Tony Kaye
A former neo-nazi skinhead tries to prevent his younger brother from going down the same wrong path that he did.
Shot 1: This is a long shot (LS) and features two characters. One is lying on the floor face down and the other is grabbing him by the scruf of his neck and pulling him while he tries to crawl away. The man in control has a gun and is pointing it at the other man's head while shouting abuse. This is a long shot because it gives us a wide perspective of whats happening in the shot, if it was a close-up (CU) then we wouldn't see both characters and the actions their making. Also, due to the next shot being a mid-close up it gives us a variety of shot types.
Shot 2: This is a medium close up (MCU) and shows us the man in control, although it is a very short shot it serves a specific purpose. The man shouts an order to the other person telling him to put his 'mouth on the curb' and because the shot is focusing on him it makes it much more personal to the audience and it shows us the emotion on his face as he says it; which is anger.
Shot 3: This is a big close-up (BCU) and shows us the man on the ground biting on the curb like the man told him to. It is very important that this shot was a close-up as it shows the audience the man's hesitatition and through this is conveyed fear. Close-up's are very often used to show emotion and to tell the audience what that character is feeling, and this is exactly what is happening in this shot.
Shot 4: This next shot is a close-up (CU) of a young boy who is positioned in the middle of the frame and is shown to be shouting to his brother 'Derek' to stop what he is doing. At the start of the shot, 15 seconds in to the clip, we see the boy take a deep breath as he knows he is about to witness something brutal and is obviously scared, and it is through the shot type we see the detail of what the boy is doing.
Shot 5/6/7: The next 3 shots are all in quick succession as they are a build up to the main action which happens in shots 8 and 9. Shot 5 is an extreme close-up (ECU), shot 6 is a medium close up (MCU) and shot 7 is a big close-up (BCU). The shots show the man biting the curb and as it gets closer and closer to the action his emotion of fear is portrayed through his expression and it gets stronger and stronger. The boy is shown to be running towards the two men screaming 'NO!' but as the next shots commence it is revealed to be too late.
Shots 8/9/10: Shot 8 is an extreme long shot (ELS) and serves to set the scene for the 'main event' so to speak. As the shot changes to number 9, we are given a long shot (LS) in which the man in control smashes his foot in to the back of the guys head. Just as contact is made the shot changes to number 10 of the boy, who's face lights up in absolute shock and horror. This shot is a medium close-up (MCU). Although we don't see much of the violence, the long shot gives us just enough information for us to imagine what just happened and this is even more powerful. The sound of the man's face splitting open resonates with us anchoring the images we have in are imagination making it all the more horrific.
Shot 11/12: Shot 11 is a long shot from the camera which captured shot 9 and shows the man who committed the murder side stepping away looking at his victim with no remorse, and at the end of the shot he looks towards his brother who falls to his knee's in shot 12. This shot is also a long shot and gives us our first piece of slowmotion, this emphasises the boy dropping to his knee's as he can't even begin to process the atrocity of what just happened.
Shot 13: This shot is a mid-shot (MS) and is taken from behind the character and shows the man spitting on his victim. The camera follows him as he does it keeping the framing of a mid-shot even when he bends down. In the last second of the shot we see a police car come in to shot and this was the reason the shot was taken from behind the character.
Shot 14/15: Shot 14 is a very long shot (VLS) and shows the police car speeding and swerving around the corner and the camera tracks it until it stops and focuses on capturing the police man who steps out of the car and raises a gun from behind his open car door in to the middle of the frame. This indicates to the audience that he is important and that they should be focusing their attention to him. Shot 15 is a medium long shot (MLS) and is taken from behind the character again so that as he places his gun on the floor and puts his hands in the air as instructed, we can see the police car and policeman in the background of the shot. This makes sense, it spells out whats happening to the audience really simply as well as making for more packed and interesting shots which the scene hasn't had much of yet. It's all about adding a variety of shots to the scene as it makes it more exciting and interesting.
Shot 16/17: The policeman instructs the man to turn around in shot 16 which is a mid-shot (MS). This sets up an extremely powerful shot for number 17. Shot 17 is a low angle, medium close up. The low angle creates a dominant and powerful aurora around the character, and it's the first time the audience see's his face since his crime in shot 9. The medium close up show us his feelings about the situation, he has no remorse for what he has done and thinks he did the right thing, his proud face can be interpreted as almost sadistic. As he turnes around, face towards his brother the shot is given to us in slowmotion. The director is using close-up's and slowmotion shots to really portray the feelings and emotions of the characters as this whole scene is all about understanding what is going on in these characters heads and the possibilities are thought-provoking and powerful.
Shot 18/19: Shot 18 is a long shot (LS) of the boy kneeling on ground, his face in pure disbelief. He doesn't move and inch and niether does the camera. The camera work is deliberately simple and acts as a window for you to just peer in with all the emphasis being on the characters. Shot 19 is a mid-shot (MS) and shows the man puting his hands behind his head, the fact that he has his top off and all his racist, typical neo-nazi tattoo's showing creates a very powerful image and gives the audience the connotations of a dominant and brutal figure.
Shot 20: This is a close-up (CU) of the man and the camera is completely still, capturing the sadistic emotions of the man as he raises his eyebrows, definately proud of what he has just done. The fact that he dominates the framing makes sure that the audience is focusing on him and his expression.
Shot 21/22: The shot is a mid-shot (MS) and as he kneels down in slowmotion the camera follows his movement exactly, so exact that it looks syncronised to the audience. The next shot, number 22, is an over the shoulder shot where we are given the point of view of the boy and are almost seeing what is happening through his eyes.
Shot 23: The camera slowly zooms in from a medium close up to a close up. The man is smiling up until the handcuffs start to be put on him. He thought his brother would be proud of what he had done, in his racist mind what he did was totally justified. But all he realises is that his brother is about to witness his arrest suggesting that what he did was wrong.
Overall: The scene to me is very powerful and this is partly due to the slowness and simplicity of the camera work, it forces the audience to think about what is going on in the characters heads and emphasises absolutely the emotion involved; brutal, sadening and pure hatred are some of the words I would use to sum up this scene. The audience never actually finds out what the characters reactions suggest, we never know if he is happy or sad or if he had a realisation to what he had done in the last few shots. This to me is why it is powerful, so much is left to the imagination which allows the scene to stick with you and provoks your thoughts.
Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Frank Darabont
Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency.
Shot 1/2: This is a very long shot (VLS) but becomes a mid-shot (MS) towards the end. The actor is being released from prison and is slowly walking towards the camera. He looks dazed as it's the first time in years he's seen the world from outside the prison. Shot 2 is a mid-shot but the camera slowly zooms towards the character as he is seen clunging to the handles on the bus, all a little bewildered by this new experience for him.
Shot 3/4: Shot 3 starts off a very long shot (VLS) but as the bus drives past the camera uses this as an opportunity to cut in closer on the man's face, this time a medium close up (MCU). Without the bus the cut would look wrong as the distance your cutting from is pretty big and it would sort of startle the audience. This scene is all about the smoothness of the camera work blending in with the quiet relaxing music.
Shot 5/6: This is a medium long shot (MLS) and features the man crossing the road and the camera slowly pans with his movement keeping him in the centre of the screen. Shot 6 is another pan but it keeps the focus on the man's face as the shot is a medium close up (MCU).
Shot 7: This shot is another smooth pan and gives the viewer an idea of the surroundings. It shows us a supermarket where the man works. The camera eventually focuses on him in a mid-shot (MS) and has his manager in the background, a frame within a frame.
Shot 8: Another smooth pan with again sets the scene. The shot is of the man feeding the birds hopeing that the bird he looked after in prison would pay him a visit and say hello. The camera pans up to his face in a medium close up (MCU) and this is important because it shows the audience in close the man's face and we can understand his emotions, which are of a certain sadness.
Shot 9: The camera then cuts away to a long shot (LS) and it gives us a sense of the man's loneliness because no one is around and he's completely on his own with the birds. It's like society has rejected him because he's an ex-con.
The suicide scene is very powerful as the camera work is very slow with loads of smooth pan's and not many cuts which creates a sadness, emphasising what is happening. The last shot when the camera pan's down from the message engraved on the wood is a realisation to the audience. The massive build up doesn't let the audience in on what the man is planning and when he says 'I'm going away' it is slightly misleading all so, that that final shot is all the more powerful.
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