The Bourne Ultimatum

The clip from The Bourne Ultimatum tells the story of Jason Bourne trying to help a journalist escape a group who want to kill him to prevent him from passing on his information to Bourne.  The narrative follows on from two previous films and this sequence consists of three narrative threads; 1-Jason Bourne’s attempts to discover his identity and expose the conspiracy, 2-the attempts of the American organisation trying to capture and possibly kill Ross, 3-the journey of the unnamed assassin (‘asset’) to kill Ross and Bourne. The three strands are intercut to make a coherent narrative and they come together at the end of the narrative in a crescendo, namely, the death of Ross.

The early use of iconography such as red buses, black cabs, the London underground, an establishing shot and even a glimpse of the Evening Standard make it clear that the scene is set in London. These famous icons make it clear to the audience where it is set and draw on their personal experiences of this particular place, thus possibly making it feel more ‘real’ to them. The music and the editing create a tense and fast-paced feel to the clip as the shaky camera work and whip pans give it a documentary type feel. This method is often used in this genre of films in order to make the viewer feel like they are there, which is only a new technique as not too long ago if the camera work was shaky this was seen as a fault. There are also very quick changes between clips, as each part lasts only a few seconds before moving on to add to the pace of the sequence. Also, there are some point of view shots to show us the situation through Bourne’s eyes. It is significant that the shaky camera work is only employed when Bourne and Ross are on screen, which emphasises that he is ‘real’, which is in sharp contrast to the rigid, formal and somewhat robotic camerawork in scenes containing CIA operatives. This emphasises that they are official and arguably false.

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In addition to this, throughout the sequence there is use of compression editing which keeps the sequence moving without us having to watch unnecessary clips which would make the sequence drag on. Furthermore, the use of cross-cutting adds to the pace and shows us Bourne and his journalist friend trying to escape Waterloo using only their intelligence and some luck, as well as the organisation trying to track them down using high tech surveillance equipment. The use of fast editing, cross cutting, compression editing combined with tense, fast music makes the sequence move fast and so it becomes more exciting ...

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Here's what a star student thought of this essay

There is consistently correct use of grammar and spelling throughout, as well as an efficient structure to follow, as discussed. The media terminology included is abundant and accurate allowing the student to achieve high marks; particular terms that stand out from this essay and might be useful to remember for discussion in other essays would be: iconography, point of view shots, compression editing, cross-cutting, genre, heroes/Propp, and voyeurism.

The level of analysis is extremely high throughout with the reader making a number of extremely valid points about the narratives, but also going on to fully explain and analyse these – a particularly good example is: “This method is often used in this genre of films in order to make the viewer feel like they are there, which is only a new technique as not too long ago if the camera work was shaky this was seen as a fault” as it not only shows what effect particular methods have on the audience, but also incorporates the student’s further knowledge about the media industry, both past and present. This, further knowledge, is again demonstrated when the writer draws comparisons with other films to make their points, e.g. “thus contradicting the normal actions of a hero such as James Bond”, it is an important skill to learn, which this student has mastered well, to include relevant examples and other information without taking the essay off on a tangent.

A top class essay, although there is no set question given, the student thoroughly describes the Bourne Ultimatum film sequences and provides an accurate and detailed description into the media effects and techniques used throughout, as well as giving personal insight into their own opinions and interpretations of the film. The writer follows a good structure, with a clear introduction to set the scene for the reader, in this they include background information on the film (e.g. tells the story of Jason Bourne trying to help a journalist escape a group who want to kill him to prevent him from passing on his information to Bourne), introduces what will be discussed in the essay (the three narrative threads), and hint at the conclusions that will be reached (e.g. The three strands are intercut to make a coherent narrative and they come together at the end of the narrative in a crescendo) – what is also nice is the inclusion of media terminology in the introduction – e.g. coherent narrative, crescendo – as it immediately sets the tone for the essay and shows off the student’s knowledge of the subject. Furthermore, they finish with a fantastic conclusion which succinctly summarises the points they have discussed and reaches a firm end point, making their own judgement on the effects the narratives use to make the Bourne Ultimatum film.