Cinematography in Apocalypse Now

The opening of Apocalypse Now where we see a close-up of Captain Willard's face on the screen and war scenes of helicopters and gun fire are being shown alongside and sometimes overlapping his face is very striking. This close-up on his face helps the viewer understand how Willard feels about the war and it is clear that the war is what is on his mind because it is being shown alongside his face. The close-up shows him staring off into the distance past the camera while smoking a cigarette. Since he seems almost emotionless, it is like the war has completely consumed him which seems to almost foreshadow what is to come with his character.

Special effects allow the war scenes and Willard's face to overlap each other. A process shot allowed the two different images to be part of the same shot. This allows the viewer to see the two different realties--Willard feeling depressed and distraught and the war in Vietnam which caused him to feel this way. These special effects show just how connected Willard is to the war.

I think this scene of the film portrays the image as presence because it really makes thw viewer feel what Willard is feeling and gets them involved emotionally. The close-up really aids in the emotional response to what is being shown on screen. The fact that the war images are shown with Willard's face makes it seem as if you are actually experiencing his thoughts.