Aspects of Form in "Wanted"

"Wanted" was one of the most successful films of 2008, and is centered around three characters played by well-known actors: James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, and Morgan Freeman. A summary for the film on www.imdb.com says:

"A young man finds out his long lost father is an assassin. When his father is murdered, the son is recruited into his father's old organization and trained by a man named Sloan to follow in his dad's footsteps.

The anxious, clumsy and abused office clerk Wesley Allan Gibson has a hell and boring routine life: his obese boss humiliates him all the time and his girlfriend betrays him with his colleague and best friend during working period. When he meets the sexy Fox, Wesley is informed that his father was a professional killer that belonged to an ancient organization called Fraternity and killed by the skilled and powerful Cross, a hit-man that has betrayed the Fraternity. Wesley learns that his anxiety actually is a manifestation of his latent abilities and he joins the society under the command of Sloan. Trained by Fox, he changes his personality and attitude, being prepared to face the dangerous Cross and find a hidden secret. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil"

In this blog, I will discuss the use of editing and sound editing in the film and trailer.

Editing



In the trailer, editing was used to attract audiences (most likely fans of action films) by making it look like it is fast-moving, includes sexual content, and chronicles the rise and ultimate triumph of the underdog. The trailer uses short clips, many showing action and/or violence, making it seem like a movie with a lot of that content. This is pretty accurate to the film, although there are some slower-moving scenes as well.

The trailer also shows a close-up scene of Wesley and Fox kissing, making it seem like a romance buds between the two. However, this is not true in the film, but sexual content is a desired aspect of most action movies.

Third, the trailer uses editing to display that the film chronicles the rise of an underdog. Wesley is depicted as weak or incompetent throughout most of the trailer - until the end where he is shown confidently leaping through a window, wielding a gun in each hand. Also, Sloan's voiceover where he is telling Wesley that he needs to make a choice, be a "sheep" or join the fraternity, the trailer shows what Wesley's life looks like in each situation and makes it clear which is the better choice.

Sound Editing



In this scene from "Wanted," sound editing is used to clarify what action is happening, and who the "bad guy" really is.

During the car chase, the sounds of the tires squealing, engine running, and bullets shattering the window are all enhanced to make it clear what is happening. If those sounds were dulled or hard to hear, it would be more difficult for the viewer to pick up on some of it, since there is a lot going on.

Also, the man in the limousine smoking a cigar could be just about anyone, but the Italian music that he is listening to makes it clear to the viewer that he is supposed to be a member of the Mafia. The viewer probably doesn't even realize that they pick up on this, it is basically subliminal.