Collateral Damage analysis - Stephens post.

The film collateral damage immediately starts off with a typical stereotype of what a thriller film should be like. The iconography of the first clip we see represents a thriller film due to the aggressive fire that is being fought by the fire fighters.  Also, a series of follys are used to emphasise the intensity of the situation. There are several different cut transitions in which occur within a very short space of time.

The main character (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is introduced very soon in this film when an urgent matter comes to the fireman's attention. He must take action. A medium close up of his face is used when his colleague talks to him making him aware of the situation. The use of low key lighting is used to give it a somewhat murky effect. Also, the use of props has been used to help with the lighting (Torches) and is also a realistic effect for the situation that they are in.

As they approach the problem, the non-diegetic background music gets continuously louder, this is to help make the clip seem more suspenseful. 

Out of nowhere an off-screen diegetic sound is used. A scream from a distressed character is made and this sets the firemen onto their next mission to save the person in need. This is reflected in the increase in tempo of the music.

• When Arnold is about to make a risky jump, a slow motion editing effect is used to emphasise to the audience that he is making this dangerous action.
• To suit the clip, all the characters are very well dressed to give the best sense of realism possible. They are wearing professional fireman clothing.
• Make-up has been used on Arnold and the other actors so that they look like they has been in a troublesome situation.
• Throughout the sequence, artificial lighting has been used so that again, a sense of realism can be established.

As you can see here, Arnold has managed to reach the woman who was in desperate need of saving, and was in a critical state. The female character who is in need of help is a great example of an iconography for a thriller movie. The reason that I say this is because she is in a very vulnerable, weak position and this will get empathy out of the audience because of the poor state (Physically and mentally) that she is in.

From here to the end of the opening scene, a number of different shot sizes and angles are used as they escape from the burning building. A soft light (defused) is used on the characters to bring out a better skin definition to bring out more detail in the facial and clothing areas.