Camera Within Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Student Number: 2620458
Word Count: 1200
Aspect of film form: Camera within Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Camera work makes fight scenes. From handheld shots to dramatic reveals, camera work is highly important in communicating the emotions and intensity of the scene. This use of camera work can be observed in J.J Abrams Star Wars: The Force Awakens within the final forest fight scene in the film. The camera work in this scene helps convey the rising tension and emotions of the characters. This sequence particularly makes use of slow pushes, pull backs and off centre framing to express the chaotic nature and suspense of the sequence as it brings the film towards its explosive climax.

One particularly notable use of camera is the reveal of
Rey’s lightsaber lies in the snow and Kylo Ren attempts to summon it too him. The focus shifts from Kylo Ren to the lightsaber through the use of racking focus, placing Kylo Ren in the background, blurring him, with the lightsaber in the foreground, sharply in focus. This use of racking focus is further accentuated as the shift in focus also places the lightsaber in the centre of the scene drawing the eyeline towards it. Slow pushes are crosscut together to build the tension of the sequence. With each cut the camera draws closer to both the lightsaber and Kylo Ren, creating a connection between the two as well as building an anticipation for the climax of that sequence. Alan Speigal states: “As we know, we do not only see with the eye, but with the mind as well. We see what we desire to see, what the mind allows us to see . . .” (Spiegel, 1985). This statement is relevant as the pushes between Kylo Ren and the lightsaber create a connection between the two, not only visually but mentally as well. The push onto Kylo Ren’s face helps portray his mental frustration as the lightsaber moves not to him in the end, but to Rey. The slow push towards Rey creates the feeling of surprise and intrigue as it introduces the second phase of the fight sequence, this time with Rey instead of Finn. The slow push towards Rey as she readies to fight mirrors the earlier shot of
The first is the rising crane shot during the fight between Rey and Kylo Ren, the motion highlights the destruction that is being caused by the fight, this focus is further accentuated by the high angle as it places both Kylo Ren and Rey in the centre of the shot drawing attention towards them as they are the only moving objects. The central positioning of Kylo Ren and Rey is further highlighted as the camera itself is not entirely central, instead it rotates right as it rises at the same that Kylo Ren and Rey move left during their fight. The final shot of the sequence is close up on Kylo Ren accompanied by a slight handheld shake to the camera. Ross Hockrow states: “While the camera movement alone doesn't create the emotion, picking the right moment can make or break the emotional output of your scene.” (Hockrow, 2014). This idea is particularly relevant to the end of the scene, as this moment is the only one in the second half of the fight that handheld camera is used and is particularly notable as it is solely focusing on Kylo Ren highlighting how his composure is failing as opposed to before where he was portrayed as calm and collected. Hockrow’s statement is relevant to this moment as it is one of the penultimate scenes of the film and as a result carries the most emotional weight to