Expressive movement unit 2

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Whereas at first the change in static shots gives form to the dialogue, in this unit form is given through the camera movements and their correlation to the choreography of the characters.

As in the beginning of the scene, this unit starts with a lively marching tune and a pan to the left, making the content of the image dynamic. During the slower pan to the right that follows, the music slowly fades. The topic is now the physical and mental flexibility of the lead(ership) figure introduced here: the Colonel. This is shaped through the way the choreography of his movements and the choreography of the camera’s movements form a chiasmatic interweave. This intersection of the camera’s and the Colonel’s mobility returns in later scenes and solidifies as a figure that becomes a generally dominant dynamic principle of the staging. The equal, alternating sequence of left and right pans around the temporal middle also add an impression of calm and symmetry to the union of the character’s and the camera’s movements.

On the level of the dialogue, shortly after the welcome a short history lesson is given on Chinese guerilla tactics; the Chinese fighting spirit is conjured through heroic poses in photographs. As in the previous talks, this central phase is staged through a series of accelerated shot-reverse shot edits.