The document analyzes the cinematography, sound, editing, and mise-en-scene techniques used in the battle of Helms Deep scene from Lord of the Rings. It discusses how subjective camerawork, closeups of characters' emotions, and extreme long shots are used to involve the audience in the battle. Sound techniques like lack of music at first build tension, and drum beats and growing layers of sound signal the escalating danger. Cross-cutting between sides and shorter shots as the battle intensifies ramp up excitement. Mise-en-scene symbols like armor, weapons, and weather further the drama and separate good and evil forces.

1. TEXTUAL
ANALYSIS
LORD OF THE RINGS: BATTLE OF HELMSDEEP

2. CAMERA WORK
• A variety of subjective and objective filming is used to both place the
audience in the battle scene with subjective hand held camera
movements offering them gratifications of excitement and vicarious
danger, whilst objective long shots signal the scale of the battle and the
amount of action on offer to the audience
• Slow tracking movement across the character’s face signify both the
scale of the battle, and the emotions on the faces of both sides. The
slow track allows builds up the audience’s anticipation for the battle
which is about to commence
• Extreme long shot (ELS) of the location signifies the scale of the event
and suggests there is going to be action on a grand scale. This piece of
objective filming also sets the scene for the audience and positions
them in a desolate and dangerous location
• Close up shot used to highlight the emotions on the characters who are
inside the castle and signify their vulnerability and fear at the battle
which is about to commence, this encourages the audience to care
about their safety and invest in the impending battle

3. • CU shot also highlights the determinism of the protagonist
warriors as they prepare for battle, this suggests the action is
going to be intense and gratifying for the audience
• High angled shot is used to add comedy within the scene to
signify the (lack of) height of the dwarf, this offers the
audience some light relief from the tension
• Low angle shots are used to enhance the power and status of
the soldiers preparing for the battle
• A canted angle is used during the fight scene when a close
up shot of one of the ‘monster’ antagonists are engaging in
battle, this has a connotative effect of demonising the
character further and representing the chaos of the battle
scene
• The shot composition follows the rule of thirds when
focusing on the lead protagonists this visually symbolises
their status and power in the scene
• A low angle is used when the ladders are erected to signify
the scale of the battle and the obstacles which the warriors
have to face

4. SOUND
• Lack of non-diegetic sound used at the start to amplify the
thunder and lightening in the scene, highlights the pathetic
fallacy in the scene which in turn communicates a sense of
danger and foreboding to the audience
• The rhythmic drum beat is played in the back ground signaling
the approach of the army, and danger for the people in the
castle. The drumbeat signifies the build in pace of the audience,
and characters’, heartbeats as the action draws closer,
engaging the audience into the text
• Slow string orchestral non-diegetic sound is introduced to
signal the calm before the storm, and build the audience’s
sense of impending danger

5. • The antagonists’ growls and grunts are amplified to
signify their non-human qualities and represent them as
grotesque beast like creatures, which the audience are
encouraged to fear, thus accentuating the fear of what is
to come
• When the first arrow is fired, all the non-diegetic sound is
stopped to signify the importance of the action and
amplifies the drama of the scene. The audience feel as
though they are holding their breath in anticipation of
what is to come
• The diegetic sounds builds to a crescendo, with multi-
layered sound of brass on top of strings, as the one of the
lead protagonists announces ‘so it begins’, this signifies
the start of the battle to the audience

6. EDITING
• Cross cutting between the antagonists and protagonists and the
potential victims in the castle signify to the audience the power
structure and the reason for the battle; by cutting to the
vulnerable characters inside the castle the audience fear for
their safety and invest in the battle scene
• The shot length is longer at the start of the scene with shots
averaging 3-5secs this builds the tension and intensifies the
drama in the scene
• As the action develops the shots shorten in length to 1sec this
creates a sense of action and excitement in the clip as the
audience are bombarded with visuals to add to the adrenaline
rush of the action sequence
• Continuity editing is used throughout to structure the narrative
and engage the audience in the action

7. MISE-EN-SCENE
• A colour filter is used to signify the binary oppositions of good
and evil; inside the castle the shots of the victims have a gold
hue which signifies they are good, in contrast the warriors
outside have a blue hue which signifies they are in the
environment of evil
• A variety of weapons are shown as genre signifiers to suggest
there will be plenty of action and violence and death by
different weapons
• The location is a remote grand castle which signifies the
grandeur of the situation
• The women, children and elderly are used to signify the
potential victims, the producers are using common stereotypes
here to communicate with the audience
• The women and children are encoded with blond hair a
common signifier of purity and innocence

8. • All of the warriors are male reinforcing gender stereotypes
• The antagonist ‘monsters’ are encoded with sharp teeth,
hidden faces and heavy armour signifying their non-human
status and danger, this is further accentuated by the steam
coming out of their mouths as they breath
• One of the characters has an eye missing suggesting he has
been involved in battle before, and that there might be
potentially gory scenes to come
• The weather is used to add drama to the scene, as well as
hiding the identities of the monster characters, this also
adds to the danger as the characters have poor visibility
• The protagonists are elevated above the antagonists
connotating their superior status
• CGI (computer generated images) are used to create a large
army of monsters to ad to the scale
of the drama and offer audiences
action on an epic scale