Expressive movement unit 3

Metadata

In the interplay of the camera with the sound design and the facial expressions, the image of a process of experience shared by a group body is staged—from increasing fear to panic and finally relief. The editing contrasts the soldiers confined in the interior space of the submarine with outside—underwater and from the air—and creates a relationship which allows the bombs dropped to be connoted as “dangerous” enemies.

The moment of suspense staged as a culmination in > EMU 2 is now relieved in a short image of the relaxed soldiers in the interior. In the following shot a bomb is shown exploding under water and there is a cut to images of inside the submarine. This contrast editing of explosions on the one hand and unmoving soldiers on the other hand is repeated numerous times and supported by audiovisual interaction—shaky images, contrasts of light and dark and loud exploding bombs. (It seems as if the camera, as well as the sleeping quarters and the characters in it, are shaky; numerous short black-outs in the submarine are staged.) The staging of increasing fear is accomplished through the temporal prolongation of the editing. In many shots a curved pipe is thrust into the foreground of the image between the camera and the soldiers. Enclosure within the technical apparatus is staged.

A sudden short shot of the unmoving solders marks, in correlation with the camera movement, a moment of calm. With a cut to the exterior and another image of an exploding bomb this changes into an image of panic. Concurrent to the water damage caused by these bombs in the interior, panic ensues conveyed primarily through acting, as exemplified by a panicking soldier, who can not be called to order until he is slapped by the platoon leader.

Relief comes suddenly. There is a shot of another violent explosion of a bomb. This is followed by another shaky shot of the interior of the sleeping quarters with obvious water damage. Directly afterwards one of the soldiers looks almost directly at the camera and says with subtly ironic understatement “You know, a guy could get killed in here!” The camera pans to his buddies, who at first react somewhat surprised, but then give a communal, relaxed laugh. This is followed by another calm, steady pan and the next exterior shot shows the Japanese fighter planes already retreating. The sequence ends with a relaxed discussion between the Colonel and the Captain.