Allie
Haught
HUM
101
Professor
Bomboy
May
7, 2014
The
Hunger Games
The idea of a dystopian society has
always interested me. Although this may seem somewhat cynical, my what-if
daydreams are usually about the negatives. You know; what if this disaster
happened? What if I was put in this situation? As opposed to: what would happen
if I won the lottery? Regardless of the fact that these thoughts may not be
positive, they are undoubtedly interesting. Our generation has the greatest
dystopian “what-ifs” yet; What if we were forced every year to fight our fellow
humans to death in an arena? If that is not enough, what if they were seen as
games to the people watching them? The
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins explores this idea. The first two films
from the three-part book series are now available on the big screen. With
Jennifer Lawrence as the star, the first film takes us through all of the
heart-wrenching scenes depicted in the books. The storyline can be compared to
another popular dystopian series, Divergent.
The film, in my opinion, was a great success. I believe that it turned out so
well because of its use of cinematography. The color, focus, camera angles, and
editing techniques are specifically what made this movie so fantastic. They add
to the action, emotion, and overall believability of the film. Usually, movies
that come from books leave us feeling disappointed. The way that they are shown
on the big screen may not be how we pictured them in our heads. The Hunger Games does not leave a
feeling of disappointment, but, instead, an eagerness for the next films in the
series and a feeling of contentment with how the movie was made.
The movie begins with a brief
explanation about the plot. White writing on the black screen tells about the
12 districts, while the story is explained further with the video that is
played at “the Reaping.” Basically, all of the world was split into 13
districts, with each one specializing in a certain job area. There was an
uprising in the 13th district that caused chaos and could have
caused the system to collapse. Once the Capitol (the most important place and
where the President and rich people live) contained the uprising and destroyed
District 13, they created the Hunger Games. Each year, a boy and a girl tribute
are selected randomly from each of the 12 remaining districts at the Reaping. These
tributes fight each other to the death in an arena, and only one victor will
remain. It is seen as an honor to compete in the games, but only to those
brainwashed enough by the Capitol. The other districts are simply too afraid to
speak up. This feeling of stress is with us throughout the entire movie, and
especially in District 12, where we meet Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence).
Katniss has a bit of a “flame” to her – when you see the movie, this pun will
make sense. When her younger sister is selected for the games, Katniss
volunteers in her place. The movie follows Katniss and the other tribute from
District 12, Peeta Mellark, from the Reaping, to the tour of the other
districts, to training, and, finally, to the games. This movie may have been
made for a number of reasons. In my opinion, it was made for entertainment.
That is, to entertain the “what-if” scenarios that Collins’ wrote about in her
excellent novels. This movie brought her popular series to life. The Hunger Games could have easily been
a flop, but, with proper use of cinematography, it was a winner.
The cinematography (specifically the
color, focus, camera angles, and editing methods) of The Hunger Games added so much to the film. Color was used to
communicate a message to the viewers. In the beginning of the film, District 12
is shown. There is clearly poverty, and all of the colors are dark and muted.
Everything seems dirty. When Effie Trinket (a woman from a richer district)
comes for the Reaping, she is wearing bright pink. This color contrast is used
to show the meaning behind the games; that the Capitol is the only place that
truly matters, and the other districts are there to serve them. As Katniss and
Peeta begin their tour of the other districts, the costume colors change from
the dark browns and blacks to vibrant pinks, greens, et cetera. This adds to
the overall mood. The rich people are living lavish lifestyles while the poor
in the other districts are starving and miserable.
Focus and camera angles work hand-in-hand to
add to the action of the film. An establishing shot was used in the beginning.
The woods of District 12 with a caption tell the setting of the story. Next,
close shots of Katniss and her sister, Primrose, show us some of the
characters. Close shots are used throughout the entire movie. Whenever a person
is talking, the camera zooms in so that only their face is in focus. Tight shots
are used throughout the film to keep the viewer involved in the action. Even
with simple things like washing in the washbasin, close-up shots of Katniss are
used. Close ups are also used to set the mood. When the tributes arrive in the
Capitol, close shots of the people and their bright outfits and haughty
atmosphere are used. Panning is used to show the entire setting of a scene. The
camera pans the rich Capitol to show the difference between it and District 12.
It is also used to show the full arena of the games. It can also be found in
scenes where the mood is somber or very happy. During the Reaping at District 12,
the camera pans the crowd to show how upset they are about the games. Contradictorily,
the camera pans the happy, laughing audience during the interviews or talk
shows. Dolly shots are used to follow Katniss as she runs through the woods or
during the games. These shots are made even more hectic and realistic by using
shaky camera techniques. For example, when Katniss and Gale, her close friend,
are running away from an aircraft that they see in the woods, the camera shakes
drastically to show the power of the craft and the tenseness of the situation.
Differential focus is used in scenes like when Katniss is about to get in the
tube to go into the arena. The background blurs so that the focus is on the
action that she is taking.
Different editing styles add to the
movie greatly. Flashbacks are put together to explain background stories. When
Katniss first faces Peeta to shake his hand, a flashback occurs that shows that
she has seen him before. Match shots are used to evoke feelings and set the
mood for scenes. For example, to show the poverty in District 12, shots of
children hiding, dirty coal miners, and a man eating a bird on the street are
shown. Match shots are also used to explain how things are viewed from
different perspectives. Shots of people watching the games in the streets are
shown along with shots of Katniss’ family watching from home and the “game
makers” setting up the arena. The use of bright light effects are added to show
when Katniss is disoriented, like when she first sees the arena. Finally,
Computer Generated Images (CGIs) are used as special effects. Katniss’ and
Peeta’s outfits appear to be set aflame at one part, while creatures and
disasters are depicted during the games using CGIs.
All in all, this was an excellent movie!
The director did a great job of getting the point of the movie across. Color
was used to show the contrast of the districts. Focus and camera angles were
used to add to the action of the film. Editing techniques brought it all
together with great special effects and perfectly choreographed scenes. Of
course, Jennifer Lawrence’s superb acting skills helped to make this film a
complete hit. I excitedly await the last two films in the series!
