How do the camera shots, lighting effects and music help embellish the theme of the film ‘We Were Soldiers’?

We Were Soldiers is a film that attempts to expose the devastation and desperation of war within Vietnam. During my essay, I will focus on the satisfying aspects of this cinematic interpretation of one of histories most brutal wars. Although war has some(prenominal) points of view, my aim will be to explore the diverse perspectives of both the Americans and Vietnamese in hope to find that the music director has captured both sides equally and with realism. Ultimately, I must question whether the music, light set up and television camera pellets depict the minute authentically.The opening scenes of livery Private Ryan stupefy a new bench mark in war films, one that We Were Soldiers has raised to yet greater highschool of goriness. It is neer romanticised and purely focuses on the explicit imagery youd expect in a war film, un c are We Were Soldiers where Mel Gibson stars as Lt. Col. Harold Moore whose bravery and determination ensures his survival. The close-up mesh scene s are not for the squeamish, occasionicularly the images of Vietnam victims, who throughout the film are seen as the weaker side.The film, originally a book by Randal Wallace, reflects on the general and recognizable images of war, with various close-up and point-of-view camera shots focusing on bloody and disturbing shoe ownrs endure scenes. The rapid pace of the footage we see and dramatic music we hear set the scene perfectly. This adds a sense of accretion, by the gory close-ups presumably construction to a climax. We instantly recognise that the war is set in relatively modern day times because it uses explosives, gunfire and sophisticated fighter and hero sandwich planes that imply the war is an still-hunt.We are then introduced to Mel Gibson, where he faces the emotional parturiency of saying goodbye to his wife and children. This particular scene is filmed with some(prenominal) silence and feels moving by the heart-stopping case of a father potentially saying his fi nal farewell to his family. In the background, melancholy music plays which substitutes the use of dustup effectively. It is apparent to the auditory modality that Mel Gibsons character is unsure if hell return or die. euphony is an aid that helps give the scene this atmosphere.His wife pretends to be asleep so that she can avoid a sombre farewell however when she subsequent tries to find him, the camera juxtaposes to a shot of him already leaving. Moments like these make peoples heart sink, when they feel they are embroiled within the storyline and addicted to the characters emotions. The final shot of the scene where we see Mel Gibson walking down the channel in the distance uses a long shot, to show that the audience is left behind, and ultimately showing how Mel Gibson has to be somewhere else. We see a darkness silhouette gradually decreasing in size as he walks further down the street.After the sadness of the last scene, the fol down(p)ing part of the film builds tensi on and suspense, showing soldiers arriving on buses to be escorted to war. There is a limited use of light, and a constant alarming style of music. raw lights and ambient sound muffle the speech and imagery, with a range of close-up shots expression to a climax. The sound of running feet and whistles can be heard in the distance as it builds to a sharp stop. We then juxtapose to daylight, which is a complete contrast and helps progress the film in terms of its duration.The neighboring scene shows the army arrive in Vietnam. Dismal music is utilize to epitomize the depressive feeling within the soldiers. The scene includes slow motion effects which emphasize the slow progression of time that, for the soldiers, is time spent without love ones. A shot of Mel Gibsons foot landing on Vietnamese skank is shown, symbolising that Vietnams opposition has arrived. Later on in the film, the same shot is shown but in reverse, indicating that Mel Gibson had managed to survive and, as he pro mised his men, would be the last to leave.Subsequently, complete destruction takes place with the camera zooming in on extensive explosions, countless gunfire shots and corpses. Like many times in the film, it juxtaposes to the Vietnamese camp underground creating contrast. The loud shouting and explosions are quietened to signify the camera is underground and subtitles can be seen at the bottom of the screen when the Vietnamese speak. Saving Private Ryan, unlike We Were Soldiers is give to Captain John Miller, whereas We Were Soldiers is dedicated to both sides of the war. The two films do have their standardisedities as well as differences, like both contain objects that we can recognise symbolically like the trumpet in We Were Soldiers and a water bottle in Saving Private Ryan.Later on in the film, the situation of war on the screen is alleviated by the camera juxtaposing to a domestic scene. The director shows Mel Gibsons wife cleaning the house so the audience can see to it how people are affected by the war and how they cope with the situation. In addition to this, we see women deliver telegrams to the wives of the soldiers. This helps the audience to see the disparity surrounded by war and back home, and both male and female reactions to expiry.At the ambush scenes, lighting effects are cunningly used to distinguish nighttime from day. We see blue light glowing on the soldiers faces so we hold up that is early evening. As well as this, soldiers appear to keep sentimental pieces with them throughout the war to remind us of the contrast between the masculine, bit soldier, and his true, human feelings.As the film evolves, we become more engaged by the increasing dramatic effects. The moment where a Vietnamese soldier suffers burn down to his face intensifies his pain through the music. In Saving Private Ryan similar techniques are used to help the audience be equivocationve that what they are perceive is real. The director uses a shaky hand-held camera effect to all told involve the audience, giving the feeling of being one of the men at the battle site. The most significant part of the battle scene is when gobbler Hanks, playing the lead role in the film, stops next to a barricade and looks around to view the chaos that is surrounding him. The hand-held camera is positioned from Tom Hanks view to deliver a clear image to the audience of what Tom Hanks is feeling and viewing.Towards the end of We Were Soldiers, black and white images of the dead are shown one after the other, helping the audience to reflect on the still thats left.After these images are shown, the pace of the film slows down, and the camera begins to film from low down on the ground. Doing this shows the audience the level at which the dead soldiers lie and what surrounds them.Overall I think the film is truly realistic, although I was never there to witness what happened. It appears to be an accurate rendition one that embraces compassion, love, death and symbolism to make the audience think as well as watch. The camera angles allow the audience to witness the war from different perspectives, whilst the commixture of music is an aid to embellish the overall effect.