shot as it is very symmetrical with the trees both side and the family in the centre. A Medium Shot is also used in the second scene to show the boat approaching the shore. This again shows us most of the scene but it doesn’t show us the horrors that await the soldiers. This is very effective as you do not know what is going to happen to them.
Close ups are used quite a lot in these 2 scenes. In scene one a close up is used when the old man falls to his knees. The camera zooms in on his eyes and this leads on to the next scene. This shot shows us the mans true feelings. A Close Up is also used in the beginning of scene 2 to show us Tom Hanks fear. The shot focuses on his shaking hand and slowly follows up his arm to his face. From this we can tell he is incredibly frightened but by the way he controls his bottle with his other hand we know he has to try and be strong as he is leading the rest of the group.
Sound and silence also play an important role in showing the reality of war like the soundtrack in scene one. This music was very proud but also slightly sad. There were trumpets and a flute playing which made the music mellow and created a relaxed mood. This music set the genre for the film as it signified the end of a war and peace.
There were very few sound effects used in scene one compared to scene two. The only thing we heard was the scrunching of gravel and the click of a camera. I think this was because the group were remembering the war and they were in a graveyard so they had to be silent as a matter of respect. Also this fitted in with the sad mood of the scene. Also one word was spoken in the scene when the old man falls to his knees and his son says the word “Dad”. This word is hard to interpret as the tone of the word could either have bin as though the son was shocked or maybe he was saying it in a oh dad come on be strong tone. This word tells us the man has a son and he is quite unstable when remembering the war.
In terms of sound scene one and two are very different. Firstly there is no soundtrack in scene two. I believe Spielberg did this to make u feel more like you were actually there as a soundtrack would have made the bullets and the bombs less effective. Secondly there are so many more sound effects with the bombs and the bullets and the clinking of the boat and fires roaring up as people are set on fire. This once again brings the viewer closer to being there as these sounds are so loud and almost frightening and u can see how easy it was to be killed on the beach. There is also some dialogue in this scene but it was shouted because it would have to have been as it must have been hard to hear over bombs and bullets etc. This shouting makes the audience realize that during the taking over of the beach it would have been hard to get so many men under control as it would have been so hard to hear. This adds with all three of the above points to make the audience really have a feeling of what it must have been like on that beach.
Spielberg also uses colour and lighting in these two scenes to once again portray the grim reality of war. In the beginning scene the colours are bright and clear this is because I feel Spielberg wanted to create a contrast with the next scene and because the first scene is a sort of remembrance and a proud day for the old man who lost his colleagues. It is also to show how he is still alive and he is finally in peace which is shown by the bright white graves.
In the second scene the lighting and colour is very different. A blue/grey filter is used on the camera lens which makes everything look darker. I think this is used to show how bleak and disgusting there job ahead of them was and to give the effect of dullness over the entire scene. Despite the darkness of this scene the red blood and yellow fire cut in on the bluey green colour to show how much blood there was and so that the blood was redder to shock the audience more. It also made it gorier and it made the flames that burst out of the boat and set people on fire much more deadly.
There was a difference in pace of these two scenes as well. I think Spielberg decided to open on a slow scene to add more emotion and feeling into the scenes. This allowed the audience to identify with the characters and to find out the genre of the film. The pace of the second scene is different, it is much faster and more action packed. I think it has to be like this as that was what the war was like the soldiers had to push up quickly to avoid death and to secure the beach. The bullets were also very fast and were constantly whizzing past this increased the pace of the scene. Both scenes also ended with a close up of a face which brings the pace down and shows us how the person is feeling e.g. Tom Hanks and the Old Man.
In these two scenes I feel Spielberg was trying to capture the true horrors of war and put the audience into the action. He did this using the lighting, sound, colour, pace and contrast between the two scenes. He has succeeded in his aims by making you really feel your there. I personally think these beginning scenes set up the film perfectly showing the viewer a glimpse of the horrors of war and making them feel for the soldiers that died during it.
