John Mctiernan's Use Of Cinematic Techniques In Die Hard
The film Die Hard was released in 1988 and directed by John McTiernan. The film is a fast-paced action thriller. The movie involves police officer John McClane (Bruce Willis) trying to stop a terrorist organization lead by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) which has infiltrated a large sky scraper and taken the building’s employees hostage. One of the last scenes of the movie shows McClane confronting Gruber for the final time. Only Gruber and one of his men remain and they are in the company’s vault, stealing money and bonds along with they’re last hostage: McClane’s wife. In this scene, McTiernan expertly uses lighting, sound, and camera to bring this film’s climax to its highest potential.
One element which McTiernan uses well in this scene
is lighting. In order to help defeat the terrorists, local authorities have cut power to the building, so the vault in which the scene takes place, which one would expect to be well lit and clean, is dark and almost seems dirty. However, this darkness, which greatly adds to the mood of the mood of the scene, does not prevent the audience from seeing what is happening. Also, when McClane first appears in the hallway, bloody and gun in hand, the audience is only able to see his silhouette in the dim light from an emergency exit sign in the hallway behind him. The red light behind him combined with his silhouetted figure conveys his anger as he screams “Hans!” When the terrorist turns to face him, we see a momentary expression of fear on his face. This emotion is intensified by the pale light on his face from the police search lights outside of the building. This is how McTiernan effectively used lighting in this scene.
Another element which the director uses to make this scene effective is sound. The dramatic music comes in just as McClane enters the scene. Then as he and Gruber enter their dialogue, the music dies down to the point where it is barely audible, which actually causes the audience to listen more closely to the lines being spoken. However, the music re-intensifies once it revealed that McClane’s real gun is actually taped to his back. Then the music continues its build up until the end of the scene when Gruber falls to his death out of the window; the music cuts out just as we hear the thump of his body as it hits the ground. This is how McTiernan uses sound to intensify this scene.
Finally, in addition to lighting and sound, McTiernan uses camera to make this scene as good as it can be. One example of effective camera is the combination of medium and establishing shots to show McClane entering the scene and his dialogue with Gruber. The scene also utilized moving camera. An example is when it is revealed that McClane’s gun is taped behind his back, the camera actually starts with a medium shot of him and then arcs over his shoulder to show the gun. Finally, an effective camera technique used in this seen is that McClane is always shot from a low angle. This helps convey the idea that, although the audience is unsure how he will defeat Gruber, McClane always has the upper hand. This is how the director effectively uses camera in this scene.
In the climactic scene of Die Hard, director McTiernan effectively uses lighting, sound, and camera. He skillfully used these techniques to construct a classic gritty-and-bloody scene which brings this film to a powerful close.
One element which McTiernan uses well in this scene
is lighting. In order to help defeat the terrorists, local authorities have cut power to the building, so the vault in which the scene takes place, which one would expect to be well lit and clean, is dark and almost seems dirty. However, this darkness, which greatly adds to the mood of the mood of the scene, does not prevent the audience from seeing what is happening. Also, when McClane first appears in the hallway, bloody and gun in hand, the audience is only able to see his silhouette in the dim light from an emergency exit sign in the hallway behind him. The red light behind him combined with his silhouetted figure conveys his anger as he screams “Hans!” When the terrorist turns to face him, we see a momentary expression of fear on his face. This emotion is intensified by the pale light on his face from the police search lights outside of the building. This is how McTiernan effectively used lighting in this scene.
Another element which the director uses to make this scene effective is sound. The dramatic music comes in just as McClane enters the scene. Then as he and Gruber enter their dialogue, the music dies down to the point where it is barely audible, which actually causes the audience to listen more closely to the lines being spoken. However, the music re-intensifies once it revealed that McClane’s real gun is actually taped to his back. Then the music continues its build up until the end of the scene when Gruber falls to his death out of the window; the music cuts out just as we hear the thump of his body as it hits the ground. This is how McTiernan uses sound to intensify this scene.
Finally, in addition to lighting and sound, McTiernan uses camera to make this scene as good as it can be. One example of effective camera is the combination of medium and establishing shots to show McClane entering the scene and his dialogue with Gruber. The scene also utilized moving camera. An example is when it is revealed that McClane’s gun is taped behind his back, the camera actually starts with a medium shot of him and then arcs over his shoulder to show the gun. Finally, an effective camera technique used in this seen is that McClane is always shot from a low angle. This helps convey the idea that, although the audience is unsure how he will defeat Gruber, McClane always has the upper hand. This is how the director effectively uses camera in this scene.
In the climactic scene of Die Hard, director McTiernan effectively uses lighting, sound, and camera. He skillfully used these techniques to construct a classic gritty-and-bloody scene which brings this film to a powerful close.