The Hurt Locker- Conflict in the Film

How does the director use Cinematography to show different types of conflict in the film?

1. "Drop the Phone"

In this scene, the directer has used unstable camera shots and

often visibly changes the zoom to create a sense of paranoia and insecurity in the response to the tense atmosphere of the situation. These cinematographic devices contribute to the build of tension and reinforce the idea that it is difficult to feel safe in a hostile environment such as the field. At the climax of the scene- where the bomb explodes, killing S.S Matthew Thompson-, a series of jump-cuts and slow motion are used to emphasize further emphasize the danger that is being faced in the moment.

2. Battle with British Mercenaries

In this scene, Bigelow uses fast moving- again, unstable- camera

shots to emphasize the chaos of combat, subjective shots with varying zoom to show the audience giving the audience an internal viewpoint, and objective, low level shots with many close-up shots of the  characters and their weapons, reminding the viewer of their location and current situation. The close-ups also contribute to the idea that there may be an addiction associated with combat.

3. Intense Bomb Disposal

This scene uses subjective shots with unsteady, close-up framing to

communicate the uneasiness of diffusing the bomb (it being a life-or-death situation). The use of deep-focus and wide-shots shows how Sanbourn cannot do anything to help, but wait for S.S William James to complete the job. The cross-cut shots are used to show Sergeant's shock at the complexity of the bomb that lies in the boot before him.

4. The 'Baby Scene' (Home & Return to Iraq)

In this scene, there are noticeably steadier camera shots, with more objective shots of him doing

carrying out mundane-activities (e.g., clearing leaves out of the gutter) that tell the audience that the Sergeant has returned to normal life. However, the close-up of his eye next to the shot of his fianceé may indicate that he is not necessarily happy in his relationship, which is further supported by the fact that there are subjective shots and point of view framing of his fianceé preparing food, she is not really listening to him talk about work; suggesting  that, she also, might be unhappy. The deep-focus shot of Sergeant and his son is cleverly framed by the doorway of the baby's room, placing the child in the center of the doorway and Sergeant on the right side (audience-perspective). This suggests that family is an important part of life for him, however the next shot of the military helicopters reminds the audience of his- rather lonely- line of work, and that he can never be with his family 100% of the time.

5. The Suicide Bomber
The use of tracking shots and a series of objective shots,

which show various spectators in the scene, help to emphasize the the fact that Sergeant has a moral dilemma on his hands, where he ultimately turns out unable to help the man who (against his will, or not) has a complex bomb padlocked in several places strapped to him. The use of continuity editing helps the viewer to remain focused, while the increasing number of jump  cuts and zoom-changes indicate that the matter at hand is becoming a more and more chaotic. The various close-up and shallow-focus shots enable the audience to see that this problem is becoming more high-pressure and more difficult for the soldiers to deal with, as they have to think quickly and make life-or-death decisions that someone else's life also depends on. The titled camera angle on Sanbourn holding the gun on the suicide-bomb victim highlights the fact that he is fearful and isn't quite level headed but Sergeant is more in-control, despite the fact that he is of a higher rank than Sergeant and is technically the leader of the team. When the bomb explodes, the shots are cut-together in rapid succession and then contrasted with a hint of slow-motion when Sergeant is thrown to the ground by the impact; the same way S.S Matthew Thompson was at the beginning of the film.