The scene then switches to the cellar, where all the gladiators are preparing for battle. The lighting is very low key and most of the light filters from the roof, overhead. The overhead lighting dominates the gladiator’s faces and brings out their facial features. This effect shows the faces of the gladiator’s and their anticipation of the battle which is about to commence. Non diegetic orchestral music starts to begin once more building the tension. The camera then cuts into a close up of every gladiator whilst moving slowly to the side where it stops and gives us a side view shot of the gladiator’s showing in detail their facial expressions. This is where the dialogue of the main character begins and the camera moves slowly to a medium low angle shot, thus giving the character a sense of authority. The character speaks slowly and when he accentuates an important point the camera moves to a close up of the main character of the film (Russell Crowe), showing the viewer his feelings and his anticipation. In the background there is the external diegetic sound of the crowd chanting, kill, kill, kill. This along with the orchestral music sounds like a heart beat as there is a short pause between every chant. Again the heart beat sound reiterates the anticipation of the gladiators; this is effective as it makes the scene more exciting and exhilarating to watch. The mimic of the heart beat and chanting are very similar to the sounds of the main battle sequence in Spartacus. In a key battle sequence there was the beat of a drum to emphasize the heart beat sound and to build the fear factor between the gladiators and their opponents making the scene more thrilling to watch. Sound however is usually recorded together with the picture, in Spartacus the beat of the drum is recorded with picture of a man drumming it to motivate the gladiators. In the Gladiator, the sound of the heart beat is seen as coming from the mind of Russell Crowe within the story space. Although we and the character hear it, we assume that the other characters cannot. The use of this sound is known as internal diegetic and is effective because there is a hidden response instead of a obvious one between the main character and the audience. It gives a real sense of how the particular character is feeling and shows the viewer that he is nervous of the forthcoming battle.
In Gladiator, the scene then switches to the opponents of the gladiator’s who are shot in slow motion, waving their swords and swinging the weapons ready for battle. The slow motion shot makes them seem menacing and stronger than in normal speed as the shot slows down their actions giving the viewer a complete idea of their strength and brutality. Whereas in normal speed most of their actions wouldn’t be noticed as it would be too fast for the viewer to get any real meaning out of the specific sequence. The sound of the battle axe swinging is dubbed in slow motion along with the other noises to lengthen the anticipation effect, making the viewer feel as if they can’t wait for the battle. The camera then moves through the gate slowly and moves into a close up of every gladiator, once more overhead lighting is present bringing out the fear on their faces. The crowds chant gets louder and louder and the gladiators are now feeling afraid as some start to shake and tremble. The camera here is also shot from a high angle giving the gladiators a sense of vulnerability compared to their opponents.
The battle sequence starts and the gate opens in slow motion along with the battle axe which strikes a gladiator in the face. When he is struck the slow motion stops and from here the battle sequence is filmed in real time. When the gate opens, everything is silent but the crowd start to chant when the gladiator is struck. This effect makes the viewer more drawn to the scene as they are engrossed to find out what will happen. The battle is edited very quickly and the battle scene itself feels as if it has been shot with a hand held camera because you feel the effect of the battle even more, thus making you feel as if you’re actually there. The camera also moves very quickly and feels jagged between different shots. This effect again is to make you feel within the scene. If the battle scene was shot from high angles or edited slowly it would make you feel as if you were a spectator and not a participant, whereas here the camera is shot from a medium height and is edited very quickly making you feel present. It is shot from a medium height because it mirrors the height the gladiators would fight at again emphasising a sense of reality. The speed and order of the editing is very similar to the editing in a battle sequence from Lord Of The Rings, The Fellowship Of The Ring. The editing was very quick again to make the scene feel like a real battle and the order of the editing added to the pace and flow of the particular scene.
Within the scene there are many deaths however at the focal point of the sequence, a gladiator gets trapped in some netting and is stabbed to death by his opponents. The camera goes behind the netting to show what he is viewing and that is his forthcoming death. Three of the warriors run towards him and repeatedly stab him. The camera shot behind the netting is very effective because the shot feels violent and has an impact on the audience, thus giving the viewer an insight to how the gladiator suffered.
The battle finishes and no one is left standing except for Russell Crowe and his fellow gladiator. The camera then cuts from a medium low angle shot of Russell Crowe to a 360° shot of the crowd cheering and chanting showing us their response to the battle. The camera then switches to the same shot around Russell Crowe, showing the viewer his emotion and feelings about the battle he has taken part in. He almost feels bemused by the whole experience of the crowd chanting for the killing of people. He is staring vividly at the crowd whilst they chant in his favour and the same shot keeps revolving around him but at the same time the camera is rotating quicker and the focus of the camera is unclear. The non-diegetic Middle Eastern music is also getting quicker. This could mean that he is feeling dizzy and feels the battle as a haze. The music then begins to go quieter and at this stage the 360˚ shot turns to the crowd instead of Russell Crowe and here the camera begins to become dark and unclear, this is where the next scene begins. This use of the 360° is effective as it ends the scene mysteriously. The shot is fast and distorted leaving the viewer longing for more exciting and thrilling battles. And because the scene is early on in the film, the viewer could predict more battles to come after the mysterious and distorted ending.
In conclusion, the scene contains many camera and editing techniques such as low and high angle shots, quick speed and order of editing and the camera shot behind the netting. All of these shots created a specific meaning to the audience and are intended to create a specific response.
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