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, everything about the film has been very ominous and strange: Norman Bates, his eerie motel that has no lodgers, the haunted-looking house that no one can go in to because his mother is supposedly in there... Long story short, there's a mysterious atmosphere about the movie that hasn't really been explained, nor has had an abrupt disturbance to alert the audience yet. But it's during this shot where there is a reason for panic. With the way this shot is filmed, the audience is able to anticipate danger for Marion as she is unaware that someone is in the bathroom with her. The zoom into the shadowy figure draws out the anticipation for the audience, emphasizing the slow movement towards Marion, as well as parallel the movement of it getting closer to her.
The only thing I would do differently is to prolong the shot. The intensity and anticipation with the angle and zoom is great, but I think it's too short. This is mainly just to mess with the audience, but I think adding a shot that goes from Marion's face to then the wide shot of her and the entrance of the door, or even an angle that was closer to her face, but still at a place where we can see the entrance could prolong the shot for a good five seconds to keep the audience on the edge of their seat.
Knives Out (2019): The Ending Scene
At this moment of the film, home care nurse Maria has inherited the entirety of the Thrombey assets after her patient and patriarch of the family, Harlan Thrombey, was killed in a supposed unsolved murder. After resolving the murder and being free from blame, Maria looks down on the rest of the Thrombey's, who are essentially white, spoiled, and unconsciously racist people, as they've been kicked out of Harlan's estate.
Throughout the movie, Maria has been treated terribly by the Thrombey's: framed for murder, politically targeted for her and her family's immigration status, and being threatened to give up Harlan's assets just to name a few. Essentially, Maria has been looked down upon in terms of her role both in the family and in society. So when this combination of a low and high-angle shot appears as the final scene in the film, the roles are reversed where the family is looking up at Maria, who is now the sole inheritor of Harlan's assets, and is looking down on the family that got nothing.
I believe that this shot is perfect the way it is, and would not change a thing. It leaves the film with a very satisfying ending of appreciation and gratitude towards minorities, as well as exemplifying the fact that wealth is not always inherited.
The Conjuring (2013): The Big Jump Scare
Of course, horror movies got to have some effective shots, otherwise, no one would be hiding under their blankets while watching them. In this shot, sisters Andrea and Cindy Perron are unable to sleep as they believe there is a presence in their bedroom. Andrea believes Cindy is paranoid, and goes to check the closet to show her there is nothing to be worried about. When there's nothing in the closet, the camera pans to the top of the closet, where a demonic-like being is watching, right before jumping at Andrea.
Although the entirety of The Conjuring is terrifying, this scare in particular is probably the most climactic one of the whole film. As Andrea checks the closet, the camera is angled so that the audience is not able to see the top of it. When it is revealed that there is nothing in the closet, the audience thinks that there's nothing to be scared of, therefore letting their guard down. But just moments later, the audience has to activate their fight-or-flight as the frame moves up so that the top of the closet can be seen, where the demonic being is. This "false alarm" aspect of the shot is what makes it so effective, as the audience never knows when they're safe from a scare. Along with the screeching music, roar-like scream, and camera zoom into the demonic figure, this shot, in my opinion, is probably one of the most memorable and terrifying ones of the entire Conjuring franchise.
I would also say that there is nothing I would want to change for this shot. I think the camera movement to show the top of the closet was an excellent choice to reveal the demonic being. I also think the zoom was probably the best way to get a closer look of the being since the first reveal is far away in the dark. As the camera got closer, more details were visible to the audience: rotted teeth, pale skin, black pupils. Unlike the first shot I analyzed, I think the timing of the entire shot worked. Although it all happened so fast, the speed emphasizes the sudden attack on the sisters, and quickly cuts to their family, who hears their screams.
Conclusion
Although shots are simply things that happen while the camera is rolling, the way a shot is executed is crucial to how a film will turn out. When individually looked at, the elements within different shots reveal things that can be implicitly or explicitly given, whether its the presence of an unknown killer, the challenge of minorities in a stratified society, or an ugly demonic figure about to jump out towards you. Either way, movie shots are the basic foundations of cinema, and probably the least painful shot to take in over tequila or vaccines.
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