Textual Analysis Essay
Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean is a non stop swashbuckling (action and) adventure from start to finish. In this essay I will be looking at the different techniques used to convey the traditional conventions of action and adventure films.
Establishing shots play a key role throughout the film, as each scene usually starts with one. In particular when the action focuses on the ships, there is usually a helicopter shot to demonstrate the sheer scale of the film and the isolation during the hero's journey of discovery. Also when the action is back onshore, establishing shots are used too, if only to show off the films extravagant budget on its exotic location. Close ups are also used to display the characters emotions and thoughts, especially during times when they learn more which allows the thick plot to unfold. However we never get any real close-ups on Johnny Depp's character, Captain Jack Sparrow, as we aren't really clear whose side he is on, the good or the bad, right until the end of the film.
English: Johnny Depp in Cannes in the nineties.
English: Photograph of the head of Johnny Depp
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black P...So by masking his emotions, we can't pick up many clues as to his allegiance, and keeps us guessing throughout the movie. Also when the camera shots was solely on the hero, it would always be shot from slightly below eye level, to give an impression of the hero being the bigger man, despite the fact that Orlando Bloom doesn't fit the traditional action and adventure hero mould, of a big muscular man, but he fills the role well, helped along by the camera angles amongst other techniques. The villain, played by Geoffrey Rush, was always shot from a neutral eye level, but always from the side and never face on, making it impossible to get a full idea of his...