Cinematography - Full Metal Jacket

    Douglas Milsome is the man behind the Cinematography in Full Metal Jacket, he uses it to its full potential, it always reflects the themes, issues and the mood of the scene. However what is unique in this film is that the cinematography is completely different each half of the film- reflecting the change in the film of the Marines training to the Marines on the field, training.  

    In the first half of the film, the camera is generally neat and organised- representing the strict rules and tradition of the Marine training. This is shown in the marching scene’s, which is filmed continuously using a tracking shot, as to show the unit as one and to give no extra recognition to any main character. It moves as the same pace- as to show the order in the training.

 In fact the only time you see close ups of a lot of the characters in the first half of the movie is in the opening scene- showing their heads being shaved, representing their  rebirth into the marine court, where they are all completely equal.  A majority off the shots in the first half will be focused medium- long shots as to show the equality in the group, with the exception of the Sergeant Hartman, who will often get close ups and in one case gets a shot looking up at him to show his importance and authority.

   This order and neatness turns to chaos once the second half of the movie begins, in Vietnam. This is to show the Chaos and Horror of the War in comparison to the strict law in the Marine training. A good example of this is in the war Joker and the unit he is accompanying enter a town with armed VC in, the camera follows the soldiers in a rugged, not neat way to each bit of cover they got too, as if we were also in the unit. This can be compared to the tracking shot in the first half, showing the chaos now.  The bridge between these two different types of cinematography in the movie is the final Private Pyle scene, showing the transition from the order to the chaos.