Analysis of Dog Soldiers (Neil Marshall 2002)

1. What key features of editing, mise en scene, sound and cinematography can you identify? What meanings do these elements generate?


 Various different techniques are used within the film to create the moments of suspense and also the fast paced action moments when the werewolves attack. Examples of this can be found in different areas of mise en scene, sound and cinematography. For example the editing used put in effects like fast changes in shot in the action packed scenes when the werewolves atacked and in times of suspense used camera shots such as slow pans across the environment outside the house and in the woods towards the start of the film when the werewolves have not yet been sighted. This adds a large amount of mystery and makes the werewolves perhaps more scary because they appear so illusive but deadly. Sound is also something that builds up a huge amount of suspense as the eerie silence oppresses the characters almost as much as the werewolves themselves, also bringing in the effect of suprise on the audience when tey eventually do get attacked.

2. How do the technical elements you have identified help indicate the genre of the film? What other conventions do you think are evident in Dog Soldiers?


The genre of the film is a horror, and so the elements in the film help show this genre, for example by having a lot of eerie silences throughout the film to create suspense, this also makes it more jumpy. The fast editing shows the action and the slower editing shows a sense of suspense, this helps show the genre of the film because it creates horror.


3. Are there three clear stages to the films narrative? Does it have equilibrium, dis-equilibrium and new equilibrium structure?


4. How do you think gender is represented in this film?


I don't think genre is represented well in this film, as there arn't many female characters to show both genders in an equal way. Males are represented in a steoreotypical way, e.g. the soldiers being strong/masculine (fighting), for example  .The female role model is shown also in quite a masculine way, as she is shown defeating the dogs etc. 








Theorists


Roland Barthes 



He was born November 12th 1915 and died March 25th 1980








Laura Mulvey

Born August 14th 1941