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Section A
Analyse the ways in which the following are used in the action-adventure film to create atmosphere for the film:
1. Camera Angle, Shot, Movement and Position
2. Editing
3. Sound
4. Special Effects
5. Mise-En-Scene

There are many different ways that atmosphere is created in the action-adventure film ‘Lara Croft-Tomb Raider’ including camera angle, shot, movement and position.
The Camera Angle is important in this scene because it is usually kept low on Lara Croft, this shows the audience that Lara is superior and that she is the more power being in the scene. The point of view shot is used looking through the robots eyes making the audience feel more involved and in on the action. Because it is used while fighting you can see the look on Lara’s face showing her emotion as she fights, also when you look again through POV of the robot while Lara destroys the robot you see the image blurring then cuts out. This shows the audience that the robot is failing and shutting down, the audience thinks that the robot has ‘died’. There are close ups used chowing the importance of the disc which Lara is trying to retrieve. By having a close up of this the viewers instantly know that this is important, even if they do not know yet why, it is clear it has some importance. There is a shot where the camera zooms out on the image of Lara standing on top of the robot with smoking coming out. This again shows that Lara is again the superior being and has conquered the robot. Panning shots are used to view the room layout so to show the audience the different obstacles that the characters will have to overcome.
The editing is used to create atmosphere as well by having long shots while Lara is walking on her own, and then when the action start, having shorter, choppy shots. Having choppy editing while the action is taking place keeps the fast pace of the action and keeps the audience up to speed which what is going on. I think that by having the longer shots for her walking is better and creates atmosphere as it is slow moving and is keeping in time with what she is doing. It creates atmosphere because if it was choppy editing it would not fit with what was happening in the scene.
The sound creates atmosphere as it is dramatic when the opening titles come on, it opens the scene and locks the audiences attention. It is kept quiet and eerie while there is no action, matching what is going on in the scene. The music is slow pace while Lara is walking keeping in time with her and creating a strange atmosphere and slightly scary. This makes the audience worried and left wondering what is going to happen next. As the action picks up and the fighting scene starts the music speeds up still in-time with the the action on screen. The sounds which the characters can hear are made far louder than they are in real life making it more dramatic and keeps the audience involved and left wanting to watch more. The music gets louder as there is more action and when the action stops the music dramatically changes to a quiet humming. This is a good effect and creates atmosphere as the louder music creates a climax and when it suddenly stops it is an anticlimax, making the audience think there is something wrong and leaves them watching wanting to see more action.
There are special effects used with the robot. This creates good atmosphere because it makes the film more exciting as it can not be killed and has to be shut down. Also the use of the robot is good because the film is based on a computer game and the robot is linked with computers. This shows a reference to computers and special effects creating an exciting atmosphere for the audience to enjoy. Because it is a robot it is more exciting for the audience because they are unable to judge who would win the fight, between man and machine. There are also special effects from the first scene with the animated titles. The fonts that are used show it will be an action-adventure film because it is big and bold and starts small with the quieter music then as the title becomes bigger and ‘closer’ to the audience the music becomes louder. The guns are used well in special effects well because they look realistic and the shooting is loud to keep the audiences attention, as well as there being two, showing Lara thinks she is superior and has no fear.
The clothes that Lara is wearing makes her look stronger and more powerful as she is wearing all black, shorts and t-shirt. The shorts and t-shirt are small items of clothing which represents her as a sex symbol almost, trying to persuade the men to watch their film. This also shows the audience that she feels confident and powerful as she is willing to fight in only shorts and t-shirt. The mise-en-scenes of this scene creates atmosphere by the use of the lighting. The room she is in is very dim lit and full of shadows making the atmosphere creepy and unearthly. By having this the shadows make the audience wounder whats lurking in them and creates tension and atmosphere. There is also a spot light that is occasionally seen swooping about as if it is looking for someone or something. This creates atmosphere because they audience will think that the scene is outside when actually it is inside. This creates atmosphere as there is a twist when you get to the end of the scene. The audience is lead to believe that Lara is fighting a ‘bad guy’ when she is really only being trained. This is done cleverly by the producer by having camera shots that do not give away to much information about what is going on. The audience is only shown what is happening at the time, not what has previously happened.