Gladiator Essays

Gladiator Essays Gladiator Essay Gladiator Essay At the start of the scene just before battle you see the camera follow the soldiers up the stairs making the arena look massive and interestingly making you feel like your in the stadium. The camera is then seen from behind the crowd tilting down on the stadium. The camera movement here is used to give you an overall view of what is going on in the arena and what Maximus and the others are up against. There are also panning shots used which emphasize how massive the crowd is and give us an impression of what the landscape is and looks like. Just before they are due to battle there are different types of shots used again to emphasize the size of the stadium making Maximus and the fellow slaves look increasingly small. This type of shot is used to show that they are weak, small and not strong. This then cuts to close ups of Maximus and his two closest companions showing us that they are discussing an alternative rather then endure the fate that is being put forward. This is giving us hope seeing the emotion on his companions faces, showing us that they are nodding and listening. As the soldiers faces are featured in close-ups, their expressions indicate their faith in the generals abilities. When they are in battle the camera cleverly follows the warrior on a horse mounted carriage and this makes you feel like you are in the battle scene, it also makes you feel like the blade on the carriage is inches away from you as its spinning in action. Long shots are then used again to give you an overview of the battle and the cutting back and forth between characters keep you in suspense. The shots of Maximus on the white horse towards the end of battle also make him look extremely powerful. I noticed that to enhance this they have also cut out the other characters and focused sole ly on Maximus. Towards the end of the scene when you see Maximus defeat them the panning shot of the crowd is done to show that they are honouring him and supporting him. This brings you to feel close to the character and the chanting from his supporters makes you feel like your there in the crowd and make you want to join in. When Maximus is confronted by the Emperor you notice that there are mostly close ups used to show the emotion and tension between the two rivals. : The lighting at the start of the scene is extremely dark as they are in what it seems like a tunnel. You can hardly see any of the characters as the lighting is dark, grey and dull. Thus making us feel that the characters are trapped. They then proceed to walk up in lines of rows like robots with grey dark shadows appearing beside them. I felt at this bit they were in trouble and probably not going to win against whatever it was they were up against. When they arrive on the battlefield it then becomes a lot brighter and I noticed that in the crowd you see several bright lines of bold red and yellow this looking like fire from a distance. I think this was used to show the danger of the grounds and added a fiery feeling. The colour of the slaves armour and the grounds fairly matched this making the whole scene look in tact. Most of the colours used in the scene are bold rich colours such as reds, blues, gold and silver. When Maximus is confronted by the Emperor you will notice that the lighting on the emperor is dark and shadowy. This portraying the Emperor as dark and evil in a sense, his face is gradually touched by rays of light but he still comes across as gloomy and pale. However the gladiators face is a lot brighter and clearer basically portraying him as the good guy. The costumes used in the scene are mainly heavy armour such as helmets, axes, swords and other weapons and shields. The swords can symbolize power in many different ways, and towards the end when Commodus is deciding weather Maximus will live or not you see various swords being pointed towards him in that direction, this indicating that at the time Commodus is the ruler and a lot higher and more powerful then Maximus. Also you will notice with this being set historically there are a lot of robes and head and hand jewelry. The footwear that is used is plain and simple such as sandals and leather boots. Having the right costumes in the film have really prepared you for every little detail. I think some of the special effects that were used in the film were mainly to do with the historic roman architecture and buildings such as the arena and stadium. You will also see thousands and thousands of people in the crowds, this mainly being computer generated. I think the reason for this is to give it that realism feel and to show that Maximus had that many supporters. I also think it has that feel because the whole storyline is actually closely based on real events. Also the music that was used throughout the clip is extremely in tact from when they were starting to battle right through to when they are talking and conversing. In the scene you see him as a slave then a warrior/hero then revolutionary. In the battle scene you see them all plotting and working together and this really interpelates you, giving you hope that they will all make it through. They courageously fight together, act together and save each other which keeps you in suspense guessing if they will all survive. I think this was a classic act to keep you watching. When Maximus and his fellow slaves defeat them it really makes you want to jump up and down. The violence in the scene reveals the character of Maximus and encourages us to participate emotionally. I have noticed that the link in the scene to make it more interesting is that Maximus is seen as a slave however throughout the film has been conquering barbarians that eventually became slaves. The barbarians he defeated in Rome suffer the fate that is eventually his too. In the scene he also created skilful and powerful tactics which were acknowledged by the rest because by this time he has gained the respect of the fellow gladiators all of this portraying Maximus as a powerful leader and displaying his character. The plot of the film is that Maximus a roman general is favored over Commodus the power hungry son of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius. He is chosen to rule however Commodus has his family murdered and as he comes to Rome, he becomes a Gladiator and seeks revenge. The dialect in the clip also helps to communicate the whole theme of the film.