American Beauty Homework

The first thing we see in this scene are the two characters, a man and a woman, lying in bed together. We can hear rain falling outside of the building, giving a soothing feeling to the atmosphere. Because both characters can hear this, the sound is diegetic. The non-diegetic sound in this scene is part of the sound track. There is a melancholy tone to this, adding to the soothing and sad atmosphere.

It moves to a mid shot of the face of the woman and the back of the man. The scene progresses until we see the same distance shot, but the face of the man and the back of the woman as he hugs her.

The next shot establishes a new character. She is sitting in a car, and the audience sees her face in the mirror, next to the rain pouring down the windshield. As she turns her head and lowers the car window, the camera focuses in on the red door and light in the centre of the frame, surrounded by rain. This is a balanced composition.

The scene moves back inside, with the camera swapping views between the man and the woman. There is an exchange of dialogue between the two, before the woman moves off set. The scene ends with the man looking at a photo of his family and smiling, as the music fades out and the camera fades to black

Half-Term Homework

Rear Window Opening

























Rear Window starts with an extreme long shot of a housing estate, panning from left to right giving the viewer a sense of the spacing of the setting of the film. It is an establishing shot, showing the main characters, props (e.g. the camera) and the area that the beginning of the film will take place

The Shawshank Redemption Ending















The Shawshank Redemption ends with a pull-out shot of the beach at Zihuatanejo, showing the reunion of Andy and Red. There is a contrast of the colours of the sand and the Pacific Ocean, with the boat being centered at the frame. This goes from a medium long shot to an extreme long shot of the two men, ending the film on an emotional reunion.

The Sting - A Game of Jacks



















In this scene there is a game of poker being played against two men. The cameras were set on a tripod facing each player. The cards are framed so that the viewer is able to see them, although they are being held very close to the mens chest. At the end of the scene when the cards are revealed, it becomes apparent that the person in the stills has cheated, and the camera zooms in on the cards with a pull-in shot

Lady in the Water - Healing Scene













This scene is a close up shot of the mans face. There is a close up of the mans face at the beginning, after a close up of the woman's scarred legs. After some speech from the man, all the other characters in the scene place their arms on him. Then there is some more speech, and another close up of the woman's leg shows that the scars have healed.

Superman Returns - Lifting a Ship





















In this scene, the camera is on a tripod in the sinking ship. The shot is a close up of all the characters faces, and the ship is still sinking until the main character, Superman, rescues it. There is a long shot of Superman and an extreme long shot of the ship, whilst there is a pull-out shot from the camera zooming out.

The Dark Knight