The extract I will be analysing is the T-Rex in the camp-site scene from Jurassic Park: A Lost World Directed by Steven Spielberg and released in 1997.
The scene opens with a establishing shot of Iain Malcolm the films protagonist from behind walking into the camp, he continues to walk but then freezes because of a thundering loud banging sound, he turns completely and begins to walk backwards slowly as the camera tracks him. The camera changes to a close up of a puddle surrounded by sleeping men, the puddle is quaking in the rhythm of the constant banging which indicates that what ever is making the sound must be big and close. (good - what else can we take from this? Any object that makes this sort of vibrations in the ground must be huge!) The banging sound becomes more frequent and the gaps between each of the sound decreases as the sound gets louder which indicates that what ever it is must be getting closer, this is used to create tension for the audience because alike the characters they are unaware of where the sound is coming from. A extreme close up of Sarah Harding shows her waking up after hearing the sound, the camera changes to a medium close up to show that next to Sarah is another character who is sleeping, this is used to show her reactions and emotions to the events as she looks scared and wary, it is also used to show her surroundings. (sound analysis - but why begin with a close up before transitioning to the MS? Shows her fear, realisation, dread etc - you must always consider FRAMING)
The camera changes to a close up of Iain who is stood still frozen with fear in the camp site, he looks at the puddle which is quaking faster and faster which indicates that the danger is getting closer and closer. The camera slowly zooms (tracks towards) in onto his face to show his fear and gives a sense of vulnerability because he is standing alone unknown to the threat that is coming. A sound of moving trees and bushes changes to cameras direction as it changes to a POV of Iain to show the tent which Sarah and Iain's daughter Kelly Curtis are staying in, this is used to show that Iain fears for his daughter and girlfriend. The camera changes to a medium close up of Sarah frantically cleaning up and lowering her light down, the camera then changes to a mid shot to show the side of the tent, a shadow of a large dinosaurs face is spread across the side of the tent, this shot is used to show the size of the threat and the intense danger the characters are in due to how close the dinosaur is and the fact she cannot see it. (This also builds to the attack slowly - rather than just having the T-Rex appear and pounce, it is slowly introduced to build tension etc before the final reveal - also, audiences recognise the silhouette from the first film and know what to expect)
The next shot is a medium close up of Iain's face which shows that he is standing firmly still staring at what ever the dinosaur is, this is used to create tension because the dinosaur hasn't been shown completely to the audience yet so this is used to keep the audience guessing and also to help them feel empathy for Iain because the people he loves are under threat. The next shot is a close up of the tents opening with the dinosaurs eyes and nose peeking inside, this shot is used to show the size of the T-Rex and gives the audience a understanding of the threat the characters are under because of the fact the T-Rex's head barely fits into the tent. The next shot is a close up of Sarah and Kelly lying beside each other, Kelly turns around to see what the sound is but looks directly at the T-Rex as she is about to scream Sarah covers her mouth to prevent her from provoking the dinosaur, this shot is used to create tension because the characters have nearly been noticed by the T-Rex but have just escaped danger. A extreme close up is used to show the dinosaurs huge dagger like teeth, this shot is used to emphasise the danger the T-Rex posses and to add further image to the actual size of the dinosaur. The final shot is a Extreme close up of Kelly's face to show her crying, she also looks directly at the camera, this shot is used to make the audience feel empathy for her and also used to make a direct link with the audience because she looks at them.
This is a sound analysis of camera that demonstrates some/sound understanding of the micro element: Cinematography. You are consistent and accurate with terminology and show a good understanding of the camera movements and shot types.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis at times is lacking in detail and a lot more could be drawn from the scene. For example, you mention the ECU's that are used throughout and quite rightly state they are used to emphasise emotions, the danger the T -Rex poses etc, but you can get more out of this.
For example, the ECU/CU of the puddle shows not only something approaching, but it indicates size, power and the speed at which it is moving. Also, as this is a sequel, and audiences will understand the reference, it also creates a strong sense of foreboding as we know this sound/image means a T-Rex is approaching. Audiences may be excited, scared, fearful, tense etc as we KNOW what this images means.
Overall Grade: C