One strategy that the movie producers used in the film Apocalypse Now was the music and sounds
they used in the opening scene of this movie. It starts off with really dark
music and then the next thing you hear is a helicopter that sounds like its
flying very close. This sound of a
chopper quickly turns into sad, funeral like music. The scenes change and the
sounds switch back and forth between the depressing music and the obnoxious
chopping of the chopper. Since the music is gloomy, viewers get the sense that
whatever is happening in the film is not good. That matches with what can be
seen since what is portrayed is very secretive. The shots with the sad music
focus on a field being burned, while the shots with the chopper sounds show a
man’s face. I thought the chopping sounded a lot like a heart thumping very
rapidly. When the scene was over it made
sense that there would be a heart thumping because the man gets up and says,
“Shit, I’m still in Sai Gon.” By putting those two elements together, it made
sense that he would be upset that he is still in this city that he clearly does
not want to be in.
Another important feature the film producers included in
this film is the element of camera shots. They used mostly close shots when
focusing on the guy lying in bed. This only added to the sense of unknown in
the opening scene because you could not see what was around the man or why he
was upside down on the screen. I think the producers combined this element with
the thumping heart beat music to add a sense of anticipation and mystery to the
scene. They also used unique camera shots when the film showed the forest on
fire. The camera makes the viewer seem like they are standing on the ground
looking at the forest. All of the sudden the bottom of the helicopter flies
over you making it seem like you are actually in the film. All together the music
and camera angles combine to make a very mysterious opening scene.
