District 9 Imagery

District 9 Imagery

Documentary Style

Early on and throughout the film, we see the camera being used in a documentary style following Wikus. It shows that this is a news story that is being covered. As the film goes along, the documentary style becomes less and less because Wikus is no longer a part of the MNU resettlement and his is now fighting for his life.

Time Tags

Blomkamp uses time tags throughout the film, but in very specific instances. When genetic research is taking place at MNU or when there is surveillance footage taken in black and white, we see these tags. The imagery shows us that there is a "big brother" watching everything that is happening. And that big brother is MNU.

Interviews

Interview style footage is used from beginning to end of the film. We see the name of the person with their position listed in white lettering on the screen and the lighting is very much interview style as there is a higher light value. The footage is a break from the present time in which the story takes place. It is pieced together as footage from a crew that is seeking to find out what happened after the Wikus incident at District 9. It helps to pull us out of the current moment to establish that something bad has happened and that the people aren't giving all of the information because they don't have it. They only have what they heard, thus we as the audience are given the full scope of the journey as we are right there with Wikus.

Setting Sun

31 hours after being exposed to the fluid, Wikus is on the run. We see him on a hill as the sun is setting in the background and the alien ship behind him. The imagery shows us that time is running out for him as he is quickly changing into one of the Prawns and there is no one yet who has tried to help him stop the transformation. He is all alone.

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