Aliens micro analysis essay

FILM STUDIES: Aliens – Micro Analysis.


"How does the director, James Cameron, create atmosphere
in a key sequence in Aliens, using cinematography,
editing, sound, SFX and his choice of mise-en-scene?"

James Cameron creates a very powerful scene in the middle of Aliens, when we see two central female characters, Ripley and Newt put in jeopardy in the medical bay. Prior to entering the medical bay, Ripley has been instructed in the use of a marine's pulse rifle by Corporal Hicks. This act signifies to us that Ripley may be called upon to use this weapon, and it has reinforced her status as potential combatant, not simply a civilian advisor as she was at the film's outset.

The mise-en-scene of the medical bay is conventional, it is stark, grey-white and full of medical apparatus. Significant is the fact is that its clear Perspex walls can be sealed off to make it secure. Cameron uses this security to make the little girl Newt more comfortable in her makeshift bedroom. A high angle mid-shot shows the girl, vulnerable, under her bed, a heater providing an orange glow to provide warmth to counter the sterility of the cold blue filtered shot of the darkened white room. Ripley's face also bathed in orange light in close up, helps us to read her as protector as she lays her weapon on the bed and cradles Newt in a medium close up two-shot.

After a series of extended cutaways to Bishop, the atmosphere in the medical bay changes quickly. Initially we are given a point of view (pov) medium long shot from Ripley's perspective, drawing us into the action. The shot is at low level looking across the floor from her place of rest, and our attention is drawn to two empty rocking specimen jars. A shot-reverse-shot links Ripley's distressed face captured in close up, and an eye-line match shows us her p-o-v once again, this time in a big close up on the jars to emphasise the fact they are empty. A matched cut quickly goes back to Ripley's worried face under the bed. The camera slowly peds up to follow Ripley's hand searching the top of the empty bed. Quiet, but tense, non-diegetic music underscores the scene until it rises in crescendo as a whip-pan captures a face-hugging alien leaping at Ripley, the rise in music coinciding with Newt's shrill scream. A close-up of the spider-like alien scuttling away, its movements emphasised with a diegetic skittering sound of claws on the floor, adds to menace of the scene.

In order to give the audience a breather, and to allow the audience to understand the narrative, Cameron uses a cut-away to a mid shot of a nervous looking Company exec Burke, turning off the CCTV that would alert the marines to Ripley's plight. Burke's actions allow us to read him as a villain and also heighten the tension in a tense scene. The mise-en-scene of the well armed and armoured marines contrasts starkly with that of Newt and Ripley, unarmed and in plain clothes, their civilian status exposing their vulnerability.

As the dramatic non-diegetic music mounts in volume, so the camerawork changes. A spectator long-shot of Ripley and Newt trapped in Medlab increases our frustrates as we look on impotently as they hammer the reinforced glass. Initially shot from below with low angle mid shots to show her authority when trying to break free of the medical bay, Ripley is soon shot from eye-level then from a high angle in close up to show her growing fear and lack of control. This fear is made all the more evident when Newt says, "Ripley, I'm afraid", to which the film's heroine weakly replies, "So am I", in a moment full of pathos. This admission, coupled with her action to set off the fire alarm and its resulting cacophony of claxons and dramatic red alert lighting, adds even more tension to the scene.

As the scene draws to a close the non-diegetic music is loud, tense and upbeat, mirroring both the energy of the heroic marines, and adds to the frantic pace as Cameron uses a high angle close up to show Ripley struggling with an alien that is rapidly strangling her. The rapid pace of parallel editing, juxtaposing the trapped Newt and Ripley and the oncoming marines lead by Hicks increases tension, will they get to them in time, or not? The red lighting of the scene reinforces the notion of danger that is readily apparent.

The close of the scene keeps the tension high. A medium long shot of the medical bay window shattering as its hit first by gun, then by Hicks leaping through it, are a good use of special effects. The exaggerated muzzle flash of the marines' rifles adds to the spectacle of the scene, as does Hicks's hyper-masculine rescue. The nervous energy of the rescue is added to by Hudson's shouted warning, "Christ, look out kid!", as he liberally empties his ammo into the trapped alien. It is not until the camera has finished swiftly cutting from the close up of Hudson's blazing rifle to Hicks and Ripley's struggle with the face-hugger, that the powerful diegetic music dies down, and Ripley exclaims, "Burke, it was Burke!", which denotes the end of the tense rescue sequence and sets up a new narrative complication. Cameron's skilful use of cinematography, sound, sfx and mise-en-scene ensure that the medical bay rescue scene is well remembered as one charged with a tense atmosphere.