Shots: They're Not Just for Tequila or Covid
Shots: something we either all love a/o dread, depending on the context (and person). But in cinema, shots refer to the "basic building blocks" of films, a "continuous capture of a span of action by a motion picture camera" (Sharman). For this blog post, I'm going to analyze three of my favorite movie shots in terms of what is happening, how effective it is in the film, and how might I have done it differently. Psycho (1960): The Shower Murder Scene Probably one of the most memorable and iconic Hitchcock shots, this part of the film is where Marion (Janet Leigh) gets murdered by an unknown killer (no spoilers, don't worry). Although the murder itself is the climax of this scene, the build-up shot that precedes it is what adds the suspense. As Marion is taking a shower, the audience can see through the clear shower curtain a shadowy figure come through the door, and slowly walk closer to Marion, as the camera zooms in to the figure. Before this point, every...