Expressive movement unit 1

In the interplay of shot composition, acting and camera, the image of initiation conveyed by the rising and bustling of the group is staged as a serial action, realized on the level of character choreography in a sequence of group movements through the stages: waking, standing up, coming together and dispersing.

A long shot from below of the enemy bridge is followed by a shot showing Sergeant Dane in a quick movement from the right, accompanied by construction noises in the acoustic background. He wakes up the soldiers, calling their names from station to station, accompanied by a camera movement from right to left. He leaves the frame quickly to the right and in the next shot his fast movement is continuously taken up in the editing. Through Dane’s choreographed movements, the scattered resting soldiers – positioned not only within but also outside of the frame – are woken, stand up, are gathered together and ordered to take their new positions. The frame is filled by the soldiers. The tempo of Dane’s fast movements now corresponds with the soldiers’ shortened reaction times: The soldiers spoken to later react faster, they stand up faster, put on their helmets and are carrying their rifles. The sudden, simultaneous movements of the individual soldiers, which intersect and disperse, and their loud conversations create a revitalization of the group body. Sergeant Dane’s quickly uttered loud orders to the soldiers scattered in varying directions (off-screen) increases the tension.