Continuity Image Analysis

American Beauty

Sam Mendes

Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation for his daughter's attractive friend.



Shot 1 - 0.11: This is a long shot (LS) and opens up the scene introducing 2 characters eating at the dinner table. It is an establishing shot which gives the audience insight in to the setting of the next scene. Towards the end of the shot we see a girl walk in to the room and join them for dinner.

Shot 2 - 0.19: After the establishing shot there is a straight cut to a mid-shot (MS) of the mother. The distance from a long shot to a mid-shot is smooth and if it was, instead, a long shot to a close-up, it wouldn't look right. This is because the cut would look way too jumpy, but because a mid-shot was used it gave the audience some background scenery which follows on from the long shot, creating continuity.

Shot 3 - 0.24: The next shot follows the rule of thirds immaculately and the shot is very symmetrical. The candles placed on either side of the frame and her placed in the middle shows us that she is caught up in the middle of her parents arguement, and this shows that the shot is a reaction shot. The shot is again a mid-shot of her sitting at the dinning table.

The camera's cut back and forth between each of the characters according to who has any dialogue in the scene, up until 1:15. The cutting points are always the same and the audience becomes so familiar with these shots and don't even notice the cutting between them, they are matched cuts which keep the continuity of the shot going, and are 'invisible' to the viewer.

Shot 19 - 1.15: The daughter is framed in a mid-shot and she tries to leave the dinner table to get away from her parents arguement, but is told to sit down. The camera follows her movements as she gets up so that the cut of points don't change

Shot 20 - 1.22: The camera goes back to the master shot, a long shot which features the husband getting up and walking towards the plate of asparagus he has been asking for. The fact that the camera doesn't change position until he begins to sit down again, really emphasises his stubborness. The focus is totally on him as the other 2 character don't move at all.

Shot 21 - 1.52: After the master shot we go back to the standard mid-shots of them sitting at the table up until he gets up again with the plate in his hand. The camera follows him and when he's about to throw it at the wall the camera cuts to the master shot where the audience can see it smash against the wall.

Continuity is shown throughout this scene partly due to the same cut off points being used and the audience becomes so familiar with them. Also the last shot in the scene is the same long shot we started with and adds to the feeling of continuity.

American History X and Shawshank Redemption Shot Analysis

American History X (1998)

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.

Horror Shot

1. Describe your shot and identify in what way it could be seen as representing 'horror'.
The shot is a medium close up (MCU) and the female actor is located towards the bottom of the frame with a scared look on her face. The camera is at a low angle and in front of wire fencing. The actor is trapped behind the wire and her hands grasp it as if to some how break free. There is a shadow above her head with an arm reaching out about to catch her as she is clearly hiding but has now been found. The lighting in the shot is very dark which is typical in the horror genre, and the only source of light is an artificial light which shines dimly on her face and the back wall making the shadow visable. The white in the victims eyes particulary standout and create a sense of fear in the victim.

2. What did you actually do to achieve the effect?

When we were setting up the shot we knew that we wanted a shadow in the background which would require two people but because the wire fencing was high up in a loft, the only way to take the shot was to hang off the ladder. This meant that we couldn't have two people on the ladder so we made the person taking the photo also be the silluette in the background as the light was behind him. The effect of horror also comes from the feeling of entrapment that we see in the actor; she looks typically scared and the wire fencing achors this feeling. We also had the actor holding on to the wire so she looks like she has no where to go. The lighting effect was achieved by cutting out all the natural light from the shot and having one artificial key light which shone dimly on to the face of the actor and the backwall of the shot. The shot is a medium close up and this allows the audience to clearly see the horror and fear in the actors eyes.

3. What was successful about your shot?

I think the shot portrays the theme of horror very well however, there is still some flaws. The location and the wire fencing is very important to our shot as it connotes entrapment and it helps to totally convince the audience that our actor is indeed trapped. Moreover, the fact that the actor grasps the wire shows that she is trying to get free because she is so desperate to get away from whatevers looking for her. Without it a lot of that feeling would be lost. The shadow while being a very effective idea wasn't done brilliantly as it is too low in the shot and dosn't appear powerful enough and thus is not as scary. However, if you look at it from the point of view of it rising up, getting bigger and bigger, then it works very well and creates a feeling of tension and excitement over whats about to happen. The positioning of the facial features wasn't done too well as only one of her eyes can be seen, the shot should have been repositioned so that both eyes could be seen through the fence as the eyes are very powerful in protraying emotion.

4. What would you do differently in hindsight?

If I was to redo the shot I would make the shadow higher in the shot and I would make sure her facial features such as the eyes are clearly seen through the wire fencing. I would also put a little bit more artificial light on the hands and the face of the girl to make her emotions of fear standout more. The actor is also looking at the camera and I would have her eyes turned slightly to the right of the shot as this is away from the shadow and we need her to be completely unaware of it being there.

Mrs Thrasher HW

Shot 1: This is a medium close up (MCU) shot with a man lying on his back with a gun pointed slightly to the right of the frame. The camera is above him at a high angle which creates a certain vulnerability and due to the fact he is holding his head it suggests that he has already been hurt. He may have been knocked down by a person out of shot and he may have the gun poised at him. There is definitely fear in his eye's and he is certainly looking at something or someone. The low key lighting creates a dark and dangerous feel for the audience. Light is also used to engage the audience as artificial light shines down on the key features of this shot, the gun and the man's face. This focus's and restricts what the audience has to look and concentrate on, this is also helped by the tight framing.

Shot 2: The camera is at a very high angle and may be attached to a crane to achieve this height, it is also a very long shot and a 2-shot. The high angle gives the audience an overview of the scene and serves to show us who is in control. We can see blood splattered near the man on the grounds right hand showing us that he has been shot and no longer wields his gun and is at the total mercy of the man standing with his gun raised, who aims as if to take another shot. We are given more scenery in this shot than the first and it tells us that the setting is located at a docking yard. The light is very low key and the black and white effect adds to this, light does however shine on the man standing's back and on the body of the man who has just been shot. This again focus's the audience on the action.

Shot 3: This shot is an extreme long shot (ELS) and is composed using the rule of thirds - the characters in the middle and empty space above and below. The shot shows us 2 additional characters, a man standing behind the guy shooting and a little girl watching from the side - her back is to the camera. The man on the ground is cringing in pain as the shooter leans over as if to speak and the man behind him is just watching with a gun to his side. The lighting is again low key and little sprinkles of light are shone on the characters to indicate they are whats intended for us to see in this shot.

Shot 4: This shot is the same angle as shot 3 but much closer up showing us the scene in more detail, it is a long shot (LS). The little girl sits in the right hand side of the frame witnessing a man being shot to death and even though her back is again to the camera we can gather from her posture that she is scared. The man holding the gun relentlessy points it in the direction of the other man's face as he is in to much pain to even beg for mercy. The Wind blows the man's coat back creating a powerful figure who is in complete control of what is happening. This also has low key lighting and artificial light is spread across the characters and their immediate surroundings.

Shot 5: This shot is a very personal one and shows us deep emotions of the little girl who has witnessed a man killed in what would seem cold blood, the shot is close up (CU). The frame is tightly packed only cutting off the tip of her head and to the sides of her are out of focus imagery of the sea in which the light shines on and reflects. The little girl is crying and the light which shines on her cheek reveals it to be damp with tears. Her hair is being blown by the wind overall making her seem very vulnerable and scared. The lighting is low key but for where there is light it seems very high contrasted and this makes for a beautiful parallel between the dark imagery and the light.

Shot 6: This shot is slightly low angled and is a very long shot. The killer is leaning over as if in pain clutching his heart and in the background there is the man he killed. It would seem he no longer has control or the power he had when he was shooting his gun. The man who was observing the murder is still standing in the same place still observing, lighing in the background from maybe an explosion or car headlights make his presence very dominating as his dark figure contrasts well with the light. The camera is in such a place that the audience feel as if they are peering in from another characters perspective. The shot has low key lighting with artificial light mainly coming from the background.