AS Media Studies - Art of the Title Indiana Jones and The Raiders of The Lost Ark

1. INDIANA JONES AND THE
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
ANNIE PARTRIDGE – BURFORD SCHOOL MEDIA STUDIES

2. Throughout the opening scene of
‘Indiana Jones and The Raiders of The
Lost Ark’, we need to consider the
aspects of media such as camera work,
editing, sound, and mise-en-scene.
These aspects may include effects like
camera angles, lighting, music, specific
types or editing, and so on.

3. The scene opens with a defocused dissolve from an image of the Paramount
logo, with a rugged mountain surrounded by stars, to a low-angle shot of a
mountain. The mountain creates the impression of a tough and natural world,
with mountains as the ultimate symbol of natural supremacy; Paramount using
this as their logo suggests their belief in their standing in the film industry.
Moreover, the stars surrounding the mountain imply that Paramount films are
superior even to nature. The stars also link to the American flag, portraying this
company as an all-American industry, the epitome of America. This image
dissolves into the establishing shot of the mountain, suggesting the expectations
and high standards implied by the company will be seen in this film. The low
angle shot/extreme long shot signifies the imposing character of Indiana Jones;
the image of him blocking the mountain suggests that he is more powerful and
important than the mountain.

4. However, the image of the mountain also contrasts this image as it quickly
becomes apparent that this location is not America, challenging the initial
ideology. The diegetic sounds of the jungle animals immediately create a feeling
of threat and the exotic, with the animals issuing calls which sound like warnings
to the audience. This creates a sense of confusion in the audience as it’s not
clear if IJ is a protagonist or antagonist, as the sounds of the jungle animals
develop a feeling of discomfort, and we are unsure as an audience if the animals
are afraid of Indiana or not. The overlapping diegetic sounds are reverberant,
therefore mirroring the uncertainty of emotions and the fear both for and of IJ.
This shows the audience that he is dominant over everything, including the
diegetic sounds to suggest his power – he walks over everyone, which further
suggests that his actions overlay like the sounds. Also, the additional music is
discordant, meaning that it is minor and creates an unsettling atmosphere.

5. Moreover, a refocus is used when Indiana walks into the shot of the mountain,
therefore the focus goes off of the mountain and onto IJ (Indiana Jones). This
shows the audience that he is eclipsing the mountain which furthermore
suggests his authority and that he is well-respected.

6. Furthermore, the scene cuts to a point of view shot from behind the vines/trees
as the men are walking through the forest. This gives us a good view of what is
happening around the men as they walk through behind one another, telling the
audience whether they are in danger or not. However, this can also give the
audience the impression that someone may be spying on the men, therefore
making us question whether we are watching from a protagonist’s or
antagonist’s view. Alongside this, a tracking shot is used as they are walking
through the forest. This creates a strong feeling of enigma along with the
diegetic sounds of the jungle animals in the background.

7. In addition, invisible editing is used from the low angle shot of the mountain to
the tracking of the men in the forest. This portrays an ellipsis in time, and shows
the audience that Indiana has dominance in being a confident explorer. It also
suggests that he is dominant over everything, including nature. This shows
American viewers that America is a powerful and dominant country which is
very patriarchal. The low angle/point of view shot when one of the men speaks
in the direction of the camera in the first several seconds of the opening scene
suggests to a modern audience a sense of arrogance in the men, furthermore
stressing status and power.

8. A tracking shot is used that brings a sense that things will either be good or bad,
as the tracking shot from behind the trees suggests someone is spying on them.
The sunlight from behind the trees creating shadows implies that the men and IJ
can be moving into lightness or darkness – the shot as the sequence progresses
gets lighter, especially with IJ, which portrays that they are the ‘good guys’ of the
film, showing positivity. However, it creates a sense of being uncovered and
claustrophobic as they are surrounded by trees and have nowhere else to go but
onwards.

9. Asynchronous sound is used in this scene. The sounds of the monkeys signify
humanity and how we evolved from them. Although, the sound is somewhat
worrisome and tells the audience that they are scared. The fact that the
monkeys signify humanity suggests that the men and IJ should too be worried
and frightened as they are so similar to humans. On the other hand, IJ ignores
the warning calls of the monkeys as he is beyond fright and being scared, which
can show heroic connotations; IJ has a distance of fear. This can be seen as a
negative thing because it suggests possible arrogance in his character.

10. The statue that is discovered by one of the South American men later on in the
sequence harks back to the uncivilised nature, which is a negative stereotype. The
statue was also hidden from view, behind leaves. This is confusing for the audience
because we don’t know if IJ is seeking something already or not. The lack of editing in
this section of the opening scene shows calmness when he walks in after the South
American man runs away, and also stresses the differences between the different parts
of America which can make North American viewers feel more authoritative and
respected, suggesting patriotism. Additionally, the music played when the SA discovers
the statue, he screams. This implies that the South American’s are cowardly and scared
of many things, and maybe the statue has an evil meaning to it that the South
American’s have ben brought up to be afraid of.

11. In terms of mise-en-scene, IJ’s wearing a hat and a jacket, while the South
American men wear tribal clothing. IJ’s tanned jacket separates him from the
South American men, therefore he stands out as a protagonist. The difference of
colours of IJ’s and the SAs’ clothing also signifies race and the idea that North
Americans are very different from South Americans. The South Americans are
wearing dark colours to camouflage into the jungle, however IJ’s light colours
don’t camouflage into the jungle at all, given us the impression that he is a very
brave character and the SA’s are more cowardly. Also, IJ’s job/business
foreshadows later on in the film. The old fashioned values that are stressed in
the opening scene contrasts with the camera shots; he blocks them, which
creates a sinister effect.

12. Furthermore, the difference in clothing shows the North American viewers a
difference in status over the SA’s – NA’s are wealthy and have a high status,
whereas SA’s have less money and a lower status. The differences signify
civilisation, culture, and history in terms of expanding the North American
wealth and territory.

13. To conclude, the opening scene of Indiana
Jones and The Raiders of The Lost Ark has
many aspects of media to comment on
that make the audience more interested
in the movie. The main audience is mostly
targeted towards North Americans, as
they see America as an image of power,
authority, civilisation, wealth, and much
more. Therefore, this scene is very
successful in terms of attracting viewers
within media.