Lion King final battle: Analysis of camera shots and movement

This is an analysis of the final battle scene from The Lion King, but not just one but both of them. The 1994 original and the 2019 remake. With my attachment to this franchise (yes, franchise, there were two sequels and a TV show), I was rather excited to do this.

Lion King final battle: Analysis

The 1994 Original

The final battle in the original used a lot of reaction shots as well as close-ups of the characters faces, this is so that we can clearly see and focus on the emotions of each character, especially Simba and Scar who are the primary focus of the scene but also those of the hyenas who were betrayed by Scar in the scene. This was very effective as it took advantage of one of the strengths of animation, the stylized designs of the characters which allowed for clear and expressive faces which emote ranges of emotions. For the action scenes, medium shots, medium-long shots and similar shots were used so that the audience could better see the fight between the two lions, this makes the actions of the characters more clear. Long shots allow us to better see and feel the space and environment of the duel. Some POV shots were used, like when Scar is looking down the cliff or for Simba when he was fighting Scar, coupled with the current environment it creates a cramped feeling. Scar was also shot at a slightly higher angle and with long shots, this makes him look small and weaker as by this time in the story he was meant to be old and weak, especially in his final moments where he was surrounded by hyenas as that is his lowest point. The animated version took full advantage of the fact that it was animated and as a result made a well-executed finale.

The 2019 Remake

On the other hand, the remake version attempts close-ups and reaction shots too, for the same reasons, to show the emotions on the character’s faces. Unfortunately, it was not nearly as effective for two reasons, first, the lighting was too dark so the emotions on their faces were not clear, and second, the little we could see did not emote much emotion anyways. There were also fewer mid shots and long shots, likely an attempt to make the audience feel closer to the action but as a result, the fight was a lot harder to follow and personally I couldn’t tell who was who after the fight started. It had a decent sense of space as long shots were used to pan out across the entire cliffside. However, the final scene where Scar was eaten by the hyenas was decent enough, incorporating the long shot at a higher angle to make Scar look small and weak like in the original. The bad character design, coupled with the attempts to replicate just the original shots and story made it rather clear, it tried replicating something it didn't quite understand fully and as a result was just a weaker version of it.

Final evaluation

Overall, I think the 1994 original had the superior scene, the shots and angles used were appropriate, the action was a lot easier to follow as well as the characters having much clearer facial expressions which makes their emotions much more clear. The live-action movie did a somewhat passable job, it had a decent sense of space with the long shots and ELS used for the cliffside and the final scene was decently well done and expressed Scar’s current emotions and situations well enough most of these things were also done well, if not better in the original. To end it, the animated movie took full advantage of its strengths and succeeded, the remake, while technically being animated as well did not take advantage of the strengths of animation. It tried to only copy the shots and narrative and as a result of not understanding its own medium, suffered as a result.

Godzilla (1954) Movie poster: Semiotic analysis

 Godzilla(1954)

Movie poster analysis:

ゴジラ/Gojira/Godzilla title and the credits: The font used for the movie title is a custom one, made for the movie specifically. It was designed to signify 2 things, immeasurable size, and power. The font was designed to be much thicker and bolder than most Japanese text, like those used for the rest of the poster for the cast and credits which are comparably much thinner. This signifies Godzilla’s size, as a kaiju, he was large, larger than any other movie monster at the time. A bright red was chosen as the colour for the title. The colour red can signify many things that apply to Godzilla, among them danger, violence, fire, war, but most importantly, power. Godzilla’s sheer power over those that he terrorizes is what represents him in this movie. The entire movie is based on the effects of the atomic bombs on Japan, which the monster replicates. He is power incarnate, an unstoppable force. Finally, the position and colour of the text were also interesting, much of the cast and credits are placed at the bottom of the poster and the colours were less noticeable like white, yellow and light orange. This could signify that Godzilla is above them in both size and power.

Colour and hue

The poster is bathed in a harsh red light, emanating from Godzilla’s atomic breath. This red light surrounds primarily one thing, Godzilla himself which again represents his power. The rest of the poster is dark and gloomy, representing the hopelessness of the situation the characters are in.

Godzilla’s Scales:

Godzilla’s scales have a lot of symbolism to them too, first of is their coloration: pitch black. From head to toe, it is the only colour present, safe for the white of his eyes. The colour black here symbolizes power again, but also the very thing left in his wake, Death. The destruction he causes results in the mass dying and suffering of the masses, anywhere he goes, death will follow. The texture and patterning of his skin are also important, the bumpy texture is based on those suffering from the effects of radiation which hints at his origin being a consequence of hydrogen bomb testing. 

The Eye:

Every part of Godzilla is that of a monster, except for one: His eyes which stand out from his dark coloration. They were designed to be somewhat human-like, not only is this a little unsettling but the similarity to the eyes of his victim is because, in a way, Godzilla is also a victim in this movie. An animal mutated into a titanic monster by the very ones he would by choice or by a force beyond his control, slaughter by the thousands. 

Composition and actions of the characters:

Godzilla is shown to tower over the cast and the city they live in, they are very literally under his feet with the remnants of what was once towers and homes reduced to rubble. He is positioned above all man-made things, except for the planes he is shown tearing apart with ease. This supports what the fonts and colour scheme is trying to suggest. Everything beneath him will be left with nothing but pitch black death after falling to his power, and any kind of man-made resistance will too fall to his size and power. The cast can do nothing but look fearfully into impending doom, all but one. The character at the bottom right corner is Dr. Serizawa who in the end was the key to defeating and killing Godzilla, but his position directly under the king’s foot also reveals his fate in the end, death alongside the monster he helped destroy.