The Battle over Middle Earth
...scene. The scene is dark and feels cold, the audience hears absolutely nothing. Complete silence. The army of elves and men stand shoulder to shoulder, all they can do is wait and anticipate the battle. They remain waiting, in silence, for the first eighteen seconds of the scene. This long, drawn out use of silence is unsettling. The viewer feels anxious and on edge, almost anticipating the first sound that will break the silence and the sense of helplessness in waiting. And then it is broken. The soldiers stare ahead; in the distance a faint drum like marching is heard. It is the army of Uruk-hai that march closer and closer to the scene of the battle. They cannot be seen, only heard. Silence is no more, the viewer can feel the army approaching. These elements heighten feelings of angst; the viewer can do nothing more than anticipate how this battle will shortly unfold. After the silence has been broken, two storms begin to brew at Helm’s Deep; a physical storm, as well as the storm of the battle. The two storms seem to reflect one another; both can be brutal, violent, and merciless. This scene is very dark, for it takes place at night. The entire scene is tinted blue, which makes the viewer feel cold and uncomfortable. Lightening is the first element of the storm that is seen. We first see lightening during a close-up shot of Legolas. The bright flash of lightening is shocking and almost blinding against Legolas’s features. The light accentuates the look in his eyes and draws the viewer into him. It is not a look of fear, but almost like the strike of lightening is a sign that it is time for battle. Lightening continues to strike, creating stark white flashes of light that contrast against the dark blue like tone of the overall scene. During a close-up shot of Theoden, king of Rohan, it begins to rain, and then to pour. The elements of thunder and lightening, and the rain being shed from the sky all seem to directly reflect the battle that is about to occur. The various camera angles and shots in this scene are extremely important in showing all perspectives of the battle, and making the spectator feel as if they are physically present at the battle of the Hornburg. The scene opens with a crane shot from above that provides the audience with an overall view of the soldiers and Helm’s Deep, where they await the battle. Following the crane shot is a long shot, then a medium shot, which leads the viewer into a close-up of Aragorn and Legolas. These various shots draw the viewer closer and closer to the soldiers; especially the main characters. The audience is able to read the expressions and emotions on characters’ faces, thus feeling what they feel. The viewer may feel cold, because they are able to see the breath of the soldiers. A point-of-view is the next shot used, it is extremely effective in elevating the viewer’s emotion, because for the first time they are able to see the size and magnitude of the approaching Uruk-hai army. The point-of-view shot makes the viewer feel as if they are standing among the elves. Approaching slowly in the distance are the Uruk-hai; individual figures cannot be distinguished, but instead they appear as a sea of burning torches as far as the eye can see, until they eventually fade into the horizon. The army of men and elves seems so small compared to that of the Uruk-hai. From this point many different shots are used to accomplish these different perspectives. Close-up shots help to accentuate main characters, as well as the growling, barbaric Uruk-hai. A following shot is used as Aragorn paces through the crowd of men and elves, telling them to show the enemy no mercy, for they will receive none in return. This type of shot is also used to follow arrows being fired; from the time they leave the bow, until they strike the enemy, the arrows never leave the frame. Main characters are also accentuated by the use of shallow focus. Secondary figures and forms seem blurred while the main characters remain sharply in focus. At times the actions of Aragorn and Legolas are set in slow motion to accentuate their valiant fighting in battle. The various shots and camera angles of this scene help the viewer to feel as if they are physically at the battle of the Hornburg. Along with camera angles and shots comes editing techniques. There are a great number of cuts in this scene, however they all run smoothly together so that the viewer is practically oblivious to them. Match on action editing is very common in this scene as the army of Uruk-hai charge closer and closer to Helm’s Deep. This type of editing seems to continue the movement without interruption. An editing technique that viewers are intended to notice is crosscutting. It is first used when switching back and forth from opposing ...