Editing task

Editing task

Above is the one of the more notable (action) sequences of the sci-fi adventure film, The Hunger Games. Here, the actual Games forenamed in the title commence with this being apparent through the counting down of the timer.

Both sound and (post-production) editing help make the significance of this countdown particularly clear though. In terms of sound, the fact that nothing else can be heard but the thunderous tick-tocks of the timer with each elapsing second before time is completely up helps draw attention to and stress the sheer magnitude of the situation being displayed, which will also be further evidenced seconds after this scene. Editing also adds to the severity of the situation with the frequent amount of straight and jump cuts used in the scene, with some scenes also using the point of view of the main protagonist, Katniss, in which she surveys the weapons present in the cornucopia, views the dismay of one of her friends and also just looks at the timer itself. The jump cuts in this scene in particular, while being an example of continuity editing, can also be said to be effective since they convey the feeling that one would get in the actual Games of both restlessness and apprehension with the cuts ranging from the facial expressions of other participants to even the stance they've decided to adopt. Additionally from time to time, the cuts from scene to scene actually coincide with the tick-tocks of the timer interlinking both the diegetic sounds as well as the cinematography itself.

The scene that follows this in which the time on the countdown timer has elapsed, shows the participants in the Games all engaging in some form of activity whether that be running to equip some of the distributed weapons, staying clear from the disarray as a whole or killing other participants. Whereas the sound of the timer was quite booming, the non-diegetic sound used here is shrill and there's also relative silence amongst this, perhaps as a way of accentuating the level to which the Games are overwhelming to the protagonist as a bloodbath ensues. From an editing standpoint though, a numerous amount of straight and jump cuts are used yet again to help jump between certain points of the action. Plenty of tracking shots are also implemented here simply as a way keeping track of of the ongoing chaos in the scene and also show what exactly people in the Games are picking up as a means of survival whether that be bags consisting of supplies or other objects. It's also interesting to note the fact that in terms of camera framing, the scene starts off with a long shot of all the participants as they begin to run towards the cornucopia and from here the shots get progressively tighter to fully showcase the violence being exacted within the Games.

After this though, the focus is on Katniss as she dashes towards the cornucopia to pick up a supply bag. With this, a tracking shot is the most apparent form of cinematography being used as Katniss is the main subject of the shot with her sprinting through the grounds of the Games. Additionally the non-diegetic sound described in the previous paragraph continues here, but also reaches a sense of a climax as Katniss is almost killed by the barrage of threats she faces posed by other participants. Here specifically when Katniss is being pursued by another 'player,' a close-up shot is used of her as she runs towards Katniss, adding to this sense of the player charging at her.

Following on from this scene, Katniss runs into a forest and it's here where tracking shots are fully being used as she weaves between trees. In addition to a tracking shot though, a long one is also used as a way of displaying Katniss' descent as she tumbles down the forest. More subtly though, very quick panning shots are used in order to help emulate this idea of her staying clear of each of the tree trunks. Audio-wise, this scene mainly uses the diegetic sounds of the rustling of leaves as Katniss pushes past them, reasonably heavy breathing as well as the stamping of the ground as she runs through the forest.

The final scene presents all the participants that actually lost their lives within the bloodshed at the cornucopia. This without a doubt pertains to be the simplest scene of the sequence in as far as cinematography is concerned as shot after shot are just straight cuts of close-ups and medium shots of the corpses of the participants, showing the more harrowing and sanguinary nature that the Games have to hold.