A Study of The Naked Gun

3 Pages 845 Words

In the film “The Naked Gun” (1988), directed by David Zucker, there are a few different simple editing and sound processes employed. The movie is very coherent in transitions from scene to scene from these postproduction elements. The editing process is quite simple, with no extraordinary cuts that are hard to follow. The sound is done to coordinate events that taking place, and that will take place in future shots. If we can have an understanding of how the film is patterned, through the use of editing and sound, we can draw conclusions as to future events in the movie. Thus, there are many scenes that relate to one another, and you can account for these scenes predictability of events if you follow the editing and sound patterns produced in the opening scene.
To find a pattern in editing and sound we need to understand how the opening scene uses these techniques to coincide with the events taking place. As the scene begins, we have a bird’s eye establishing shot of the city Beirut, where the scene takes place. The music selected is one that comes from that same hemisphere as Beirut is from. This sets the scene for the environment, which is also used in later scenes in America, for example, the scene at the baseball stadium. The shots then progress, through a series of straight cuts, to a large mansion and finally inside to a room where the heads of many nations are meeting. The film uses many straight and cross cuts to progress time throughout the length of it. The sound then changes to a conversation between the men in the room. When in conversation, whether it is two or a group of people, the film uses cross cuts to jump from person to person when a conversation takes place. Here the music changes to a long strung violin like sound. This creates an anticipation as to something that will soon happen. Shortly into the conversation a maid unveils himself as a spy, and begins to fight with the other men. Here the ...