Directed by: John Sturges
The Great Escape is the story of WWII POWs planning an elaborate escape from their Nazi captors.
In the scene Hilts and Ives are taken to "the cooler" after unsatisfactory behavior in the prison camp. While in the cooler the two discuss their lives outside of the war. While talking Hilts (Steve McQueen) comes up with a plan to burrow out of the prison camp and become free men once again.
Shot 1
Hilts and Ives are taken from behind the barbwired section of the POW camp and walked to the location of "the cooler" in a long shot that tracks into a medium shot. The shot features outdoor lighting and tight framing with a normal lens.
Shot 2
Hilts, Ives, and the guards walk down the hall (longshot) towards the camera in a medium/eye level shot of the guards opening the doors while Hilts and Ives wait. The lighting is low key and the framing is tight shot with a normal lens.
Shot 3
A quick shot of Ives being placed in his cell, his rebellious smile fades to a frown. The shot is a medium shot of Ives is lit low key with a tight shot and normal lens.
Shot 4
Continues from shot 2. Hilts is placed into his cell by the guards, knocks, and hands the guards back the keys he's stolen.
Shot 5
A medium shot of Hilts exploring his cell. The camera pans with him, always staying eye level and following him as if we were in the cell with him. He jumps up and hangs on to the window bars and the camera follows him, then slumps down and throws a baseball against the cell wall, the camera always following. The lighting is low key/natural and framed tightly.
Shot 6 - 10
Share the same characteristics of scenes 3 and 5. Ives and Hilts discuss their lives outside of the war and how many escapes they've attempted in the camp. The camera cuts to whoever is speaking at the moment.
Shot 11
A low angle shot of Hilts as he continues to discuss escape attempts with Ives. The only difference with other scenes is the angle.
Shot 12 - 25
Shares the same characeristics of Hilts' scene 11 and Ives' scenes 6-10. Ives and Hilts talk about their racing days, Ives reveals he once was a jockey which sparks a plan in Hilts.
Shot 26
The scene is identical to shot 5. With the camera following Hilts as he jumps up to the window.
Shot 27
Identitcal to Ives' scene 3, except the camera tracks him walking through the cell as he discusses his days of being a jockey some more.
Shot 28
A medium shot of Hilts standing, all the characteristics the same. He checks his pocket and examines what he pulls out.
Shot 29
Identical to shot 3.
Shot 30
A medium tracking shot of Hilts as he walks to the front door of the cell and whispers to Ives. Everything remains the same.
Shot 31
Identical to Ives' scene 27.
Shot 32 - 35
Hilts and Ives discuss burrowing out of the compound in scenes identical to scene 30 and 31.
Shot 36
Hilts still talking to Ives about burrowing out. The shot is a medium shot of Hilts looking through the cell door window in high contrast lighting and tight framing.
Shot 37 - 39
The same as shot 36 but features Ives and Hilts going back and forth. They discuss how to move the dirt out.
Shot 40
The same as shot 30.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Mo' Money Mo' Problems
Dir. Hype Williams
Off of B.I.G.'s Life After Death feat. Mase and Puff Daddy
Released in '97
This 'futuristic' music video was made after The Notorious B.I.G.'s death. The story that frames the music video is that in which Puffy 'Woods" is trying to win a PGA tournement. The Rapper Mase acts as the sportscaster. The lighting in all these shots are the same, It takes place outside so theres this omnious light comming from what seems like a setting sun. There also seems to be some color correcting that was put in during post production.
The opening shot starts as a long shot of Mase as "Mase Gumble". It quickly moves closer to him, making it a medium shot. He's wearing an oversized yellow suit jacket while announcing for a PGA event.
The first cut is a jump cut less than 30 degrees to the right. Then his voice over continues as it cuts to a shot of Puffy "Woods" standing next to his caddy. The camera is placed low to the ground looking up at the two men.
The following cut backs away from Puffy revealing him walk up to the ball, and crouch down. This is satirical of all golf players i assume.
Suddenly we see "Fuzzy Badfeet" in Medium Shot. He is Puffy "Woods" opponent. He stand infront of a tense crowd gazing upon the highly staked 19th hole.
We then return to Mase "Gumble" in a closer Medium shot. He's talking quietly into a microphone with his finger to his ear as if listening in to someone. The Camera moves slightly around Mase's head while he gazes into the lense.
The there are two consecutive shots using the same camera movement, first is a long shot on Puffy about the swing the club, the camer is next to the hole but tracks forward bringing Puffy into a close medium shot. The exact same movement of camera appears again, only this time puffy swings the club. The we see a close up of the ball falling into the hole.
We cut back to a medium shot of Puffy jumping into the air, raising one fist and hearing the crowd go wild! It cuts to the camera tracking down the line of spectators applauding.
The final shot before the actual song breaks out is a medium shot of a man crouching down leaning on his club. He's in front of the audience wearing red sunglasses and what looks like a Hawwaian shirt. He says, "He's unstopable".
Big Up to Brooklyn.
JOSH COHEN
Off of B.I.G.'s Life After Death feat. Mase and Puff Daddy
Released in '97
This 'futuristic' music video was made after The Notorious B.I.G.'s death. The story that frames the music video is that in which Puffy 'Woods" is trying to win a PGA tournement. The Rapper Mase acts as the sportscaster. The lighting in all these shots are the same, It takes place outside so theres this omnious light comming from what seems like a setting sun. There also seems to be some color correcting that was put in during post production.
The opening shot starts as a long shot of Mase as "Mase Gumble". It quickly moves closer to him, making it a medium shot. He's wearing an oversized yellow suit jacket while announcing for a PGA event.
The first cut is a jump cut less than 30 degrees to the right. Then his voice over continues as it cuts to a shot of Puffy "Woods" standing next to his caddy. The camera is placed low to the ground looking up at the two men.
The following cut backs away from Puffy revealing him walk up to the ball, and crouch down. This is satirical of all golf players i assume.
Suddenly we see "Fuzzy Badfeet" in Medium Shot. He is Puffy "Woods" opponent. He stand infront of a tense crowd gazing upon the highly staked 19th hole.
We then return to Mase "Gumble" in a closer Medium shot. He's talking quietly into a microphone with his finger to his ear as if listening in to someone. The Camera moves slightly around Mase's head while he gazes into the lense.
The there are two consecutive shots using the same camera movement, first is a long shot on Puffy about the swing the club, the camer is next to the hole but tracks forward bringing Puffy into a close medium shot. The exact same movement of camera appears again, only this time puffy swings the club. The we see a close up of the ball falling into the hole.
We cut back to a medium shot of Puffy jumping into the air, raising one fist and hearing the crowd go wild! It cuts to the camera tracking down the line of spectators applauding.
The final shot before the actual song breaks out is a medium shot of a man crouching down leaning on his club. He's in front of the audience wearing red sunglasses and what looks like a Hawwaian shirt. He says, "He's unstopable".
Big Up to Brooklyn.
JOSH COHEN
Menace II Society: The Fifth Post by Davis Rivera
“Menace II Society”
Written and Directed by Allen and Albert Hughes
Released in 1993
Synopsis: A young street hustler attempts to escape the rigors and temptations of the ghetto in a quest for a better life.
Scene: O-Dog and Caine enter a Korean owned convenience store and attempt to purchase two bottles of liquor.
Shot One: The screen is completely black. We hear Caine and O-Dog discussing a party that they intend on going to later in the night. A homeless man interrupts them in an attempt for change. O-Dog reacts violently and tells him, in a vulgar manner, to go away, foreshadowing the extremely violent temper we will see out of O-Dog throughout the scene.
Shot Two: Using the most common shot transition, the cut, we finally are able to see, through exposition, the two men talking as Caine and O-Dog enter the convenience store smiling and continuing to discuss the party. The camera’s height is slightly lower than eye-level and Caine and O-Dog are seen in a medium shot producing a sense of intimacy by allowing viewers to focus on their excited faces as they prepare for the night’s events. At the end of the shot, a black man in the background turns his head to watch Caine and O-Dog as they are nearing the halfway point of the store.
Shot Three: A medium long shot is used and suddenly Caine and O-Dog aren’t the central focus of the shot giving way to the assortment of food and domestic products found throughout the store. As the camera tracks the passage of Caine and O-Dog we suddenly cross over a Korean woman who works in the store and is staring at the young men, not out of the ordinary after the shot of the black man seen earlier. The camera eventually comes to a halt and pans back as Caine and O-Dog reach the liquor section, leaving them in the background. Into the foreground immediately appears the Korean woman from earlier unconvincingly acting like she’s dusting to disguise her obvious suspicions.
Shot Four: A medium close-up signifies Caine’s discomfort and O-Dog’s anger at the woman as O-Dog voices his frustration and lets her know he knows what she is doing. Both O-Dog and Caine’s eyes are seen at the upper right hand corner of the screen, one of the main focal points. Behind them glares the fluorescent lighting illuminating the men in a saturated mix of vibrant colors much in contrast to the way the Korean woman is depicted in the following scene. Caine’s necklace depicting a Christian cross is especially evident below his face full of uneasiness.
Shot Five: A close-up of the Korean woman, one eyebrow arched and grimacing, is seen in extremely desaturated colors. She repeatedly looks down then back up again in a desperate attempt to continue her ‘cleaning up’ ploy that has long since been exposed by O-Dog. She, too, is seen at one of the focal points of the screen, this time at the upper left hand corner. In the background is a drink container, much like the one behind Caine and O-Dog, only now there is no light emitting from it, juxtaposing their brief innocence with her unwarranted skepticism.
Shot Six: O-Dog again expresses his thoughts out loud with his proclamation, “they always think we gonna steal something” as he averts his eyes to the liquor, opens the door and allows Caine to make a selection of what he would like. The saturated colors continue as Caine disappears from the shot leaving O-Dog in a medium close-up.
Shot Seven: An almost exact replica of shot five, again shows the Korean woman nervously looking from the wine bottles she is fictitiously cleaning to Caine and O-Dog going about their business in picking out beer to consume. The mise-en-scène in these two shots emphasizes Caine and O-Dog’s power in controlling a racial motivated event, regardless of their age difference with the woman and it being her own store.
Shot Eight: A medium close-up shows O-Dog closing the liquor case as Caine opens his beer and takes a massive drink lifting the bottom of the bottle to the sky. Immediately after this a swish pan occurs, producing a blurred image of everything Caine and O-Dog passed earlier, ending at a Korean man at the register, unseen earlier due to the black man’s presence, telling Caine not to drink the beer in the store. An important diegetic instrument used during this first pan is the sound of a loud car horn heightening the already unnerving tension the viewer has been privy to this entire scene to its supposed extreme. After the Korean man is finished, the camera again swish pans to Caine who, for the first time in this scene, becomes visibly upset and announces that he intends to pay.
Shot Nine: A close-up shows the Korean woman speed walking and no longer brushing away invisible dust, in an attempt to get closer to Caine and O-Dog. The eyeline match is so pronounced that we no longer question what has captured this woman’s attention but instead focus on her unblinking eyes, unsure of whether, uncharacteristically, she will be the one who does the harm to the two young men.
Shot Ten: These ruminations are thwarted when, in a medium cut, O-Dog stops her in her tracks and yells at her to stop following them around.
Shots Eleven through Twenty-Four: Maintaining a steady medium shot of Caine, O-Dog and the Korean woman, the shot/reverse shot is employed to substantial effect as O-Dog and Caine are told to hurry up and leave while O-Dog tries to calm the situation by saying that’s exactly what he intends to do as Caine now becomes the verbal aggressor intensifying his voice each time the man at the register tells them to leave. Caine and O-Dog arrive at the counter, followed in the foreground by the Korean woman, and pay for the beer. When seen, the man at the counter is shown using a wide-angle lens and in close-up, tightly framed making it easy for the viewer to understand his feeling of constriction as the shoulders of both Caine and O-Dog can still be seen, both at focal points, forming a V-formation as he nervously watches Caine get out his money. Caine asks O-Dog to get his change, which the man at the counter has already put back in the register. O-Dog calmly asks for the change as the verbal attacks on the two men to get out continue repeatedly. Just as the cringe-inducing scene is seemingly at an end as O-Dog and Caine approach the exit, the man at the register, in a medium shot, tells O-Dog, ‘I feel sorry for your mother.’
Shots Twenty-Five through Twenty-Seven: The camera zooms in to an extreme canted angle close-up of O-Dog who is justifiably upset at what has been said to him. The man at the register is then seen in a medium shot at the center of the screen, moving back to a focal point once he realizes the trouble he’s in. The final shot shows O-Dog and Caine in a long shot, revealing the Korean woman in the foreground and placing emphasis on the suddenly minuscule depiction of O-Dog, an abrupt contrast to the towering man at the register emphasizing the opposition even more.
Shots Twenty-Eight and Twenty-Nine: The camera zooms in to an extreme close-up on Caine as he drinks his beer in the same fashion as earlier when suddenly two gunshots are heard in the background. Caine, startled, drops his bottle to the ground as it shatters. A cutaway to a close-up of the broken beer bottle, the only object thus far shown in a single cut, proves important, as the viewer will later learn when Caine’s fingerprints are found on it during an investigation of the murders.
Shots Thirty Through Forty-Five: O-Dog shoots the man at the register two more times then, switching to a normal lens, the Hughes Brothers maintain a series of handheld shots for the remainder of the scene providing a sense of the immediacy required of every one alive. O-Dog grabs the Korean woman, who is by now screaming, and drags her to the back of the store insisting that she tell him where the surveillance tape is. Using harsh lighting and a series of low-angle shots, the Hughes Brothers smoothly draw an urgent attention to the viewer to pay attention to the important details of the story space. The timing of each shot after the murder allows just the right amount of time for each individual character to gather the effects of what O-Dog has done, through brief snippets of the cashier’s dead body behind the counter and Caine’s incredulous face in a fragmented close-up. The camera then zooms in to a plastic curtain distancing the viewer from the violence heard off-screen and ends with the sound of two more gunshots and a halt to the woman screaming. O-Dog returns smiling, the tape seen in the waistline of his pants, and in a low-angle shot robs the dead cashier. Caine eventually gets tired of waiting for O-Dog and leaves. An important aspect of his departure is it happens just as the unopened bottle of O-Dog’s beer is seen in the foreground of the shot, occupying most of the screen, again drawing the viewer’s attention to the bottle so they won’t forget its significance. O-Dog, unlike Caine, does leave with the bottle however as the camera swiftly tracks O-Dog as he follows Caine out of the store and into an unseen car. Like the previous shot of O-Dog killing the Korean woman, the viewer doesn’t see the action taking place but the distinct sound of tires screeching away makes their actions very clear summing up a scene that synthesized the cinematography and mise-en-scène of individual shots into a series of images that, when taken as a whole, transcend the limitations of any one of the images in isolation. For two men who had never made a previous film, this is an impressive feat that few experienced directors have been able to reach.
Written and Directed by Allen and Albert Hughes
Released in 1993
Synopsis: A young street hustler attempts to escape the rigors and temptations of the ghetto in a quest for a better life.
Scene: O-Dog and Caine enter a Korean owned convenience store and attempt to purchase two bottles of liquor.
Shot One: The screen is completely black. We hear Caine and O-Dog discussing a party that they intend on going to later in the night. A homeless man interrupts them in an attempt for change. O-Dog reacts violently and tells him, in a vulgar manner, to go away, foreshadowing the extremely violent temper we will see out of O-Dog throughout the scene.
Shot Two: Using the most common shot transition, the cut, we finally are able to see, through exposition, the two men talking as Caine and O-Dog enter the convenience store smiling and continuing to discuss the party. The camera’s height is slightly lower than eye-level and Caine and O-Dog are seen in a medium shot producing a sense of intimacy by allowing viewers to focus on their excited faces as they prepare for the night’s events. At the end of the shot, a black man in the background turns his head to watch Caine and O-Dog as they are nearing the halfway point of the store.
Shot Three: A medium long shot is used and suddenly Caine and O-Dog aren’t the central focus of the shot giving way to the assortment of food and domestic products found throughout the store. As the camera tracks the passage of Caine and O-Dog we suddenly cross over a Korean woman who works in the store and is staring at the young men, not out of the ordinary after the shot of the black man seen earlier. The camera eventually comes to a halt and pans back as Caine and O-Dog reach the liquor section, leaving them in the background. Into the foreground immediately appears the Korean woman from earlier unconvincingly acting like she’s dusting to disguise her obvious suspicions.
Shot Four: A medium close-up signifies Caine’s discomfort and O-Dog’s anger at the woman as O-Dog voices his frustration and lets her know he knows what she is doing. Both O-Dog and Caine’s eyes are seen at the upper right hand corner of the screen, one of the main focal points. Behind them glares the fluorescent lighting illuminating the men in a saturated mix of vibrant colors much in contrast to the way the Korean woman is depicted in the following scene. Caine’s necklace depicting a Christian cross is especially evident below his face full of uneasiness.
Shot Five: A close-up of the Korean woman, one eyebrow arched and grimacing, is seen in extremely desaturated colors. She repeatedly looks down then back up again in a desperate attempt to continue her ‘cleaning up’ ploy that has long since been exposed by O-Dog. She, too, is seen at one of the focal points of the screen, this time at the upper left hand corner. In the background is a drink container, much like the one behind Caine and O-Dog, only now there is no light emitting from it, juxtaposing their brief innocence with her unwarranted skepticism.
Shot Six: O-Dog again expresses his thoughts out loud with his proclamation, “they always think we gonna steal something” as he averts his eyes to the liquor, opens the door and allows Caine to make a selection of what he would like. The saturated colors continue as Caine disappears from the shot leaving O-Dog in a medium close-up.
Shot Seven: An almost exact replica of shot five, again shows the Korean woman nervously looking from the wine bottles she is fictitiously cleaning to Caine and O-Dog going about their business in picking out beer to consume. The mise-en-scène in these two shots emphasizes Caine and O-Dog’s power in controlling a racial motivated event, regardless of their age difference with the woman and it being her own store.
Shot Eight: A medium close-up shows O-Dog closing the liquor case as Caine opens his beer and takes a massive drink lifting the bottom of the bottle to the sky. Immediately after this a swish pan occurs, producing a blurred image of everything Caine and O-Dog passed earlier, ending at a Korean man at the register, unseen earlier due to the black man’s presence, telling Caine not to drink the beer in the store. An important diegetic instrument used during this first pan is the sound of a loud car horn heightening the already unnerving tension the viewer has been privy to this entire scene to its supposed extreme. After the Korean man is finished, the camera again swish pans to Caine who, for the first time in this scene, becomes visibly upset and announces that he intends to pay.
Shot Nine: A close-up shows the Korean woman speed walking and no longer brushing away invisible dust, in an attempt to get closer to Caine and O-Dog. The eyeline match is so pronounced that we no longer question what has captured this woman’s attention but instead focus on her unblinking eyes, unsure of whether, uncharacteristically, she will be the one who does the harm to the two young men.
Shot Ten: These ruminations are thwarted when, in a medium cut, O-Dog stops her in her tracks and yells at her to stop following them around.
Shots Eleven through Twenty-Four: Maintaining a steady medium shot of Caine, O-Dog and the Korean woman, the shot/reverse shot is employed to substantial effect as O-Dog and Caine are told to hurry up and leave while O-Dog tries to calm the situation by saying that’s exactly what he intends to do as Caine now becomes the verbal aggressor intensifying his voice each time the man at the register tells them to leave. Caine and O-Dog arrive at the counter, followed in the foreground by the Korean woman, and pay for the beer. When seen, the man at the counter is shown using a wide-angle lens and in close-up, tightly framed making it easy for the viewer to understand his feeling of constriction as the shoulders of both Caine and O-Dog can still be seen, both at focal points, forming a V-formation as he nervously watches Caine get out his money. Caine asks O-Dog to get his change, which the man at the counter has already put back in the register. O-Dog calmly asks for the change as the verbal attacks on the two men to get out continue repeatedly. Just as the cringe-inducing scene is seemingly at an end as O-Dog and Caine approach the exit, the man at the register, in a medium shot, tells O-Dog, ‘I feel sorry for your mother.’
Shots Twenty-Five through Twenty-Seven: The camera zooms in to an extreme canted angle close-up of O-Dog who is justifiably upset at what has been said to him. The man at the register is then seen in a medium shot at the center of the screen, moving back to a focal point once he realizes the trouble he’s in. The final shot shows O-Dog and Caine in a long shot, revealing the Korean woman in the foreground and placing emphasis on the suddenly minuscule depiction of O-Dog, an abrupt contrast to the towering man at the register emphasizing the opposition even more.
Shots Twenty-Eight and Twenty-Nine: The camera zooms in to an extreme close-up on Caine as he drinks his beer in the same fashion as earlier when suddenly two gunshots are heard in the background. Caine, startled, drops his bottle to the ground as it shatters. A cutaway to a close-up of the broken beer bottle, the only object thus far shown in a single cut, proves important, as the viewer will later learn when Caine’s fingerprints are found on it during an investigation of the murders.
Shots Thirty Through Forty-Five: O-Dog shoots the man at the register two more times then, switching to a normal lens, the Hughes Brothers maintain a series of handheld shots for the remainder of the scene providing a sense of the immediacy required of every one alive. O-Dog grabs the Korean woman, who is by now screaming, and drags her to the back of the store insisting that she tell him where the surveillance tape is. Using harsh lighting and a series of low-angle shots, the Hughes Brothers smoothly draw an urgent attention to the viewer to pay attention to the important details of the story space. The timing of each shot after the murder allows just the right amount of time for each individual character to gather the effects of what O-Dog has done, through brief snippets of the cashier’s dead body behind the counter and Caine’s incredulous face in a fragmented close-up. The camera then zooms in to a plastic curtain distancing the viewer from the violence heard off-screen and ends with the sound of two more gunshots and a halt to the woman screaming. O-Dog returns smiling, the tape seen in the waistline of his pants, and in a low-angle shot robs the dead cashier. Caine eventually gets tired of waiting for O-Dog and leaves. An important aspect of his departure is it happens just as the unopened bottle of O-Dog’s beer is seen in the foreground of the shot, occupying most of the screen, again drawing the viewer’s attention to the bottle so they won’t forget its significance. O-Dog, unlike Caine, does leave with the bottle however as the camera swiftly tracks O-Dog as he follows Caine out of the store and into an unseen car. Like the previous shot of O-Dog killing the Korean woman, the viewer doesn’t see the action taking place but the distinct sound of tires screeching away makes their actions very clear summing up a scene that synthesized the cinematography and mise-en-scène of individual shots into a series of images that, when taken as a whole, transcend the limitations of any one of the images in isolation. For two men who had never made a previous film, this is an impressive feat that few experienced directors have been able to reach.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Isaac Richter- The Departed
The scene I picked is long, but it shows some really good examples of shot/reverse shots and parallel editing, so I'm just going to write an analysis for this one (since it has a lot of shots, and really quick ones). It's from The Departed, a film about two police officers, one who is infiltrated in the mob to expose their leader, and one who is a rat for the mob inside the department. The scene starts when Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), the police officer with ties to the mob, moves into his new apartment with Madolyn (Vera Farmiga), his psychiatrist girlfriend. The scene starts with a shot/reverse shot on the kitchen counter, with a box full of Madolyn's old pictures on the counter. Madolyn has a microwave behind her creating a Z-axis, and Sullivan has a blue wall in the background with pintings. There's an eyeline match scene when Sullivan looks at the box next to him and then takes out one of the pictures. We see a picture of a little girl on a bycicly, wearing a helmet and smiling in the foreground, with a house and a tree in the background. Sullivan takes the box and moves it to the other side of the apartment. It becomes a tracking shot, and it reveals a turned-on TV, a lamp, and a door at the far end of the background. This whole scene has high-key lighting, and the framing is relatively tight inside the apartment. Sullivan walks back to the counter and the shot/reverse shot continues.
This is interrupted when the phone rings. There's a small quarrel whether who should answer the phone, and in the end, Madolyn answers it. A man with a voice distorter asks for Sullivan and she gives him the phone. It's Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), the leader of the Irish mob in Massachusetts, who is walking next to the ship yards and asks Sullivan what is wrong with his phone. There's another eyeline matching shot in which Sullivan takes his phone out of his pocket and sees that he has missed calls from Costello. Here's where the scene becomes a cross-cutting scene between Sullivan talking on the phone, on the terrace outside his apartment, with a glass sliding door behind him and white frames on the door and windows, and Costello movin through the ship yard. On Costello's side of the conversation, the camera is constantly tracking his movement around the shipyard, as he walks up the steps into a red-brick gazeebo. On Sullivan's side, Sullivan moves around the terrace, and we have another eyeline match shot from Madolyn's point of view as she looks at Sullivan, suspicious. Costello moves in a circle inside the gazeebo as soon as he tells Sullivan that he suspects a cop in his crew. He has the harbor in the background with ships sailing back and forth. Sullivan has the kitchen visible through the sliding door and Madolyn in the background. Most of these shots are medium shots, with a couple of close-ups of Sullivan when he starts telling Costello to gather information on everyone in his crew. As soon as Costello hangs up the phone, there's a close-up on ullivan's face, leaning on the terrace rail, with his kitchen and Madolyn standing in the background, loking at him with her thumb on her teeth, and a shasow on the glass creating the z-axis. Throughout this conversation, there have been cuts towards Madolyn, to build the suspense that he's talking about something secret with the person he loves in the other room, and he's being told that if anything happens, he might lose her, so it's important to keep her looking in the background. On Sullivan's side of the phone call, the framing is tight and on Costello's side, it's lose. There's low contrast in the lighting on both sides, hardly any shadows.
After this, there's another cross-cutting scene that is happening in two completely different locations, but it is assumed they're both happening at the same time, since these two locations had just been linked by a phone call a little while ago. On Costello's side of the phone call, the camera tracks him as he walks away from the gazeebo, and as he's leaving, we find Queenan (Martin Sheen) and Dignam (Mark Wahlberg) leaning on the wall of the entrance in the background right behind him, calling him. Costello turns around and sees them. The camera pans from Costello to Queenan as they approach each other. It cuts back to Sullivan's apartment after he's come back inside and Madolyn asks him what that was all about. There's a long shot of both of them on the same frame, first Sullivan on the right and then crossing to the left to pick something up and then back to the right. The camera doesn't move on this part. It ends on a medium shot of Sullivan before cutting back to a medium shot of Queenan and Dignam. It's a shot/reverse shot of them and Costello as Queenan asks him about the micro-processors.
It cuts back one last time to Sullivan's apartment, there's a medium two-shot with both of them in the frame as he approaches Madolyn and kisses her, and this cuts between close-ups of Madolyn telling Sullivan just tell her when something is a secret. The scene ends with the movers ringing the doorbell and disrupting a romantice scene. Then it cuts back to the shot/reverse shot with Costello. It momentarily cuts away to the background behind Costello, where a parade of children dressed as angels is marching on the pier in front of a woman with a white hat. This becomes the background of one last medium shot of Costello before he turns around saying "I've got a date with some angels". This is followed by a medium shot of Queenan looking at Frank with Dignam out of focus in the background and there's an eyeline match shot as we see what Queenan sees, Costello marching behind this woman and a nun.
Both of these scenes together have high-key lighting, and the framing feels relatively tight, except for any frame when Costello is alone. Costello is a man who is never backed into a corner, so I think having the frame be loose whenever he's alone indicates that he's a man who can move around wherever he wants, and every other character is tight in the frame, feeling backed into a corner. It also keeps the lighting high-key to make it seem natural to the time of day.
The Departed is a film where very few shots last more than 15, maybe 20 seconds. He cuts out of scenes very fast, and creates something new with every scene, which means he has more a lot of shots per scene in this film, but it's interesting to see what techniques he uses and I can find many examples of shot/reverse shot and cross-cutting between scenes as well as montages in other parts of the film (like the opening with Sullivan and Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) going through police training). It's an interesting film to see for editing. It arranges many different little pieces of the story throughout (it's interesting how it will cut to Costigan's mother dying at the hospital while he's having his interview with Queenan, or how we find out that Queenan and Dignam suspect the rat in the police department while Costigan is seeing Madolyn as a patient). It's a film that doesn't rest when it comes to editing.
This is interrupted when the phone rings. There's a small quarrel whether who should answer the phone, and in the end, Madolyn answers it. A man with a voice distorter asks for Sullivan and she gives him the phone. It's Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), the leader of the Irish mob in Massachusetts, who is walking next to the ship yards and asks Sullivan what is wrong with his phone. There's another eyeline matching shot in which Sullivan takes his phone out of his pocket and sees that he has missed calls from Costello. Here's where the scene becomes a cross-cutting scene between Sullivan talking on the phone, on the terrace outside his apartment, with a glass sliding door behind him and white frames on the door and windows, and Costello movin through the ship yard. On Costello's side of the conversation, the camera is constantly tracking his movement around the shipyard, as he walks up the steps into a red-brick gazeebo. On Sullivan's side, Sullivan moves around the terrace, and we have another eyeline match shot from Madolyn's point of view as she looks at Sullivan, suspicious. Costello moves in a circle inside the gazeebo as soon as he tells Sullivan that he suspects a cop in his crew. He has the harbor in the background with ships sailing back and forth. Sullivan has the kitchen visible through the sliding door and Madolyn in the background. Most of these shots are medium shots, with a couple of close-ups of Sullivan when he starts telling Costello to gather information on everyone in his crew. As soon as Costello hangs up the phone, there's a close-up on ullivan's face, leaning on the terrace rail, with his kitchen and Madolyn standing in the background, loking at him with her thumb on her teeth, and a shasow on the glass creating the z-axis. Throughout this conversation, there have been cuts towards Madolyn, to build the suspense that he's talking about something secret with the person he loves in the other room, and he's being told that if anything happens, he might lose her, so it's important to keep her looking in the background. On Sullivan's side of the phone call, the framing is tight and on Costello's side, it's lose. There's low contrast in the lighting on both sides, hardly any shadows.
After this, there's another cross-cutting scene that is happening in two completely different locations, but it is assumed they're both happening at the same time, since these two locations had just been linked by a phone call a little while ago. On Costello's side of the phone call, the camera tracks him as he walks away from the gazeebo, and as he's leaving, we find Queenan (Martin Sheen) and Dignam (Mark Wahlberg) leaning on the wall of the entrance in the background right behind him, calling him. Costello turns around and sees them. The camera pans from Costello to Queenan as they approach each other. It cuts back to Sullivan's apartment after he's come back inside and Madolyn asks him what that was all about. There's a long shot of both of them on the same frame, first Sullivan on the right and then crossing to the left to pick something up and then back to the right. The camera doesn't move on this part. It ends on a medium shot of Sullivan before cutting back to a medium shot of Queenan and Dignam. It's a shot/reverse shot of them and Costello as Queenan asks him about the micro-processors.
It cuts back one last time to Sullivan's apartment, there's a medium two-shot with both of them in the frame as he approaches Madolyn and kisses her, and this cuts between close-ups of Madolyn telling Sullivan just tell her when something is a secret. The scene ends with the movers ringing the doorbell and disrupting a romantice scene. Then it cuts back to the shot/reverse shot with Costello. It momentarily cuts away to the background behind Costello, where a parade of children dressed as angels is marching on the pier in front of a woman with a white hat. This becomes the background of one last medium shot of Costello before he turns around saying "I've got a date with some angels". This is followed by a medium shot of Queenan looking at Frank with Dignam out of focus in the background and there's an eyeline match shot as we see what Queenan sees, Costello marching behind this woman and a nun.
Both of these scenes together have high-key lighting, and the framing feels relatively tight, except for any frame when Costello is alone. Costello is a man who is never backed into a corner, so I think having the frame be loose whenever he's alone indicates that he's a man who can move around wherever he wants, and every other character is tight in the frame, feeling backed into a corner. It also keeps the lighting high-key to make it seem natural to the time of day.
The Departed is a film where very few shots last more than 15, maybe 20 seconds. He cuts out of scenes very fast, and creates something new with every scene, which means he has more a lot of shots per scene in this film, but it's interesting to see what techniques he uses and I can find many examples of shot/reverse shot and cross-cutting between scenes as well as montages in other parts of the film (like the opening with Sullivan and Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) going through police training). It's an interesting film to see for editing. It arranges many different little pieces of the story throughout (it's interesting how it will cut to Costigan's mother dying at the hospital while he's having his interview with Queenan, or how we find out that Queenan and Dignam suspect the rat in the police department while Costigan is seeing Madolyn as a patient). It's a film that doesn't rest when it comes to editing.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Jose Saca – Elephant (Fifth Post)
Elephant is a British TV film released in 1989 and directed by Alan Clarke. The film is essentially a series of staged killings filmed in a verité approach. Using minimal dialogue and with little-to-no reliance on plot, the film is an attempt at addressing social problems in Northern Ireland at that time (terrorism and the IRA being an example). The film is shot in 16mm film and utilizes tracking shots to an innovative effect. It influenced Gus Van Sant’s 2003 film of the same name.
Aside from looking at camera distance, lens types, camera movement, lighting (high vs. low key), framing (tight vs. loose) and foreground/background relationships in a shot-by-shot analysis of a selected scene, this post will also look at editing relationships, with transitions, shot/reverse shot, continuity and cutaways as examples of the many questions raised in the editing of a scene.
OPENING SCENE
A street in Northern Ireland. We are clearly in an urban area. The title of the film is superimposed for a few seconds. In the center of the frame, a small figure approaches the camera.
Shot One
A wide shot makes the figure seem small in the opening seconds of the film. The audience can also see a cloudy sky, a billboard for an unknown product, cars, and apartment buildings surrounding the sidewalk the figure walks on. A normal lens with slight deep focus enhances the stark realism Clarke pursuits throughout the film. The figure nears the camera’s POV. The figure is a man in a brown jacket. The camera makes a tilt pan to the right that quickly turns into a tracking shot, slightly moving to the left of the screen. The camera moves but the man keeps walking towards a brick building. Because it’s a stark exterior in an urban area, the lighting is natural-key to convey the film’s realist approach. Framing on the subject is loose. The exteriors surrounding him receive ample presence on-screen. Foreground is slightly exaggerated in opening seconds. The billboard looks unrealistically large, and as the camera makes its tilt pan to the right, the figure appears warped for a second. The background is widened as the figure approaches the brick building. The building towers over the figure as he approaches the entrance. The figure becomes smaller in the foreground until he is virtually nonexistent in the background. A continuity edit is used to transition quickly into the interior of the building. The film wastes no time in transitioning to its next shot.
Shot Two
A full shot, the subject is seen head-to-toe entering the building. The camera waits for a second or two from the building’s interior. The shot is taken with a telephoto lens, enhancing the cramped interior of the building. The camera is still for a second or two before panning to the left. The camera watches the subject enter another door and keeps focus on him for a second or two before cutting to the next shot. Lighting is still natural-key in keeping with the raw minimalism used in the prior shot. The building’s cramped interiors are enhanced by the tight framing used for this shot. In the foreground, the white walls of the building’s interior are warped and appear slightly larger than life. The background is slightly out of focus as the figure enters the shot. If one looks closely, a man looking out the window is somewhat visible in the shot’s background. Another continuity edit is used to transition into the room the man enters at the end of this shot.
Shot Three
Another full shot as the man enters the room. It’s the pool area of the building. From this information, we can gather the building is perhaps a sports club or a place similar to the YMCA. The shot captures most of the room’s dimensions, from the pool in the center to the four walls enclosing it. A normal lens is used in this shot. Lens choice seems secondary before camera movement in this shot. The camera is still for a second or two before it tilt pans to the right as the man encircles the right-hand side of the pool. The camera is still for a few more seconds before tilt panning to the left as the man reaches the pool’s left-hand side. In keeping with prior lighting choices, the lighting of this shot is natural-key. The subject is framed loosely and let free to roam the captured surroundings of this shot. The foreground is heavily distorted and creates a sense of smallness in the man as he walks around the facility’s pool area. The walls and pool are heavily warped. The man is only captured in full focus for a second as he nears the camera, but this changes once the tilt pans come into play. The background is slightly out of focus and the man is captured as a tiny figure. It’s as if he were a victim of the foreground’s distortions. A sharp continuity edit as the man completes his encircling and approaches the entrance of the pool area transitions us to the next shot.
Shot Four
A full shot captures the subject leaving the pool area and returning to where he was in the second shot. The subject is shot with a wide-angle lens. Camera movement is EXTREMELY vital in this shot. The camera is still for the one or two seconds needed for the subject to exit the pool area and walk down a few steps. The camera tilt pans to the right and becomes a tracking shot, shooting the subject with his back to the camera and following him as he walks again towards the entrance area of the facility. The subject takes a right and walks into a cramped corridor for the remainder of the shot. The camera pauses as soon as the subject enters the corridor. The subject is captured walking into the corridor and he becomes smaller and smaller. The subject reaches into his coat as he moves into the corridor. Natural-key lighting, with the assistance of lighting from the florescent bulbs on the corridor’s ceiling, light the subject in a raw yet still bright glow as he keeps walking down the corridor. The camera is still as the subject pauses, turns left, and pulls a shotgun. The foreground is exaggerated throughout. The interiors are distorted and enlarged to create a sense that the subject is alone in what he is about to do. It creates desolation and detachment the subject has to his surroundings. The background is out of focus once the subject comes into play. The backgrounds are smaller than the exaggerated foregrounds. It embellishes the sense of distance created by the foreground. A jump-cut is used to create a jarring effect as soon as the subject pulls out the weapon.
Shot Five
An extreme close-up of the shotgun being fired as the subject’s hand and arm are slightly apparent. A telephoto lens is used in this shot to concentrate more on the subject, the shotgun, over anything else in the background. The camera is still. The high-key lighting is used to emphasize the shotgun’s blast. The shot is tightly framed, with little else in the background. The foreground is completely in focus and exaggerated to create a greater impact as the shotgun is fired. The arm and the gun itself look larger-than-life. This clearly emphasizes the complications arising once someone pulls the trigger of a firearm to hurt a human being. The background is slightly in focus but is almost obliterated by the shot’s emphasis on foreground. Another jump-cut, this one to the rhythm of the shotgun blast, reinforces the jarring effect created by the prior cut.
Shot Six
A full shot of a janitor receiving the shotgun blast as flecks of blood hit the telephoto lens used to create an enclosed relationship with subject and viewer. The compressed depth of the shot proves the latter point. The camera tilt pans downward to the rhythm of the subject’s sudden collapse. The lighting is extremely natural-key. The subject would be considered under-lit if this were a mainstream or narrative feature. The lighting enhances the dread and cold monotony that comes with the act of killing. The subject is captured in a tight frame. The effect one gets watching the shot is of the subject being swallowed by the cramped bathroom he was tending to. The foreground and background relationships in this shot are similar. The foreground walls are somewhat in focus, and the walls and stool in the background are likewise. The shot is concentrated in capturing the subject and his immediate collapse. A continuity edit transitions us to the next shot.
Shot Seven
A full shot, the subject quickly pockets the shotgun as soon as he turns around and walks away. A telephoto lens keeps the focus locked on the subject as he turns his back to the camera and begins his walk towards the exit. A tracking shot follows the subject as he nears the exit of the corridor. The lighting is natural key, in keeping with the coldness exuded by the past shot. The framing is tight. The tight framing and the tracking shot bare similarities with Kubrick’s The Shining in the effect one gets with the movement of the camera combined with the tightness of the frame. It’s as if the corridors were moving rather than the subject. Foreground is focused on the subject. Background is virtually nonexistent, as the effect created by the moving camera and tight foreground strike an odd but effective balance that matches with the movement of the subject. A quick and effective continuity edit is used once the subject reaches the corridor’s exit.
Shot Eight
A full shot of the subject as he exits the corridor, heads towards the entrance door, opens the door and leaves. A wide-angle lens is used to balance the focus of the foreground and background in relation to the subject. The camera is still. The lighting remains natural-key. The framing is loose to retain the abovementioned balance between foreground/background in relation to the subject. The foreground and background are in synch. A sharp continuity edit occurs once the subject pushes open the door and leaves.
Shot Nine
A full shot with a telephoto lens captures the janitor’s corpse in full view. The camera is still, making the viewer voyeur in the most painful manner possible. The stillness of the camera captures the coldness and monotony of the room that harbors the body. The lighting is natural-key, but because of the subject’s dark clothing and the telephoto focus used to capture the stillness in which he lies on the floor, the lighting does seem a bit low-key if the film is paused and looked at closely. For once, the foreground isn’t the dominant partner in its relationship to the background. With the exception of the subject’s legs and feet, nothing in the foreground is distorted or altered in this shot. The background is in perfect synch with the cramped interior, to the point where the subject’s upper-body seems to blend in with the background itself. The camera remains still for about five more seconds. A continuity edit transitions us to the next scene.
My Name Is Earl
Scene before the 1st commercial break
- Lighting: high key, low contrast
- Lens Type: Wide angle (everything is in focus)
- Angle: Eye level
- Close up of a staple gun
- Character moves into a close up
- Wide shot of opposite character as he enters
- Medium shot as 1st character stands
- Over the shoulder Medium shot
- Ct another over the shoulder Medium of opposite character
- Close up, over the shoulder
- Back to Medium over the shoulder, camera pans diagonally as character reaches for something and then pans back up
- Close up, over the shoulder
- Back to Medium, over the shoulder
- Cut away to backpack
- Close up, over the shoulder
- Close up, over the shoulder
- Back to medium, OVS
- Wide as character runs away
- Fade to Black (for commercial
- Transitions: Straight cuts
Hotel Chevalier
*This is a makeup blog for what I missed from last week, the shot by shot list. The film is a short from Wes Anderson, which is sort of prequel to The Darjeeling Limited.
I’d say the framing in this film is pretty loose. There are a lot of wide shots and it being a Wes Anderson film he loves a dollies and pans.
~Brianna P.
- 1st scene opens with a wide shot, establishes interior lobby of a hotel. High key, low contrast. Wide angle lens. All of the following is at eye level unless otherwise stated and has a deep depth of field:
- Wide, interior of a hotel room, character’s feet to the right of the frame.
- Wide, main character to the left of the frame, sitting on a bed.
- Close up, main character answers the phone, he’s to the right of the frame. Shallow depth of field.
- Wide shot, main character picks up clothes, he’s in the middle of the frame.
- Wide, interior of the bathroom, camera is in the bedroom however. This also shows a frame within a frame because we’re just a few feet outside the doorway which narrows our point of focus.
- Medium close up, interior of the bathroom. Character in front of mirror, camera as the mirror.
- Wide, back into the hotel bedroom as the character walks out of the bathroom and continues to clean. Low angle.
- Wide, another portion of the room.
- Med, as character walks across the screen from left to right but it goes into a close up as he kneels down and puts music on.
- Back to Wide as he rushes into the bathroom.
- Med wide shot? Character is to the left of the frame very low so it’s from his elbows up. This is a high angle shot. Although we don’t see much of the character we still see quite a bit of the space around him.
- Main character gets up and exits the frame, camera dollies to him at the dresser adjusting the music again. Med shot. He opens the door and this introduces a new character.
I’d say the framing in this film is pretty loose. There are a lot of wide shots and it being a Wes Anderson film he loves a dollies and pans.
~Brianna P.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Brick Decoupage
Scene 3 Brendon Interrogates Dode
Shot 1 Coffee Shop
Medium Shot
Normal Lens
No movement
Available/outdoor light
Loose framing
Shot 2 Coffee Shop #2
Close up
Telephoto Lens
No movement
Available outdoor light
Tight framing
Shot 3 Brendan Walking
Close up
Wide Angle Lens
Tracking shot
Outdoor/available light
Loose framing including 3 characters
Shot 4 Dode
Medium Shot
Normal
No Movement
High Key
Loose Framing (Dode and the Dumpsters)
Shot 5 Twisted Straw
Close up
Normal
No Movement
Low key lighting
Tight Framing
Shot 6 Brendan walking
Medium
Normal
Pan
Natural Light/Filtered
Loose framing (two shot)
Shot 7 Brendan
Close up
Normal
No Movement
Low Key natural lighting
Tight Framing
Shot 8 Dode
Medium
Normal
Tracking
Low key natural
Tight Framing
Shot 9
Close up
Normal
No Movement
Low Key natural lighting
Tight Framing
Shot 10
Close up
Normal
No Movement
Low key natural light
Tight framing
Shot 11 Gang
Medium shot
Normal
No movement
low key natural lighting
Loose framing
Shot 12
Close up
Normal
No Movement
Low Key natural lighting
Tight Framing
Shot 13
Close up
Normal
No Movement
Low Key natural lighting
Tight Framing
Shot 14
Extreme Close up
Wide angle lense
Shaky camera
High key natural light
Tight framing
Shot 15 Dode Punched
Medium shot
Normal lens
No movement
Low key natural light
Loose framing
Shot 16
Medium shot
Normal lens
No movement
Low key natural
Loose framing
Shot 17
Medium shot
Normal
No movement
low key natural lighting
Loose framing
Shot 18
Medium
Normal lens
No movement
Low key natural
Loose framing (brendan walkin towards cam)
Shot 19
Medium shot
Normal
No movement
low key natural lighting
Loose framing
Shot 20
Close up
Normal
No movement
High key natural
Tight framing
Shot 21
Medium shot
Normal
No movement
low key natural lighting
Loose framing
Shot 22
Close up
Normal
No movement
High key natural
Tight framing
Shot 23
Medium shot
Normal
No movement
low key natural lighting
Loose framing
Shot 24
Long shot
Normal
No movement
Low key natural
Loose framing
Shot 25
Medium Shot
Normal
No movement
Low key natural
Tight framing
Shot 26
Medium shot
Normal
No movement
low key natural lighting
Loose framing
Shot 27
Medium Shot
Normal
No movement
Low key natural
Tight framing
Shot 28
Medium shot
Normal
No movement
low key natural lighting
Loose framing
Shot 29
Close up
Normal
No movement
Low key natural
Tight framing
Scene Analysis: Jasmine Jones
Film: Prime
Director: Ben Younger
Prime is a love story about two people in completely different walks of life trying to cope with the age difference between them. Raphael Gardet is 37 while David Bloomberg is 23. The two of them fall into a passionate romance not knowing that Rapahel's therapist is David's mother.
The scene I watched is the first time Dave ever goes to Raphael's apartment which is large and airy and full of exquisite art work, while his house that he lives in with his grandparents is very old fashioned and he only has his bedroom.
First shot:
A Reaction shot. Raphael opens the door and smiles. David is in the left corner of the shot and out of focus while Raphael is completely in focus. Everything around her is in perfect focus while everything behind her is unclear.
Second Shot:
David's reaction. Raphael is now unclear and David is in the right side of the frame. The wall behin him is blank and a deep blue as opposed to Rapaheal's which is bright and slightly cluttered.
Third Shot:
A cut to David and Raphael in the doorway together. Her white outfit seems to be the exact opposite of his deeper blue one as he walks past her. Outside if the apartment is out of focus while the two of them are the only thing we can see clearly.
Fourth Shot:
A long shot. David is giving Raphael her soup and commenting on her art work. They're behind a counter, which gives the impression that we're peeking in on something private. There's also a form of Natural Light coming in from the window against the wall on David's lefthand side. The sun is supposed to be setting so it is low on the wall.
Fifth Shot:
Raphael. She's completely in focus and lit in Low Key Lighting. The background is very out of focus and dark whereas she is the bright light in the apartment. Her face is brightly lit and the apartment look deeper, like her cabinets are very far behind her in this shot. I think that the reason everything that's behind Raphael is always out of focus is because in the film she is trying to move forward with her life after a bad divorce.
Sixth Shot:
Here is a frame within a frame. David is facing a piece of artwork and we can see his reflection in the glass. The frame is on the left hand side of the bigger frame whereas David in the smaller frame is on the right hand corner as he is in the bigger frame also. The darker portion of the painting is the part his face is in which makes me think he doesn't really know what he's doing with his life right now, which is completely in context with his character in the film.
Seventh Shot:
Another Long Shot. The two of them are sitting on different sides of the room, but facing one another. David's body is a little off to the left whereas Raphael's body is head on facing him. He's a little more open, and she's got her legs curled up by her face. The lighting is low key. Her face is almost completely in the dark while her blonde tresses are light up like Christmas. His face on the other hand is lit pretty well whereas his body and his back aren't at all.
Eighth Shot:
Close-up on David. His chest is lit while his face is hidden suggesting he's opening his heart to this girl and isn't really aware of it. (He claims in the next scene that he's never felt this way about a girl before.)
Ninth Shot:
A reverse shot on Raphael, her hair still lit with her face hidden.
Tenth Shot:
David again. Same Lighting.
Eleventh Shot:
Raphael. Same Lighting. Everything once again is out of focus around her but she is in perfect clarity.
Twelfth Shot:
David again.
The colors:
The colors in this scene were very low key suggesting that this was a very calm setting. Raphael is a classy woman with a high class job, but a low key apartment to help her slow down. It's elegantly lit and quiet, lots of beige and a little red here and there to show her spark.
David was dressed in all blue and Raphael was dressed in all cream. I think this is to show the differences between them in age, personality and in their ideas of comfort.
Director: Ben Younger
Prime is a love story about two people in completely different walks of life trying to cope with the age difference between them. Raphael Gardet is 37 while David Bloomberg is 23. The two of them fall into a passionate romance not knowing that Rapahel's therapist is David's mother.
The scene I watched is the first time Dave ever goes to Raphael's apartment which is large and airy and full of exquisite art work, while his house that he lives in with his grandparents is very old fashioned and he only has his bedroom.
First shot:
A Reaction shot. Raphael opens the door and smiles. David is in the left corner of the shot and out of focus while Raphael is completely in focus. Everything around her is in perfect focus while everything behind her is unclear.
Second Shot:
David's reaction. Raphael is now unclear and David is in the right side of the frame. The wall behin him is blank and a deep blue as opposed to Rapaheal's which is bright and slightly cluttered.
Third Shot:
A cut to David and Raphael in the doorway together. Her white outfit seems to be the exact opposite of his deeper blue one as he walks past her. Outside if the apartment is out of focus while the two of them are the only thing we can see clearly.
Fourth Shot:
A long shot. David is giving Raphael her soup and commenting on her art work. They're behind a counter, which gives the impression that we're peeking in on something private. There's also a form of Natural Light coming in from the window against the wall on David's lefthand side. The sun is supposed to be setting so it is low on the wall.
Fifth Shot:
Raphael. She's completely in focus and lit in Low Key Lighting. The background is very out of focus and dark whereas she is the bright light in the apartment. Her face is brightly lit and the apartment look deeper, like her cabinets are very far behind her in this shot. I think that the reason everything that's behind Raphael is always out of focus is because in the film she is trying to move forward with her life after a bad divorce.
Sixth Shot:
Here is a frame within a frame. David is facing a piece of artwork and we can see his reflection in the glass. The frame is on the left hand side of the bigger frame whereas David in the smaller frame is on the right hand corner as he is in the bigger frame also. The darker portion of the painting is the part his face is in which makes me think he doesn't really know what he's doing with his life right now, which is completely in context with his character in the film.
Seventh Shot:
Another Long Shot. The two of them are sitting on different sides of the room, but facing one another. David's body is a little off to the left whereas Raphael's body is head on facing him. He's a little more open, and she's got her legs curled up by her face. The lighting is low key. Her face is almost completely in the dark while her blonde tresses are light up like Christmas. His face on the other hand is lit pretty well whereas his body and his back aren't at all.
Eighth Shot:
Close-up on David. His chest is lit while his face is hidden suggesting he's opening his heart to this girl and isn't really aware of it. (He claims in the next scene that he's never felt this way about a girl before.)
Ninth Shot:
A reverse shot on Raphael, her hair still lit with her face hidden.
Tenth Shot:
David again. Same Lighting.
Eleventh Shot:
Raphael. Same Lighting. Everything once again is out of focus around her but she is in perfect clarity.
Twelfth Shot:
David again.
The colors:
The colors in this scene were very low key suggesting that this was a very calm setting. Raphael is a classy woman with a high class job, but a low key apartment to help her slow down. It's elegantly lit and quiet, lots of beige and a little red here and there to show her spark.
David was dressed in all blue and Raphael was dressed in all cream. I think this is to show the differences between them in age, personality and in their ideas of comfort.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Star Brown: Eyes Wide Shut
Eyes Wide Shut
Director: Stanley Kubrick (1999)
Eyes Wide Shut encapsulates an intoxicating story about a semi-naïve doctor, Bill Hartford (Tom Cruise) and his wife, Alice (Nicole Kidman) and the dwindling trust toward her after she confesses sexual desires for a naval officer she had seen in the past. This heartbreaking news leads him on a path of deception as he encounters a hooker, a sex party and eventually a high class, secret hedonistic society introduced to him by a long lost friend. Knowing what he has seen, Bill and his family are in danger but his obsession obscures the serious warnings. Eyes Wide Shut brilliantly examines the psychological nature of infidelity in the obsessions of lies and deceit.
Setting takes place in New York City around Christmas time. The ambience in most of the scenes portrays the colors red and blue—to heighten the sexual and provocative nature of Bill’s obsession.
Scene: The Mansion out in the remote suburbs of NY
Upon entering the mansion, a medium shot of Bill entering the large foyer and greeted by a well-dressed man in a gold mask who takes his coat. It is low-key lighting from the lights on the walls. The carpet is bright red. Bill walks to enter where the action is taking place to the right as the camera reframes his exit. The continuous cut shows him entering the main room with a medium long shot as Bill, cloaked and masked, walks to the right, having the camera follow his body thus revealing the large circular auditorium where a circle of black clothed peoples stand surrounded by crowds looking on at the ceremonial action taking place. Bill walks to the right of the frame as the red-cloaked man in the background is strolling around in a circular path among the cloaked figures surrounding him. The scene cuts to a medium shot of the red-cloaked man encircled by kneeling cloaked figures as the camera slowly pans around the viewer sees a crowd of cloaked figures with masks in the background witnessing the ritual. The red-cloaked man stomps his staff on the ground and paces around. It then cuts to a medium long shot of Bill’s friend, the pianist blindfolded while playing the keys while the red-cloaked man paces around within the circle in the background of the frame. Then cuts to a CU of Bill’s masked face. Cuts to a long shot of the auditorium as the knelt figures stand up and uncloak after the red-cloaked man stomps his staff on the ground. Then it cuts to a slow swish medium shot around the topless women also wearing masks while the red-cloaked man is positioned at the right of the frame. It then cuts to a medium shot of cloaked and masked onlookers as the camera pans to the left. Then it cuts back to the medium shot of the pianist with the ritual taking place in the background. Then repeating the same slow swish around the kneeling women as they lean to the left and mask kiss their neighbor. Then it cuts to low-angle shot of two cloaked figures on a balcony. As they turn to look down the camera zooms in on their mysterious masks then cuts to a CU of Bill’s face looking up at eye-level angle. Cuts back to the balcony and the CU of the masked figure to the right nods his head toward Bill who nods back in the same CU eye-level shot with low key lighting to enhance the shadows on their painted masks. Cuts to a medium swish pan of the red-cloaked man stomping his staff in front of selected women as they get up and turn to walk out of frame. Medium long shot of one woman approaching a cloaked figure and walk into the background of the frame. Cuts to medium long shot of woman with feathered headdress walking toward the right and toward the foreground next to the rows of cloaked figures filling the right side of the frame. During this shot, the camera moves with her, being pulled back on a dolly until she reaches Bill. CU shot of their masks kissing—slight zoom in and out. Medium long shot of her escorting him off as the camera pans to the right and follows the two into their background—another dolly shot.
This scene seques into a long take of Bill roaming through several rooms by a tracking shot. The cuts crossfade into medium shots of people lounging and watching into medium close ups of Bill watching.
This scene portrays the fluidity of movement that tracking shots have by collapsing time and space into one take. As most people are quite familiar with Kubrick’s famous style of using long and extreme tracking shots meticulously planned to set the tone and mood of his movies—most of them haunting and provocative.
Director: Stanley Kubrick (1999)
Eyes Wide Shut encapsulates an intoxicating story about a semi-naïve doctor, Bill Hartford (Tom Cruise) and his wife, Alice (Nicole Kidman) and the dwindling trust toward her after she confesses sexual desires for a naval officer she had seen in the past. This heartbreaking news leads him on a path of deception as he encounters a hooker, a sex party and eventually a high class, secret hedonistic society introduced to him by a long lost friend. Knowing what he has seen, Bill and his family are in danger but his obsession obscures the serious warnings. Eyes Wide Shut brilliantly examines the psychological nature of infidelity in the obsessions of lies and deceit.
Setting takes place in New York City around Christmas time. The ambience in most of the scenes portrays the colors red and blue—to heighten the sexual and provocative nature of Bill’s obsession.
Scene: The Mansion out in the remote suburbs of NY
Upon entering the mansion, a medium shot of Bill entering the large foyer and greeted by a well-dressed man in a gold mask who takes his coat. It is low-key lighting from the lights on the walls. The carpet is bright red. Bill walks to enter where the action is taking place to the right as the camera reframes his exit. The continuous cut shows him entering the main room with a medium long shot as Bill, cloaked and masked, walks to the right, having the camera follow his body thus revealing the large circular auditorium where a circle of black clothed peoples stand surrounded by crowds looking on at the ceremonial action taking place. Bill walks to the right of the frame as the red-cloaked man in the background is strolling around in a circular path among the cloaked figures surrounding him. The scene cuts to a medium shot of the red-cloaked man encircled by kneeling cloaked figures as the camera slowly pans around the viewer sees a crowd of cloaked figures with masks in the background witnessing the ritual. The red-cloaked man stomps his staff on the ground and paces around. It then cuts to a medium long shot of Bill’s friend, the pianist blindfolded while playing the keys while the red-cloaked man paces around within the circle in the background of the frame. Then cuts to a CU of Bill’s masked face. Cuts to a long shot of the auditorium as the knelt figures stand up and uncloak after the red-cloaked man stomps his staff on the ground. Then it cuts to a slow swish medium shot around the topless women also wearing masks while the red-cloaked man is positioned at the right of the frame. It then cuts to a medium shot of cloaked and masked onlookers as the camera pans to the left. Then it cuts back to the medium shot of the pianist with the ritual taking place in the background. Then repeating the same slow swish around the kneeling women as they lean to the left and mask kiss their neighbor. Then it cuts to low-angle shot of two cloaked figures on a balcony. As they turn to look down the camera zooms in on their mysterious masks then cuts to a CU of Bill’s face looking up at eye-level angle. Cuts back to the balcony and the CU of the masked figure to the right nods his head toward Bill who nods back in the same CU eye-level shot with low key lighting to enhance the shadows on their painted masks. Cuts to a medium swish pan of the red-cloaked man stomping his staff in front of selected women as they get up and turn to walk out of frame. Medium long shot of one woman approaching a cloaked figure and walk into the background of the frame. Cuts to medium long shot of woman with feathered headdress walking toward the right and toward the foreground next to the rows of cloaked figures filling the right side of the frame. During this shot, the camera moves with her, being pulled back on a dolly until she reaches Bill. CU shot of their masks kissing—slight zoom in and out. Medium long shot of her escorting him off as the camera pans to the right and follows the two into their background—another dolly shot.
This scene seques into a long take of Bill roaming through several rooms by a tracking shot. The cuts crossfade into medium shots of people lounging and watching into medium close ups of Bill watching.
This scene portrays the fluidity of movement that tracking shots have by collapsing time and space into one take. As most people are quite familiar with Kubrick’s famous style of using long and extreme tracking shots meticulously planned to set the tone and mood of his movies—most of them haunting and provocative.
Anisha Payne- The Silence of the Lamb
The Silence of the Lamb ( 1991)
Director: Johnathan Demme
The Silence of the Lamb is a mystery thriller about an FBI Agent Clarice Stalling played Jodie Foster trying to solve a crime with the help of “Hannibal the Cannibal” played by Anthony Hopkins. The crime involves a man that has murdered five females. In Clarice’s attempt to get inside of Hannibal’s mind she eventually gets what she wants, “ an advancement” in the case, stated by Hannibal. Clarice thought she had control but in the end the thought of someone dying affects Clarice.
The scene where Clarice goes to the Hospital for the first time brings you into the mind of Hannibal. Johnathan Demme wants his audience to experience what it means to be in a mental hospital. It starts with the long, tracking shots of Jodie Foster walking into his station. Then it captivates the audience by having doors, the doors symbolizes another entrance one must go through in order to reach Hannibal. When Clarice arrives in the station that enables her an entrance to his cell, Johnathan Demme pans the camera about 360 degrees. Another tracking shot that explores everything
The lighting in this scene starts with natural lights of the Hospital. In the area that gives way to Hannibal’s cell is red. Red symbolizes danger, caution, alert. When Clarice walks down the last path to Hannibal’s cell the there are high key, high contrast on both Hannibal and Clarice’s face.
Another way Johnathan Demme tries to get the audience into Hannibal’s character is with camera shots. He continuously shows close-up shots. Johnathan wants the audience to understand the dialogue or rather action through the characters expressions. Because Hannibal plays close attention to his surroundings, he wants the audience to pay close attention to the film. Johnathan Demme cinematically illuminates all the elements of storytelling.
Director: Johnathan Demme
The Silence of the Lamb is a mystery thriller about an FBI Agent Clarice Stalling played Jodie Foster trying to solve a crime with the help of “Hannibal the Cannibal” played by Anthony Hopkins. The crime involves a man that has murdered five females. In Clarice’s attempt to get inside of Hannibal’s mind she eventually gets what she wants, “ an advancement” in the case, stated by Hannibal. Clarice thought she had control but in the end the thought of someone dying affects Clarice.
The scene where Clarice goes to the Hospital for the first time brings you into the mind of Hannibal. Johnathan Demme wants his audience to experience what it means to be in a mental hospital. It starts with the long, tracking shots of Jodie Foster walking into his station. Then it captivates the audience by having doors, the doors symbolizes another entrance one must go through in order to reach Hannibal. When Clarice arrives in the station that enables her an entrance to his cell, Johnathan Demme pans the camera about 360 degrees. Another tracking shot that explores everything
The lighting in this scene starts with natural lights of the Hospital. In the area that gives way to Hannibal’s cell is red. Red symbolizes danger, caution, alert. When Clarice walks down the last path to Hannibal’s cell the there are high key, high contrast on both Hannibal and Clarice’s face.
Another way Johnathan Demme tries to get the audience into Hannibal’s character is with camera shots. He continuously shows close-up shots. Johnathan wants the audience to understand the dialogue or rather action through the characters expressions. Because Hannibal plays close attention to his surroundings, he wants the audience to pay close attention to the film. Johnathan Demme cinematically illuminates all the elements of storytelling.
Justin Afifi - Cool Hand Luke
Directed by: Stuart Rosenberg
Cool Hand Luke is the story of a rebellious man sent to a correctional facility for a misdemeanor charge. While in prison he plays by his own rules and gains a following amongst his fellow inmates.
The opening scene of Cool Hand Luke features Luke at night in a drunken haze cutting off the tops of parking meters off, just for kicks. A drunken Luke plops down and continues to drink some more, until a police officer pulls up and places Luke under arrest. The scene sets up the story of Cool Hand Luke as it introduces the ultimate nonconformist and shows just how something as stupid as cutting parking meters in half can land you in a correctional facility.
Shot 1
A closeup of a parking meter that reads violation.
Shot 2
Closeup on a device cutting into a parking meter.
Shot 3
Another closeup of the parking meter
Shot 4
A hand twisting the device to cut the parking meter.
Shot 5
Yet another closeup of the parking meter violation.
Shot 6
Low angle shot of Luke's feet as he spins around the parking meter.
Shot 7
Closeup of the parking violation again.
Shot 8
Closeup of another meter being cut.
Shot 9
Eye level shot of the meter and Luke cutting it off.
Shot 10
Low angle shot of Luke's feet and the meter top falling to the ground. The camera pans up to an eye level shot of Luke drinking a beer. Luke is lit high contrast, a streetlight supposedly providing the light.
Shot 11
The camera fades to a canted right angle shot of Luke walking in between two rows of parking meters.
Shot 12
Back to an eye level shot of Luke cutting off yet another parking meter.
Shot 13
A medium longshot of Luke in between the rows of meters and falling to the ground.
Shot 14
An eye level shot with Luke leaning against a parking meter, popping a bottle top. He's lit (high contrast) by light acting as a police headlight.
Shot 15
Medium longshot focusing on the brightness of the police headlight as a police officer questions what Luke is doing.
Shot 16
An eye level shot with Luke smiling after the police officer tells him that he's under arrest.
Cool Hand Luke is the story of a rebellious man sent to a correctional facility for a misdemeanor charge. While in prison he plays by his own rules and gains a following amongst his fellow inmates.
The opening scene of Cool Hand Luke features Luke at night in a drunken haze cutting off the tops of parking meters off, just for kicks. A drunken Luke plops down and continues to drink some more, until a police officer pulls up and places Luke under arrest. The scene sets up the story of Cool Hand Luke as it introduces the ultimate nonconformist and shows just how something as stupid as cutting parking meters in half can land you in a correctional facility.
Shot 1
A closeup of a parking meter that reads violation.
Shot 2
Closeup on a device cutting into a parking meter.
Shot 3
Another closeup of the parking meter
Shot 4
A hand twisting the device to cut the parking meter.
Shot 5
Yet another closeup of the parking meter violation.
Shot 6
Low angle shot of Luke's feet as he spins around the parking meter.
Shot 7
Closeup of the parking violation again.
Shot 8
Closeup of another meter being cut.
Shot 9
Eye level shot of the meter and Luke cutting it off.
Shot 10
Low angle shot of Luke's feet and the meter top falling to the ground. The camera pans up to an eye level shot of Luke drinking a beer. Luke is lit high contrast, a streetlight supposedly providing the light.
Shot 11
The camera fades to a canted right angle shot of Luke walking in between two rows of parking meters.
Shot 12
Back to an eye level shot of Luke cutting off yet another parking meter.
Shot 13
A medium longshot of Luke in between the rows of meters and falling to the ground.
Shot 14
An eye level shot with Luke leaning against a parking meter, popping a bottle top. He's lit (high contrast) by light acting as a police headlight.
Shot 15
Medium longshot focusing on the brightness of the police headlight as a police officer questions what Luke is doing.
Shot 16
An eye level shot with Luke smiling after the police officer tells him that he's under arrest.
Thelma and Louise- Ferraro
Ridley Scott - 1991
The easiest scene to pick was from "Thelma and Louise" at the end (if you haven't seen it, I suggest you don't read on)
At the part where Thelma tells Louise to "just keep going", the camera switches back and forth to the face of whoever is talking, and is set at eye-to-eye level. Each shot is a tight close-up of the girl's face, which gives us a close impression of what they're feeling: They're seriously deciding to drive off the Grand Canyons. There's alot of emotion in that. The next frame is a wide long shot of the car driving off. Wide long shot was a good choice here because it shows the vast emptiness of the mountains and the emptiness that Thelma and Louise are about to drive into.
The scene of Hal running after them as they drive off is consisted of a medium-long shot as from behind, and a medium shot from the front.
The lighting in this scene appears natural. There are no extra lights set up anywhere as the picture looks saturated and shines on Susan Sarandon's face, while Geena Davis looks darkened out.
When the car nears the edge, there seems to be a camera is front, running ahead as the car reaches us and passes.
Tight framing is used only with the conversation between Thelma and Louise. Everything else is wide and loose, with so much open space. It represents the freedom that these women are chasing for. Wide lenses appear to be at play in this scene.
The easiest scene to pick was from "Thelma and Louise" at the end (if you haven't seen it, I suggest you don't read on)
At the part where Thelma tells Louise to "just keep going", the camera switches back and forth to the face of whoever is talking, and is set at eye-to-eye level. Each shot is a tight close-up of the girl's face, which gives us a close impression of what they're feeling: They're seriously deciding to drive off the Grand Canyons. There's alot of emotion in that. The next frame is a wide long shot of the car driving off. Wide long shot was a good choice here because it shows the vast emptiness of the mountains and the emptiness that Thelma and Louise are about to drive into.
The scene of Hal running after them as they drive off is consisted of a medium-long shot as from behind, and a medium shot from the front.
The lighting in this scene appears natural. There are no extra lights set up anywhere as the picture looks saturated and shines on Susan Sarandon's face, while Geena Davis looks darkened out.
When the car nears the edge, there seems to be a camera is front, running ahead as the car reaches us and passes.
Tight framing is used only with the conversation between Thelma and Louise. Everything else is wide and loose, with so much open space. It represents the freedom that these women are chasing for. Wide lenses appear to be at play in this scene.
Bad Boys
Director: Mike Bay
There's a scene in "Bad Boys" where Martin Lawrence and Will Smith are in a car discussing how they're going to solve the case. The scene was done in a car and the camera was put on each side of the driver and passenger side windows. The lighting was natural light from the sun. It looks like the scene was shot during mid-afternoon. There was alot of inter cutting between the two characters to show each character's reaction to the other character's statement. The music used in the scene assisted in providing a comedic tone to the scene. Some of the shots were two shots which had both characters in the shot but most were close ups of the characters talking or reacting.
There's a scene in "Bad Boys" where Martin Lawrence and Will Smith are in a car discussing how they're going to solve the case. The scene was done in a car and the camera was put on each side of the driver and passenger side windows. The lighting was natural light from the sun. It looks like the scene was shot during mid-afternoon. There was alot of inter cutting between the two characters to show each character's reaction to the other character's statement. The music used in the scene assisted in providing a comedic tone to the scene. Some of the shots were two shots which had both characters in the shot but most were close ups of the characters talking or reacting.
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