The next short film I looked at was the film 'Ranger' which was inspired by the original story by J.R.R.Tolkien called Beren and Luthien (which can be found in The Silmarillion). As this was inspired by a piece of fiction by one of the most famous fantasy authors I was not let down when examining the content of this fantasy film.
The first shot similarly to the one in 'Honorbound' sets the scene in a hilly and stereotypical mystical, 'far-over-the-misty-mountains' sort of place (likely filmed in the UK or somewhere like New Zealand) whilst at the same time giving the audience a voiceover which introduces the audience to the protagonist named Ranger. The shot of having Ranger in the landscape suggests that the protagonist might be designed to appear as a mystery himself and it makes the audience feel that his character is distanced and perhaps more difficult to identify with.
The second shot introduces us as the audience to the character of the elvish woman who Ranger falls in love with. The camera focusing only on Ranger instead of the elvish woman makes the audience realise that she will play a key role in the film. This is later seen in the third shot when Ranger is shown leaving her to go on a quest in order to obtain her hand in marriage as a challenge set by the elvish woman's father. This wide shot introduces the audience to the disruption in the plot and lets the audience understand not only the elvish woman's regret for having to bid Ranger farewell but we also understand that the quest is important for Ranger so that he can return for her.
In the fourth shot the audience return to being part of the action when Ranger encounters an orc on his quest. The over the shoulder shot prepares the reader for the threatening dialogue between the characters and also establishes the method Ranger will use in order to take the gem from the dragon. The later close up shot (five) of Ranger holding the jewel lets the audience know that the jewel is what Ranger's quest was all about and that it has almost ended.
The stereotypical characterisation of the damsel in distress can be seen in shot six as Ranger's love interest as the elvish woman waits with her father. The close up again lets the audience understand the emotions of both characters as well as making the audience realise that the father also has hidden antagonistic qualities.
In the seventh shot Ranger returns as the hero after having been shot, followed by a battle between Ranger and the dragon. The close up of Ranger holding the jewel and the angle used makes the audience feel as though they are watching that action alongside Ranger's love interest which is later changed to Ranger's point of view as seen in the eighth shot when the camera looks down at the corpse of the dragon.
The ninth shot the audience is shown that all has been successful with Ranger gaining the elvish woman's hand in marriage and being accepted by her father as well as surviving loosing his hand in the battle against the dragon.
No comments:
Post a Comment