The Drone
Quite frequently, director Gavin Hood makes use of shots that showcase the prowess of the tactical drone. The drone is portrayed as a hulking, faceless beast equipped with missiles and an all-seeing eye (the drone's camera) that is capable of tremendous destruction. Hood does this as a way to emphasize how cold and calculated warfare has become.
Young Innocent People
As the moral question surrounding whether or not the military should use drone technology becomes more and more urgent, imagery surrounding young innocent people becomes more prevalent. Director Gavin Hood does this as a way to question the viewers: in the pursuit of killing bad people and doing good, how many innocent lives can be acceptably lost?
Conference Rooms
As the question surrounding whether or not drone warfare should be used intensifies and an answer becomes more urgent, director Gavin Hood includes more imagery of long, lifeless conference rooms filled with politicians and bureaucrats. He does this as a way to emphasize how much bureaucracy is involved with military decision making and how uninvolved the people making those decisions are in the entire situation and in war in general.
The Golden Bird
As the situation in the village grows more dire, imagery of a golden, technological bird becomes more prevalent. Director Gavin Hood does this to emphasize how advanced, unique, and disconnected warfare has become.
