PART THREE
FILM SEQUENCE ANALYSIS
One of my favourite films is The Usual Suspects with Kevin Spacey. I particularly like this film because there is underlying tension throughout. Also in the last scene, the twist is revealed and it is shocking but well directed.
It starts with an extreme close up of the detective, this shows us his exact facial expression as he watches the suspect. Then it changes to a mid shot of the suspect as he turns his back on the camera. This shows us the whole picture of what he's doing and creates tension as we wait in anticipation for him to walk away. The camera tracks up giving us an over the shoulder shot of the suspect. This helps to create a dynamic between the detective and what he sees. The next shot is a zoom out from a mid shot to a long shot. This transition between the two shots makes the audience feel as if they could understand the detective's body language but as the shot zooms out to a long shot, he almost becomes more unrecognizable. The long shot contextualizes him ion his location, (the police station) which reminds us of his job and purpose, but then distances us from the events and suggests isolation and despair.The next shot, a tracking shot, helps the audience follow a doctor out of an office as he has discovered for big news. As the shot zooms in to an extreme close up, it is as if, us, (the audience) have stopped following him and can see the detail in his expression and the emotion that he encounters as he tells the news. it is a personal shot that we feel as if we share with him. The next shot, an over the shoulder shot helps create the dynamic between us and the suspect and shows us his point of view which i9 find very effective.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYXXhn9fMYs
I also love the movie the breakfast club. I love how such a simple plot and storyline can create such an interesting visual. The script gives the movie the boost that it needs and I am not surprised it is a lot of people's favourite film. It too has a great opening sequence. Simple but very effective in understanding the type of backgrounds the characters have.
It starts with a five-shot, (long shot) of all the characters. This long shot makes us feel more like we are observing than we are with them. It shows all of their body language but the audience can only see the whole picture and not their individual emotions. The next shot is a through the window shot of one of the 5 characters as he recklessly turns on the music loudly. I think the director used this shot because, the character who we are watching, is behaving naughtily. A through the window shot gives the audience a sense of peering and secretly viewing his actions. As if we are an unseen presence who watches him. The next shot shows a different character. This one is a mid-shot which tracks the character from the front. Because we are watching her from the front but, at the same time, are moving with her, us as the audience feel more involved and as if we are a part of their fun behavior. The next shot observes a different character as she dances on the balcony, from a low angle long shot. This connotes that she has high status and is powerful or intimidating. I know from the context that she is the popular prom-queen stereo #type so this connotation completely agrees with the context of the plot. The next two shots show two different characters from mid shots as they too, behave outrageously. As they all have their own identity, the mid shot is used so that we can see their clothes and how they dress. It is also used because mid shots are good for providing information of the body language of someone and in this scene, i can denote that they are all dancing recklessly. The director possibly decided at 0:52 that the following few shots would be on a more personal level as they are close ups of the character's feet, followed by their faces. These close up facial shots are intimate and powerful and reveal the character's personality. These shots really work because they increase the audience's identification with the characters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRMrMzw0t20
Here are the trailers from both films:
The Breakfast Club
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkX8J-FKndE
The Usual Suspects
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MjV4EwR7Mg
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