There is also a good use of camera movement as it follows the main character and jumps between the action shots. The sound tracks the action with no background noise, which pulls the viewer into what, is now an action packed scene. There is short burst of gunfire which again gives the impression of a very fast pace.
There is a good use of slow motion, which gives the effect of speed, this is done to give the impression that the action is too fast for the eye to see. One of the most famous moves where Neo pulls a side flip while almost running up the wall is done in slow motion which allows the audience to concentrate on how spectacular the move is. While he is turning in the air the bullets are flying all around him and he is avoiding them all. This scene gives the impression he is super human. The overall feel of this scene, suggests that this kind of action is common in the life of Neo.
The lighting in this scene is a fill light, which brings some reality to what is otherwise a comic book battle. The constant killing of people in a dismissive way shows a disregard for life in this world. The scene ends where the lift button pings – this is almost like permission to breath as the tension has been built up and can now be released.
Heat (1995)
The second extract from “Heat” is much more tense. This extract shows police racing to the scene of a crime in broad daylight to find gangsters in the middle of a get away. They are calmly exiting a building carrying a machine gun openly in the middle of a crowd of people. The camera angle is very wide and shows public reaction and panic. You get the impression the gangster in the scene didn’t plan to come across any opposition as there is a sense of surprise. The camera jumps between the good and bad characters to build tension and the noise of people screaming creates the right atmosphere for panic. When the police are chasing the robbers the camera moves with them almost along side and makes you feel part of the action. The gangsters kill most of the police and jump in cars and continue to speed away to be met by a roadblock. The action is very rapid which builds excitement.
There is no background music, only real sounds, of people screaming and vehicles screeching. The sound track is of background noise, often not in the camera view, which gives the impression of a lot of movement. This is very effective in creating panic and gives a sense of reality. The volume of sound sometimes dominates the action. The camera also matches the action to create reality. Eg. The gunfire is heard and the camera shows the bullet holes in the car door.
This is a very thrilling scene and would put many people on the edge of their seat, this is because the director led us to believe that the gangsters have a clear way out but he then springs the ambush on us. Each new shot takes the audience by surprise and builds tension.
The fashion and props are all common to the era of the film in 1995, which gives a sense of acceptance and reality.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
The third extract from “The Good the Bad and the Ugly” is very slow moving.
This gunfight between two cowboys (the good and the bad) takes place in a duelling ring in a desert environment with one onlooker (the ugly).
The camera shots give equal importance to all the characters in this scene. This made the scene tenser in itself as you couldn’t anticipate the out come. The camera jumped from a zoomed in point of one cowboys gun to the face of his rival. The music and the camera shots worked together to build the tension i.e. the music became faster and louder as the camera movement become faster.
The background music is a haunting sound track, which is played often through the scene and creates atmosphere. It speeds up to increase tension.
Zoomed in shots on faces showing sweat and frown lines give an impression of fear and discomfort in the heat.
The silence after the gunfire allows the audience to reflect on the outcome.
The fact that Blondie (the good) shoots the “bad” right into his grave gives an impression of finishing the job and tidying up. He then shoots his hat in the grave after him. This could be a sign of respect to the dead man.
Summary
Although all three film extracts are shootouts they are very different in style. This is partly down to the intension of the directors aiming at a particular audience and partly due to the year the films were set in. i.e. “The Matrix” set in the future is very high tech and crammed with special effects. “Heat” on the other hand, set in current times is more action without eye catching special effects and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” set in the past has only music and camera shots to create atmosphere.
The film I would be most interested in watching in full would be “Heat” as it appears very exciting and action packed, in a real way.