Exploring film technique- Emily McGovern

One film that struck my emotions this week was the Pink Floyd film, specifically Animation of War. The meaning behind that film is something I worried about a great deal as a child. My Father was in the navy for the first twenty years of my life and was stationed overseas or deployed for the vast majority of that time. My father never saw combat so thankfully I cannot relate to the aspect of a father dying in war however, I do understand the absence of a father figure due to the military. As a child, I never knew where my father was or what he was doing. Images on the news of combat in foreign lands got the best of my imagination as I thought my father might be there fighting. The images from Animation of War brought back those fears I had as a child. There was one scene where the camera panned up to the sky where animated planes flew. Those black planes transformed into white crosses creating a contrast in the dark sky.To me, this transformation is the death that the planes bring in war as they drop bombs on innocent people. There were also creatures in gas masks that fled as these planes entered the sky. These creatures represent the innocent people who are affected by needless war. The British flag fades away into a red cross, here red symbolizes blood and further conveys how bloodshed is inevitable in war. These scenes brought up a similar feeling in me that Decalage five did. Both of these films showed me how the government has the power to kill, whether by way of the military or capital punishment, and how at its core it is unjust. Though officials try to validate both types of killings, however, they always have unintended consequences on the families of those who perish.