The Evolution of Chaos
By Aishleen Radetich, with comments by Aaron Gray, Taylor Pope, and Matthew Holley
[1] The way in which United 93 is broken up into many short and fast-paced scenes that ultimately create the events that happened on September 11, 2001, it is difficult to choose just one scene to analyze. The short clips that provide the audience with glimpses of the Air Traffic Control Centers as they learn of the hi-jacked planes, however, are worth analyzing in order to understand the confusion of the day as a whole. Director Greengrass innovatively moves his camera between different Air Traffic Control Centers that are monitoring all the flights of the day and the actual Flight 93 plane. The increasing speed of the camera movements seem to exist in four phases, all which build up to the final crash. Because the audience already knows the outcome of the film’s ending, the camera speed further accentuates the feelings of the day as it is happening to those involved. Because of these quick movements the camera makes, this analysis will consider the four camera speeds that cut between each of the scenes on the Air Traffic Control Centers as the events of September 11th come to a devastating end. (see comment by Matthew Holley)
[2] The first phase of the camera speed occurs at the Air Traffic Control Center in Herndon, VA. As Ben Sliney is introduced as the new head, the camera remains at a standstill for about two minutes (see Scene Log Titled “Air Traffic Control Center Introducedâ€). This introduction seems relaxed and positive, and the camera moves smoothly across the pleasant faces of the employees working on this day. This seems to ironically accentuate how the unexpected events in the air will be a situation that no one in the traffic centers has ever experienced before. There seems to be a positive and refreshing feeling in the air, even though the audience already knows the problems that they will experience in only a matter of hours. The camera is unwavering, and the scene is shown for an elongated period of time as nothing seems to be going awry anywhere in flight.
[3] After showing a few minutes of people boarding United 93, the camera moves back to the Air Traffic Control Center in Boston. Here, the audience is shown the unexpectedness of the problems that were to occur this day by way of a problem contacting American Airline Flight 11. However, the camera still spans this particular center for about three minutes (see Scene Log Titled “Air Traffic Control Center and Flight 11â€). The movie is still in the first phase of camera speed (slow and steady) in which no severe signs of stress or realization of the events are known. There are also signs of the other employees in this Air Traffic Center seeming calm and content, each working with the planes they are assigned for the day. Still not suspecting a hi-jack, a traffic controller works hard to figure out what could be the problem with American Airline Flight 11. The audience is only able to see early signs of his stress and those working close to him. After many attempts at contact, and after hearing the voice of a non-American, the controller suspects a hi-jack situation, and the first stage of worry begins to set in. When Sliney’s Control Center learns of the possible hi-jack on Flight 11, however, it is not taken all that seriously. It is here that we, as an audience, understand by way of the camera work that chaos has not yet begun -- everything remains calm at this point.
[4] The second phase of quickening camera work introduces the next level of disaster on this day. When the Boston Control Center begins to review the tapes from Flight 11, confusion and loud voices begin to fill the screen. Orders are passed around to various personnel. The intensity from both the shots of United 93 preparing to take off and what is happening in the Air Traffic Control Centers is blatant, and Greengrass makes it obvious through quickening the time which he moves from one scene to another. The traffic control personnel begin to move faster in each scene, and the stress levels are rising even more. Between the scene logs entitled “Chaos Begins†and “Planes,†the camera goes back and forth between four scenes in less than eight minutes. The audience sees the Boston Control Center, the Northeast Air Defense Sector, Sliney being informed of the hi-jacking in his meeting, and the reviewing of the tapes in Boston. Because of these quick shots at certain things happening at this time in less than eight minutes time, the audience understands that chaos is looming on the horizon. Moreover, the introduction of the Northeast Air Defense Sector intensifies the situation further because of the military involvement. (see comment by Matthew Holley)
[5] The next phase of the camera work comes after the takeoff of the United 93 flight. Between the scenes of “Disaster Begins Slowly†and “World Trade Center Two,†Greengrass uses his camera to show many aspects of the reactions of a variety of Air Traffic Control Centers as they unsuccessfully attempt to stop the attack on the World Trade Centers. The camera moves quickly back and forth between all of the Air Traffic Control Centers introduced thus far in the film, while also portraying the CNN reports of the World Trade Centers being destroyed. In the eleven minutes between these scenes, the audience is shown a variety of five different Control Centers, including the Newark Airport Center that watches the events take place before them. In this third phase the camera moves back and forth at a quicker pace to show how this attack affected so many people in the area. Moreover, Greengrass’s ability to go quickly between each of the Centers as they learn of new information shows how communication happened this day. This quickening pace of the camera as the planes get closer and closer to their target emphasizes the complexity of trying to handle a situation no one had been prepared for.
[6] In the scenes after the World Trade Centers have been hit, the camera seems to quicken once again in preparation for the final crash. Between the last nine scenes before the last twenty minutes of the movie (see Scene Logs “More Confusion†to “Pentagon Fireâ€), the camera work enters its fourth and final phase. Chaos in the Centers is at its maximum as more planes are lost on the monitors. The confusion shown evokes deep emotions for the audience as they watch the camera span all of the Control Centers in short intervals trying to save other planes in the air that day, though still with no explanation as to why anything has happened. Moreover, the camera quickly spans the actual Flight 93, which adds another setting for the audience to understand the complexity of the day. In a short twenty-one minutes on these last nine scenes, the audience is shown all of the Air Traffic Control Centers, along with the Military liaisons, and, also, shots of what is happening on the plane. This last phase, before the camera concentrates solely on the inside of the plane at the end, accentuates the way in which communication was lost between the Centers, the military, and the pilots on board the planes -- causing a disastrous situation. (see comment by Taylor Pope)
[7] The pleasant and slow spanning of the camera on Sliney’s Control Center in the first phase shows how terrorism was not expected on September 11th. However, with Greengrass’s ability to move the camera in four escalating phases as the morning goes on, the audience is able to experience an increasing sense of tension before the crash occurs. The four phases shown in this analysis simply show how the situation at hand grew more and more complex and confusing for all members involved this day. The camera work also moves at the same speed of what happened on September 11th, creating a sense of reality for the audience. (see comment by Aaron Gray)
Comments
Aishleen describes how Greengrass successfully manipulated the cameras to portray the characters as defenseless but still finding a way to save the day. This adds to the heroic portrayal of the passengers of United 93. His quick camera movements as well as the use of only hand-held cameras add to the confusion and intensity. While the audience is trying to get a grip on what is occurring on the plane, the characters are coming together trying to figure out a solution. They could have cried and held hands, yet they did not allow the magnitude of the situation to get in the way of doing what they felt was necessary. Robert Burgoyne described the mood of the film as “adrenalized stasis,†which I took to mean helpless yet ready to fight, disconnected from help yet fueled to take down the terrorists. Burgoyne writes, “United 93 presents a powerful dichotomy between the inability to communicate 'on the ground' and the surreptitious but effective communication within the plane.†He asserts that even throughout all the commotion and confusion, the passengers on the plane are able to come together and think clearly to quickly figure out a solution that will increase their chances of survival. However, the people on the ground are disconnected and unable to see through the commotion to make the quick and right decision.
This article is an accurate and meticulous outline of the cinematography throughout the film. I never appreciated the art of the film director before reading this essay. I particularly enjoyed the transition of the phases as the movie progressed from relatively calm and smooth in the beginning, to wild and erratic towards the end. For me, the most powerful scene occurred in the end of the film when the passengers of United 93 were contacting loved ones to deliver their final words, thoughts, and emotions (in one case a man was only able to contact a stranger). Once the passengers realized the plane was not going to land safely, a few proceeded to attempt to overtake the plane. They eventually rushed the terrorists, starting with the one who had a bomb strapped to his waste and ending with the pilots. The rush scene was extremely realistic and powerful as the scene was shot in a first-person view that made audience members feel as if they were partaking in this event. The cinematography inside the plane was necessarily the most artistic, creative, and powerful. For example, consider the prayer scene in which all passengers (including terrorists) on the flight were praying. I found this scene particularly interesting and a little ironic that everyone was praying to the idea of a greater entity for opposite reasons (life vs. death).
As far as the Frank Rich article goes, I strongly disagree with his views. First, he argues that United 93 is a movie that exploits 9/11 and that “it’s a Hollywood entertainment marketed to make a profit.†Not only is this a pessimistic attitude, but it is insulting to the passengers on United 93 that died. The story of these passengers should be told in every respect, for they acted intelligently and courageously and America has a right to know. In addition, the publicizing of the event should be considered a way of pointing out America’s mistakes so that they won’t happen again. The public has a right to know how ill-prepared our agencies were in response to the 9/11 attacks. While some may be quick to point fingers and blame, in the long run, movies such as this exist to benefit the nation. Second, Rich claims the movie was not released too early but argues about how the movie portrays the enemy. I feel as if this is a minor detail and is only important down the road when America looks back on these movies. The movie was made for the benefit of the nation in identifying our weaknesses and strengths, not the enemies.
I find no problem whatsoever in the Hollywood retelling of United flight 93. Yes, documentaries are a very viable medium in which history can be told in an accurate manner, but there are times when a more dramatic flair is needed to not only capture the facts but also the feelings of the moment. United 93 maintains a vagueness about a lot of what the passengers on that flight thought or did beyond what would likely have been communicated through to the people they contact by phone. If nothing less, I embrace the occasional embellishment to really show the viewer how they might have felt in a given situation. If I were to retell you a story about a famous sporting event in which some athlete accomplished a heroic feat, it would have to include some creativity to help the listener to understand the emotion of that moment. Greengrass doesn’t provide a lot of details that seem far-fetched, and as Amy Biancolli mentions in her review of the film for the Houston Chronicle, the only background we have on the passengers are our assumptions as we witness them board the plane. The viewers are essentially put in a position in which they are like any other passenger on the plane. If someone profits, then that is not my concern unless it is exploitive. United 93 pays homage to some commendable ordinary everyday heroes, and I’m glad that someone thought that their courage warranted a major motion picture production.
The observation that the director Paul Greengrass consciously would include a simple measurable metric such as camera movement speeds to suggest the building of the suspense is genius. I would also like to add that not all of the traffic control centers start to panic at the same time. Ben Sliney and the Air Traffic Control Center in Virginia seem to hover in a more calmed state even after Boston starts to pick up. This is important because it also helps to provoke the viewer to want to scream at the screen and get the big-wigs to pay attention sooner. I found myself questioning how it is possible that people could chuckle for so long at that the possibility that any serious harm could come from a hijacking. To me it was like someone yelled fire and the big boss replied casually that they hadn’t had a fire in years and shrugged it off and asked that they come get him when and if the entire building filled up with smoke.
