Expressive movement unit 1

Metadata

In the interplay of shot composition and sound design, this unit forms two facets of battle (small picture and big picture) as an abstract pattern by creating an image of tension that is finally negated. This image of tension unfolds on the level of shot composition and its intensity is modulated on the level of sound design.

Blocking the objective—the hospital to be reconnoitered—through graphically arranged elements such as the silhouettes of palm branches and light and dark contrasts of the leaves translates the insecurity of the reconnoitering ground squad into an image of tension. This unfolds temporally in a slow pan that first allows a glimpse of the lake and the mirrored sky. This goes along with a change of the light value from mostly dark to predominantly light.

The mirrored sky on the surface of the water, and the advance of three men in a triangular movement is taken up in the following shot in which three enemy planes—in center frame just like the three men—approach in a V formation in the sky.

The transfer of the reflecting properties of water to principles of shot composition introduces the juxtaposition of the principles of small and big picture worked out on the level of staging. The events on the ground (below/small) are contrasted with the expansion of the battle to include an airborne enemy operation (above/big), transcending the meaning of the individual combat mission.

The sound of the roaring engines and the tense, mediated speech in the form of radio communication, replace the camera movement as an accompanying level of staging. Tension is created through the contrast of a loop of droning motor sounds and toned down speech. This image is dominated by the dark shadows at the return to ground level and the contrasts of light and dark made by harsh shadows on the vulnerable white faces. This unit fades to black to a briefing that is staged with a greatly reduced sensory quality. The unmoving shot of the group portrait, in which the flatness of the image is stressed by the lacking depth of focus and accompanied by a neutral sound track is followed by a reduction of shot composition to almost exclusively graphic elements in the form of a close-up of a tactical map. The semantic content of the speech comes to the fore and, in combination with the tactical map, renders the military operation (big picture) separate from experience grounded in the individual. The image of tension is deferred.