Spiderman 2

Spiderman 2
Director: Sam Raimi
Released: 2004
Genre: Action, Super Hero

The clip I examined showed the main villain Doctor Octavius (Doc Ock) lying on an operation bed as the surgeons attempt to amputate his long mechanical arms. But the arms have artificial intelligence so lash out at the doctors and murder them. What makes this scene interesting is the fact that its different to the overall genre of the film because its more like a Sci-Fi Horror than an action sequence so had to incorporate elements of Horror and Thriller films to be effective but still keep to its roots of a super hero action movie.

The opening shot is a close up of a monitor used to explain to the spectator that the arms are fused with his spine and the doctors dialogue explains what they are going to attempt to do. Then there is a tracking shot of the doctor as he walks round the table which only shows small sections of Octavius until he stops to begin the procedure then the camera zooms out to a wide shot of Doc Ock and his mechanical arms. The director dose this to introduce the spectator to the surroundings but only giving them a small view of the villain to tease the spectator and make the operation room the focal point. Then finally showing Octavius, similar to horror films like Jeepers Creepers were the monster is slowly revealed to the audience, shows they are all part of one creature. Then it cuts to a close up of the surgeon with a saw then to a pulley suspending an arm in the air as it rocks then cuts back to the doctors reaction this is done to create tension and show the spectator that something is about to happen.

In this scene editing is used to set a fast pace by cutting from one shot to another and only showing a few seconds of the shot before switching. This fast pace and constantly changing view conveys a sense of mayhem and shows the confusion the characters are feeling to the spectator. The editing is also use to switch between the action and the characters to show their reactions which is similar to horror and thriller films because in those genres the characters are supposed to be scared so it is important to show their fear to the audience. The director also uses a lot of close ups of the characters to show the characters reactions to what’s happening around them. Trough out the scene there is only diegetic sounds, this creates tension and emphasizes the violence in the scene as well as emphasizing the fear the surgeons show.

The director uses a point of view shot through the eyes of the arms similar to horror movies showing the attacker home in on its pray to create tension but also to personify the arms. When the mechanical arms move the director uses a rail shot to follow them as the attack the surgeons but the rail shot sways making the arm look as if its slithering making it seem like a living organism like a snake or a tentacle so rather than a tool they become an extension of Doc Ocks body.