The scene begins with a close-up of the main character Alex,
who is looking up at the threat of the policemen before him. It is a high angle
shot which makes him look vulnerable and weak, causing the audience to feel
sympathy for him. This type of shot is also effective because it allows the
audience to see the clear fear and horror dawning on his face. Alex is in the
centre of the frame but on the left and right side of the screen we can see the
figures of two unknown men, which gives the feeling that Alex is trapped
between them and sets up for the reveal of who they are. Then we cut to a low
angle shot of Dim, telling the audience that this character is somebody to be
feared in this situation and the mischief on his face is evident in the close-up.
This makes him look very intimidating. The camera stays on him for a while as
he repeats the word “well” over and over; the repetition building up tension as
the audience wonders what is going to happen next.
We cut to a police car driving with the road leading off
screen, creating the leading line effect. The audience assumes that the car is
going to continue to drive but once the car reaches the centre of the screen it
begins to track the car then it stops suddenly, arriving at the destination
which seems to be in the middle of nowhere. The policemen carry Alex out of the
car and the camera tracks them as they proceed. Alex is in the centre of the
screen, an indication that he is the main character and the fact that he is
being taken somewhere that he doesn’t want to go. Then, the camera follows the
three characters from behind as they guide Alex to his doom. The camera is
positioned in this way because like Alex, the audience does not know where Alex
is being taken to as all the audience gets to see is the three characters, as
they tread through a seemingly endless path. This shot lasts for a long time,
building tension in the scene and making the audience apprehensive.
The next shot has a strange bath in the centre of the frame
and the camera zooms in to the three characters approaching it, with Alex
struggling as he, along with the audience, begins to realise what is going to
happen to him. The long shot remains for the rest of the scene as we witness
the policemen drown Alex in the bath. The audience begins to realise that they
had planned this all along, to bring Alex to a secluded place in order to
punish him for treating them terribly in the past. The scene is horrific to
watch and evokes a sickening feeling within the audience. The camera offers no
other angles to lessen the intensity, for example, some films would quickly
switch to other camera angles to give the impression of violence. Instead we
are forced to watch every second of his savage beating. The fact that the scene
takes place in a place of nature is a significant juxtaposition as typically
the woods are considered to be a peaceful and quiet place but to the violent
relics of these characters the audience knows that they do not consider it to
be wrong.
This is a good analysis of a complex sequence. It is clear that you understand the role of the camera and how the audience are positioned by the filmmaker. You have done well to link specific camera moves and shot types to emotional responses they generate. Your work is well written.
ReplyDeleteMoving on:
- Be sure to check your use of technical terms. For example, Follow = track
- Try to draw more from your analysis and explain in more detail HOW a response is created. For example, you state
Then we cut to a low angle shot of Dim, telling the audience that this character is somebody to be feared in this situation and the mischief on his face is evident in the close-up
You are spot on, however you can also expand. The low angle is also a POV positioning us with Alex. We are viewing the character from his perspective and the low angle, along with the audience knowledge of what Alex has done to Dim heightens our response. It is more than Dim is to be feared, but Alex is thinking of the abuse he handed out and how Dim may exact his revenge. The sense of foreboding is clear.