The codes and conventions for war films include symbolic and technical codes. Examples of symbolic codes include the setting and the mis-en-scene. Examples of technical codes include lighting, sound and camera angles.
Symbolic Codes:
Setting: War films typically take place in battlegrounds where war has taken place. Sometimes, the film may take place in a foreign country such as Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, The Middle East etc. It also takes place in rural areas, destroyed cities, ruins, open fields of warfare, at sea, in the air, in enemy and friendly territory and strategic war locations such as forests or a desert.
Mis-en-scene: Props, Outfits, Actors
The mis-en-scene of war movies have a lot to do with the way the fighters of the war are portrayed and the types of props and settings that are typically used in war. Props include weapons, helmets, tanks, aircrafts, explosive devices, boats and ammunition. With these props, the audience automatically knows that the film is going to be a war movie and that these props are typical in war films. The props also demonstrate the full effect of the war and the damage that some of these props, such as weapons and tanks, can do to a human life and the tragedy that war truly is.
The outfits and the actors of the film also have a big effect on the movie as they ultimately set the stage for the film as to who is going to be fighting against who. The outfits are correlated with the nation that they are fighting for, for example the US Army has US war outfits and the Germans have their own German outfit. It distinguishes who the good guys are and who the bad guys are, depending on your perspective of the film and who’s side you take. The actors also have to be in good correlation with the movie and they have to have certain qualities that allow them to fit the role of a war actor. For example, Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan was a perfect example as he fit the role of an army captain perfectly and his acting in the movie was stellar. An actor such as Joaquin Phoenix would not have been able to deliver that role as effectively and arguably would have changed the whole dynamic of the film.
Technical Codes:
Camera Angles: Camera angles that are typically associated with war films are extreme wide shots, full shots, long shots, medium long shots, extreme close up, cowboy shots, close up shots and medium shots.
Lighting:
The most common lighting techniques that are typically associated with war films are low-key lighting and high-key lighting with few examples of dark and gloomy lighting.
Sound:
The sound in war films is arguably one of the most important aspects in a war film because it is what mainly draws and immerses the audience into the movie. The sound of a loud bomb going off or the bullets of a machine firing out of the magazine is what engages the audience in the combat scenes. Patriotic music can also be associated with war films as it represents what the soldiers are fighting for and gives the viewers a sense of the type of patriotism that the soldiers are fighting for.
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