Alien Scene Analysis

Alien scene analysis 1:

Chestburster

This scene of Alien is the most iconic scene about this classic Science Fiction Horror because of a great number of film techniques. Even today thirty three years after its release it still seems to haunt many viewers and is often to most discussed scene when people talk about Alien.
This scene is set in the crews eating quarters where the crew are all eating dinner in celebration of Kane’s release from the infirmary. they are all wearing casual clothes and some are in the company uniform which shows they live on the ship and have worked there too. The lighting of the setting is very high key which helps convey the feeling of safety and happiness, However the mood soon changes when Kane unexpectedly starts violently choking and gasping in pain. This sends the crew and the audience into concerned state where they have no idea what is happening. As the crew being to panic and struggle to hold Kane down the audience also begins to panic. This is due to the eyelevel mid shots which contain many different characters, resulting In a sense of claustrophobia , a common fear many viewers may share. The use of recreating phobias is a common convention of the horror genre which was not normally scene within science fiction films. Also one thing that helps contribute to the feeling of panic is the fact that the crew are in deep space meaning that there is no escape and no way of getting help.
This concept of horror and bloody deaths was not often seen in science fiction films in the era Alien was released in, most people had seen Star Wars and probably expected Alien to be quite similar but in fact they are entirely different, Star wars has only one scene containing blood throughout all six episodes.
the chestburster scene is filmed in shallow focus and everyone in each shot is tightly framed forcing people to watch the gruesomeness of Kane’s pain and the graphic emerging of the alien itself. To get an understanding of the crew’s emotions and feelings there is a number of midshots showing their body language and their facial features, also it cuts from person to person In a shot reverse shot pattern and each cut Is a straight cut. These straight cuts are frequent and happen quickly, making the viewer feel like a bystander and actually part of the scene.
Throughout Kane’s death and the Alien’s birth there is the non diegetic sound of a heart beating over and over. This gets louder and louder throughout the scene and gives the viewer a feeling of panic and really has a shocking impact when the Alien finally brakes through Kane’s chest and the crew fall silent. this is where we get a close up of the Alien and in shallow focus we se Kane’s arms shaking as his dieing body spasms on the table.
The theme to this brutal scene is birth which is often seen as a clash to what birth Is like, because birth Is often seen as painful but also beautiful because of the new life created however in this scene the alien is born but in a terrifying way which kills a crew member and leaves the crew and the audience in total shock and fear.

Alien scene analysis:

Here kitty

Within this scene the crew has been sent to search the entire ship in order to locate and capture the small Alien, that has recently burst out of, the now deceased, Kane.
Engineer Brett splits off from his search party after running into Jones, the ship’s cat.
Brett follows the cat into what seems to be some sort of dark engine room where water is dripping down from above this simulates rain and is a form of pathetic fallacy. The rain may reflect Brett’s mood and his thoughts on what had recently happened to Kane in the eating quarters. After Brett has entered the engine room he then lifts his head and allows the water to drip onto his face this may show that he wishes to be cleansed after seeing The Alien’s birth.
When Brett enters the engine room it is calm and the only sounds we can hear are the diegetic sounds of hanging chains jiggling above and the hum of the engine this gives the viewer the feeling of safety and danger like it’s the calm before the storm and something very important is about to happen. This is accompanied by the non diegetic sound of a heart beating. This sound was also to be heard when the Alien first emerged signalling the viewer that it may be near. Furthermore as Brett walks his footsteps echo loudly in the engine room giving the viewer an idea of how big the empty the room is and the thoughts that there could be something big lurking in the shadows.
This scene is shot in a setting where the lighting is very low key and most of the light comes from above. This is often seen to be a sign of purity and a religious reference however in this scene it is the alien that descends from the light above showing it as an evil angel of death.
The way that this scene is shot is very similar to the style of film noir. Film noir is very dark (low key) and often uses pathetic fallacy, for example rain which creates a shiny surface which the little amount of light that there is can reflect on to outline objects and people. This has been done here in ‘the here kitty’ scene with the dripping water. Also in film noir there is a lack of colour because film noirs where films before the age of the colour camera. This lack of colour has be replicated in this scene by the dark metallic setting of the engine room. This use of the film noir effects was not seen before mixed with the Sci Fi genre, normally the settings are bright and warm whereas in this scene we get the feeling that the room is damp and cold.
The first time see the light from above is through a point of view shot. This makes the audience feel as though they are in the scene. And that they are experiencing what Brett is. Later there is a high angle shot which looks over Brett as he wonders around the room. This shows his vulnerability and that he is small and powerless, it also reveals the bigger Alien to the audience for the first time this time the shot is a high angle which shows how in this situation the Alien has dominance and it a possible threat.
When Brett locates Jones he crouches down and the camera shows a close up of his face in shallow focus where the viewer then sees the aliens tale uncurl behind him, the tale is out of focus. As Brett attempts to lure Jones out of his hiding spot the camera straight cuts from Brett to Jones in a shot reverse shot style every time showing the cat’s anxiety and the Alien creeping down behind the clueless Brett.
When Brett finally turns to face the Alien we are shown a close up shot of the of the Aliens mouth and jaw, this draws the audiences attention to its razor sharp teeth and how its mouth waters as it lingers behind him. This causes the audience to be scared for Brett and fear the Alien. This is when the non diegetic sound of the heartbeat returns to signify that the alien is about to strike, raising the audiences anticipation.
The camera then cuts to a close up of Brett’s stunned expression as he gazing in fear at the Alien towering over him. The camera then cuts back to an extreme close up of the Aliens mouth again which is opening to show its second mouth which was hidden.
The camera quickly changes as the Alien strikes Brett and then instantly changes to a close up shot of the cats face as he watches Brett screaming in pain as he is attacked by the Alien.

Hanna

Analysis of Hanna clip 4

At the beginning of this clip we see Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) and Erik Heller (Eric Bana) running through some sheet on washing lines in a country that looks like a western European country so straight away the setting has been established.Also the white sheets could represent how Hanna is lost along with her innocence in all this madness. Then there is a close up shot of Bana looking desperately at Ronan trying to stop Hanna we then see that he is bleeding, sweaty and dressed in a suit which is dirty meaning that he has been running or fighting. Ronan is also shown to be tired and very pale or white which also shows Hanna’s purity and innocence.
As they converse the camera switches in a shot to reverse shot fashion to show the close up expressions of both characters, but then a dirty white land rover screeches to a holt and the camera straight cuts to a long shot of the car showing that both characters will soon be in trouble as two antagonists have arrive and are waiting at a distance.
The camera continues crossing from Bana to Ronan in a shot reverse shot but this time as they run in different directions this time with tracking shots of each character this provides the viewer with a feeling of intensity and pace hinting that much more is going to happen yet. Furthermore as Bana runs there is a close up of his feet this also helps to create the pace and urgency.
The camera then cuts to close ups of the two men in the car and their expressions and straight back to the fast approaching Bana who violently kicks the car door shut and initiates the chase sequence.
The dirty white land rover then races after him while a mysterious woman drives an expensive clean car another way this shows that she is their superior as she is smartly dressed and clean where as they are her henchmen who she sends to do her dirty work. This can be shown but the dirtiness of their car when it is compared to hers.
Later in the chase scene there is a point of view shot from within the land rover which makes the viewer feel as if they are in the car with the henchmen and part of the action. There is also another close up of Bana’s feet as he runs away from the car. This also helps to intensify the pace of the scene.
After the land rover crashes one of the men inside the car jumps out and climbs over the bonnet of another car stomping down as he does there is a close up of his foot this represents that he wishes to stomp on Bana and that soon there will soon be a fight scene. There is then an over the shoulder tracking shot of Bana as he runs and a long shot of the henchmen straight after a he pursues him. Both of these shots are in deep focus whish helps to establish the setting and sets the scene as being quite entrapping and dull.
Later when the henchman has caught up with Bana and they engage in combat the sequence goes from real time to slow motion forcing the viewer to watch in anticipation as they both battle it out.
The setting for this fight is in an abandoned childrens play area which has been riddled with graffiti and complete trashed. This may represent that because of these villains Hanna was robbed of her childhood and is now dangerous just like the park.