Camera Within Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Student Number: 2620458
Word Count: 1200
Aspect of film form: Camera within Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Camera work makes fight scenes. From handheld shots to dramatic reveals, camera work is highly important in communicating the emotions and intensity of the scene. This use of camera work can be observed in J.J Abrams Star Wars: The Force Awakens within the final forest fight scene in the film. The camera work in this scene helps convey the rising tension and emotions of the characters. This sequence particularly makes use of slow pushes, pull backs and off centre framing to express the chaotic nature and suspense of the sequence as it brings the film towards its explosive climax.

One particularly notable use of camera is the reveal of
Kylo Ren. The camera slowly pulls back to reveal Kylo Ren as he is silhouetted against the background. This reveal is further accented by previous medium close up shots of Finn and Rey as they establish the eyeline, allowing a hint of what is to come before the pull back of the camera helps connect the two shots together. The reveal is framed through a slow pull that gradually picks up speed towards the end before revealing Kylo Ren entirely. Kylo Ren is positioned on the left of the screen with his lightsaber cutting through the shot, creating a sense of threat. As Bordwell and Thompson states: “We're most aware of offscreen space when it creates suspense or surprise. A shadow from an unknown person outside the frame may slide across the shot and build up our expectations of a threat.” (Bordwell, Thompson & Smith, 2017). This is particularly relevant as Kylo Ren’s lightsaber is the first object to be heard, establishing the notion of threat, then being shown, displaying the threat, all before Kylo Ren himself is on screen – this helps build the tension of the scene before the actual fight begins.

Another effective use of quick camera work in the forest scene is where Finn picks up Rey’s lightsaber to fight Kylo Ren. The push is fast, highlighting Finn’s determination and the low angle of the shot creates a feeling of importance to his action. It is an important moment in the scene, as it is the beginning of the first fight and the intense movement of the camera combined with its low angle helps create the impression of suspense and pressure of the moment. An addition exemplary use of camera work within the fight sequence between Finn and Kylo Ren comes midway through with Kylo Ren cornering Finn. The camera slowly pushes towards Kylo Ren before tracking left, pulling back and rotating to show Finn. The movement of the camera is smooth and undisturbed, highlighting both expressions of the characters and communicating their emotions within the same sequence without cutting to a different shot. It keeps the intensity of the sequence high as cutting may have been too jarring in a moment like that. It is particularly effective as it comes as the climax of the fight between Finn and Kylo Ren, allowing that sequence to end at the height of intensity before moving onto the next sequence.

A particularly dramatic use of camera comes at the midway point of the scene with Kylo Ren having incapacitated Finn.
Rey’s lightsaber lies in the snow and Kylo Ren attempts to summon it too him. The focus shifts from Kylo Ren to the lightsaber through the use of racking focus, placing Kylo Ren in the background, blurring him, with the lightsaber in the foreground, sharply in focus. This use of racking focus is further accentuated as the shift in focus also places the lightsaber in the centre of the scene drawing the eyeline towards it. Slow pushes are crosscut together to build the tension of the sequence. With each cut the camera draws closer to both the lightsaber and Kylo Ren, creating a connection between the two as well as building an anticipation for the climax of that sequence. Alan Speigal states: “As we know, we do not only see with the eye, but with the mind as well. We see what we desire to see, what the mind allows us to see . . .” (Spiegel, 1985). This statement is relevant as the pushes between Kylo Ren and the lightsaber create a connection between the two, not only visually but mentally as well. The push onto Kylo Ren’s face helps portray his mental frustration as the lightsaber moves not to him in the end, but to Rey. The slow push towards Rey creates the feeling of surprise and intrigue as it introduces the second phase of the fight sequence, this time with Rey instead of Finn. The slow push towards Rey as she readies to fight mirrors the earlier shot of
Finn readying to fight. This creates a connection between the two, particularly as before Finn was standing to protect Rey who had been injured and in that moment the situation is reversed. It is an impactful use of camera work as it ties the beginning of the fight sequence to its conclusion as well as establishing the connection between characters and the shared resolve to protect each other.

Two final uses of camera work within the forest fight scene both come towards the end of the sequence.
The first is the rising crane shot during the fight between Rey and Kylo Ren, the motion highlights the destruction that is being caused by the fight, this focus is further accentuated by the high angle as it places both Kylo Ren and Rey in the centre of the shot drawing attention towards them as they are the only moving objects. The central positioning of Kylo Ren and Rey is further highlighted as the camera itself is not entirely central, instead it rotates right as it rises at the same that Kylo Ren and Rey move left during their fight. The final shot of the sequence is close up on Kylo Ren accompanied by a slight handheld shake to the camera. Ross Hockrow states: “While the camera movement alone doesn't create the emotion, picking the right moment can make or break the emotional output of your scene.” (Hockrow, 2014). This idea is particularly relevant to the end of the scene, as this moment is the only one in the second half of the fight that handheld camera is used and is particularly notable as it is solely focusing on Kylo Ren highlighting how his composure is failing as opposed to before where he was portrayed as calm and collected. Hockrow’s statement is relevant to this moment as it is one of the penultimate scenes of the film and as a result carries the most emotional weight to
it.

Over all, the camera work in the final fight sequence of Star Wars: The Force Awakens is highly impactful in creating suspense and communicating the chaotic tone of the scene. Through the use of pushes, framing and angles the tension and frenzied manner of the sequence is felt. Furthermore, it gives subtle insight into the characters and their emotions, it is particularly effective as it is building to the final climax of the film and as such the stakes are at their highest and the camera work helps convey this in its entirety.

Bibliography

Bordwell, D., Thompson, K., & Smith, J. (2017). Film Art (11th ed.) New York: McGraw-Hill Education, p. 186.

Hockrow, R. (2014). Storytelling Techniques for Digital Filmmakers: Plot Structure, Camera Movement, Lens Selection, and More. Buffalo, NY: Amherst Media, p. 59.

Spiegel, A. (1985). Fiction and the camera eye. Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms International, p. 66