Micro and Macro Analysis of 'The Cradle of Life'

Micro Analysis of Opening of ‘The Cradle of Life’

Cinematography

      

       The use of handheld shots in the plane tells the audience that the plane is under pressure and is not very stable whilst it is heading down towards the sea dangerously. There were also spinning shots which follow the plane through the sky and then swivel around to follow the planes path. The camera also tilts and shows the viewer the planes controls.

Sound

There is fast paced music, when it cuts to the shots of the plane, the fast paced music stops and we here the plane descending through the sky, with effective . When the planes descent becomes dangerous, we hear a warning sound which consists of high pitch beepings which become faster as the plane draws closer to the sea.  The diagetic sound (for example the characters dialogue) and the non-diagetic sound (the planes sound effects) overlap in the first opening scene. The characters voices can be heard almost shouting over the planes loud warning noises.

Mise-en-scene

The snow in the background creates an isolated feeling. This then switches quickly to an exotic, warm location. (Which gives the feeling that the plane is fast, according to the dialogue they shared before getting on the plane). The costume also clearly relates to the Action/ Adventure genre. The characters wear dark clothing apart from Lara Croft in the opening sequence who contrasts against the dark, 

cold insides of the building in a white snow suite,clarifying her as being different and as the leader.

 Editing

There is a use of jump cuts which follow the action of the main character boarding the plane. There is also a use of close-ups that gradually zoom in on a characters face. These make the audience feel drawn into the action, and see clearly the character’s reactions and facial expressions.

               

Macro Analysis

Story and Plot

In this short opening sequence Lara croft and Terry Sheridan board a fighter plane, in arctic conditions and fly to a tropical region, quickly, before ejecting themselves from their pilot seats narrowly missing crasing into a mountain

 Situations and locations

The locations featured in the opening sequence are typical of films of the Action/ Adventure genre. The first location is a polar region which quickly changes to an exotic, warm and tropical part of the world.

 Themes and values

Themes in this film are ‘Pandora’s Box’ which supposedly contains one of the most deadliest plagues in the world.

Characters

There is one main character, Lara Croft. Although another important character is Terry Sheridan. Lara and Terry bond together throughout the film and a relationship together looks inevitable. Yet fate sets the two f them apart at the ending of the film. What sets them apart is Pandora’s box. Lara wants to leave it in a safe place, whereas Terry wants to take it for himself. This ultimately ends up with Lara facing a choice, her choice being to kill Terry in self defence. Other themes that are covered include: M16 agents and tasks, fear and threats caused by organisations and that not all things are meant to be found (Pandora's Box)