FLAMETHROWER

This is two shots done from the same angle cut together. Normally this kind of jump cut confuses the audience from the story as they have noticed an obvious cut, when they are used to cuts being unobtrusive. But this cut happens at the same time the flame thrower explodes, you would naturally move back from the impact so the editor has done it for you visually, so it achieves the desired effect with out distracting the audience.


Photograph 26


The first half of this shot lasts for under two seconds although you feel as though it is longer due to frames being duplicated again. The first half of this shot I don't think is particularly interesting it does not have the same impact as many others in the full scene or even the shot that it jumps out to. It is more of a shot to tell a bit of the story and because you can see the flame-thrower backpack explode. The shot never really makes up its mind as to what it wants to see in shot. It has three soldiers walking away from the camera but the shot feels messy in comparison to those around it. There appears to be very little structure. But when it does jump out to the wide the impact is greater as you suddenly see what happening. It seems to be more of an editing choice to have used it rather than from a photography point of view.

The second half of the shot lasts just over a second, has a more eye pleasing framing and is slightly more surreal in its colours. The contrast between the blue of the background and the bright yellow flames is startling, adding once again to Millers dream like state. The shot has jumped out to a wide of the three after one is on fire. The three men are centred, keeping with the theme of main focus being in the middle of frame, there is an interesting variation of heights and depths with in the fame.


Photograph 27

In the near foreground there is the large protruding metal beam from the hedgehog to the left of frame, then the men in the middle with varying heights and the increasing height of the flame, down on the left there are more “Hedgehogs”, boxes and another soldier at a lower height and finally in the background is the German bunker and hills that the soldiers are supposed to reach. The varying heights and distances are shown for only a second before the flames (aided by a propane jet spray) explode, further engulfing everything on screen before cutting back to Miller. It is a shame that this shot only lasts a second as it is beautifully framed and holds so much detail that can only be appreciated frame by frame.