Portrait of a Place

Here is my Portrait of a Place piece!

Link is here: https://vimeo.com/70374435

Midterm: Scene Analysis (#4)

As a secret western fan and an open Clint Eastwood fan, I decided to do my scene analysis on a scene from The Good, The Band, and The Ugly. This scene is at the very end of the film, when the three main characters have their showdown.

The entire ending of this movie is about this showdown, but this part I am going to talk about is like the preparation scene, and the next section is when the shooting actually takes place.

1. The scene first starts with a wide establishing shot of the characters walking into the flatland where the showdown will take place. The characters walk in and help set up the rule of thirds in where they walk into the shot. The lighting is most likely all sunlight, as the sky is clear and bright.

2. Then they turn the same shot around to suddenly see all of the characters’ faces, while showing the rest of the flatland where the showdown will take place. Clint Eastwood’s character is also placed in the shot using rule of thirds, and his eyes are in the “sweet spot.”

3. Then it goes to a cutaway of Clint Eastwood’s hand placing the stone into the ground. The camera zooms in at this shot to show the significance of what has been written at the bottom of the stone. The also put the stone right in the middle of the frame, maybe to give even more emphasis on how important this showdown is.

4. Then there is a MCU on “The Bad” guy, again the frame puts him right in the middle to show his discomfort and anxiousness.

5. The same type of framing is done for “The Ugly” character as well.

6. Then the scene cuts to a wide shot of all three men on the flatland, making the audience even more nervous as the scene stalls the actually shootout from happening yet.

7. They cut to Clint Eastwood as he begins to back up into where he will perform the shootout. The camera doesn’t move, but he backs away from the camera, turning the MS into more of a Medium long shot.

8. “The Bad” guy is framed in a MS, but the camera tracks him as he steps up closer, doing, in fact, the opposite of what “The Good” guy is doing to prepare for this showdown. The tracking shot ends by showing “The Ugly” character, who has not moved from his original spot, showing how that character is a little in between the other two characters in personality.

9. Clint Eastwood is now at a “cowboy” shot looking towards “The Ugly” character.

“The Ugly” character is shown at a CU, with his eyeline towards “The Bad” guy.

Then the next CU is of “the Bad” guy, looking back at “the Ugly” guy.

10. Then it goes back to the CU of “the Ugly” guy, before cutting back to the two person MS of “the Bad” and “the Ugly” character. They’re obviously trying to stare each other down to intimidate the other.

11. Then the scene cuts to a two-person wide shot, with Clint Eastwood’s character more in the background. This shot is establishing the distrust between “the Ugly” and “the Bad” guys. Then every character finally starts making their way into their real positions before the shootout.

12. For an even greater dramatic effect, the scene cuts to an Extremely Long Shot to showcase how big the space is that these men are about to battle in. Looks like they made this a crane shot, actually. This shot is held for longer than necessary to create even more uneasiness.

13. Another wide dramatic effect shot, but shot from another angle so as the include pieces of the graveyard, a symbol of where the secret treasure is held, but also foreshadows death. After this shot, the preparation is over and the shooting will happen when you least expect.

3 Motivated Camera Movements (#3)

          1. Prince of Egypt

This song in the movie has many tilts and pans. A great one is when Moses is running back to the palace and the camera is panning from right to left of the pillars while he runs towards the camera. I think that pan is really powerful because it’s showing how far away he is from being a prince as he’s trying his best to keep hold of it. The tilt rising up to show the giant monument of his Egyptian family as he remains small at the bottom is also significant. There are more tilts and pans in this scene, but I will leave it at those two.

      2.     Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

The motivated camera movement from this scene is right at the beginning, as Brick tries to run away from his father and everything else going wrong in his life. So the camera pans as Brick hobbles away, but then the camera also adds a tilt as it continues panning in order to convey how intense their conversation is getting.

3. Pride and Prejudice

So in this scene it starts off with an extreme close-up of Elizabeth and zooms in even further to show her shock at being caught in Darcy’s home. Great use of zoom there. Then in the next shot the camera zooms slowly towards Elizabeth as she runs down the stairs, then follows her with a pan as she runs to show her speed and urgency in getting away. There are more good motivated camera movements in the scene, but I’ll just describe those two.

5 Favorite Film Scenes (#2)

Here are my 5 favorite film scenes. Though I say these are my favorites, there are a lot of scenes I know I love but just can't remember as well as these!


1. Opening scene of Dark Days (beginning to 5:05)

This documentary is about a group of people who are homeless and live underground, in old abandoned Amtrak rail lines. This opening scene establishes the environment that the documentary is in, and the minimal lighting, really only one giant light, shows how dark the tunnels really are. Plus, filming the entire documentary in black and white helps the audience pay attention to the content.

The following of the man, with simple pans to take the viewer from one shot to the next; then leading to the frame within a frame where the subway suddenly drives past. The next two shots are again, simple, but powerful. The man is seen at a medium long shot, then medium shot, climbing down into the tunnel, and then the long shot of the man as a silhouette with the tracks grabbing your attention in the background. Then the high angle shot of the tracks shows that you are going further and further into the tunnels, with them also using the lines of the track to show even more depth. The scene continues on, establishing the types of structures everyone lives in with a simple pan continuing past. Then the canted angle of the subway, with only its headlight lighting the shot, finalizes the depth the viewer has reached, and creates understanding as the title appears on screen.

2. Pride and Prejudice: Elizabeth and Darcy’s dance

This scene is wonderful because one, it is one continuous shot, and it totally works with what is happening in the scene (I’m only focusing on the part before they start placing cuts in the scene). Elizabeth and Darcy are finally addressing their assumptions of each other, and just like they are dancing around what they think of each other, they are physically dancing too. So the camera work: the pans following Elizabeth and then Darcy as they go around other people in the line. Plus, you can tell that the shot has a shallow depth of field because the dancers in the background are blurry. The camera stays at a medium close-up for the entire time, keeping the two main characters in focus, and has dancers and musicians in the fore- and background to make the viewer really feel like they are dancing and interacting along with the characters. 

3. On The Waterfront

 One of my favorite movies ever, and one of the best scenes from that movie is when Terry (Marlon Brando) is in the taxi with his big brother, finally addressing the feelings he has kept inside for years. Because the scene is so intimate in context, and because it is the final turning point for Terry to make his decision, the camera is set as a medium long shot for the two person frame, and goes in closer with simple close-ups of both brothers, sometimes when they are speaking, and other times when they are reacting to what is being said. The entire film is in black and white, and the lighting is minimal, only to shed enough light inside the cab so that one can see, but it still has shadow to add towards the grave subject being discussed. The aesthetics are simple so the viewer focuses on what is happening, and they help at the beginning by immediately putting you right with them in the cramped taxi cab.

4. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

The cellar scene, which is one out of two climactic arguments that are going on back and forth at the same time, has to do with Brick, the son, and Big Daddy, the father, and them discussing their issues with one another. Brick only ever wanted his dad to care about him, while Big Daddy has bought piles upon piles of “things” to claim as his own, or to buy his family’s love, but when he realizes that he’s dying, everything starts to come into perspective. Knowing that, the scene really exposes what is in Big Daddy’s head. There is clutter everywhere in the shot, and it almost engulfs the two characters as they realize what they still lack, despite all of the “things” they have around them.

With great use of rule of thirds to establish the cellar and Brick hobbling down the stairs, as well as great medium close-ups and frames within frames, this scene is heart-wrenching not only because of content of what is being said, but because of how the camera shots and movement have been filmed and placed together.

5. Fiddler on the Roof (watch from 0:35 to 2:18)

 So, it’s a musical, but this opening title sequence is amazing! It starts with a long establishing shot of the environment, at dawn, so the ground and forest are merged together as one with the slowly rising sun the only lighting in the frame. As it shows this, the camera gives a slow pan while the natural sound of birds and insects solidifies where this place is. Then the camera stops as they speed time and the viewer sees the sun rise right in front of them. Then it cuts to the next frame where the camera is panning silhouetted rooftops until it finally lands on the fiddler. Once on the fiddler, it holds a long shot of him in silhouette while he begins to play. Once the main character begins talking, that scene is over, but the fiddler continues to play which I think is a great way to transition to the main story. 

Ten of My Favorite Things (#1)

1.     Crochet

Women from various generations in my family have crocheted throughout the years, so I wanted to continue that tradition and learn the skills myself. People have been crocheting for many, many years around the world and in the past, it was one of the only ways you were going to get a blanket or sweater. I think crochet is an important part of my family history, especially since there are still blankets and knick-knacks still around from the women who made them. From the photo, crochet can be seamless and look like a store-bought item, or it can look very homemade and rough. It all depends on what you are trying to make. (And yes, I made that hat!)

2.     On the Waterfront

Though I hate picking favorites, this film is one of them. It was made in 1954 by Elia Kazan. The production costs were $910,000 and it was filmed in black and white with Mono sound-recording. The story is all about life: how easily life is lost, how quickly life changes, and how costly one’s life can be. I feel like the viewer is sometimes confused because they only see “regular” people doing everyday things, but that is the beauty behind the story. With the film being in black and white, it already creates a higher awareness to knowing what is happening. Framing is used well, like using a low-angle shot to make the priest’s speech even more provoking, or squeezing two men in a taxi to show the intimacy and seriousness of their conversation.

3.     Black Culture/ History

Not trying to be cliché here, but the black culture in the U.S. is something that I have re-embraced as a young adult, and it’s a driving force behind the types of documentaries I want to make. From the beginning black culture has been evolving and interpreted into many different things; I want to ensure that lesser heard voices in the black community also have a chance to be heard.  Whether from a humorous standpoint like Chris Rock’s Good Hair, or a serious one like Eye’s on the Prize. Each one looks and feels different from the other.

4.     Healthier Eating

I say “healthier” because sometimes you just need those greens cooked with fatback and ham hocks. And turkey-bacon flavored greens is NOT going to cut it. But knowing my family history of high cholesterol and high blood pressure, I decided that I’m going to make better decisions about what I eat. I still love soul food, but now it’s about me making the same traditional dishes with half the sugar, or less salt, or substituting one thing for another without compromising taste. If it looks and tastes the same, why not eat a healthier version of something?

5.     Poetry/Reading

I have always written down my feelings first before expressing them outwardly. It’s my way of being completely sure what I’m thinking is what I want to say to a certain person. So my poetry is usually a creative listing of my thoughts, usually in free verse style (even jumping around with rhythms and cadences), and most likely a bit thought-provoking. I am either telling a story, or organizing my thoughts. With reading, it's more of a necessity, like eating. If it's been too long since I've read a book, I get antsy and restless. I have always been a fast and avid reader, and I will reread a book I've recently read to keep myself reading something. 

6.     Cooking

You may think I’m being redundant because I mentioned healthy eating, but this has nothing to do with health, but tradition. Cooking those traditional southern dishes is a way for me to connect with the other men and women, mainly women, in my family, and the stories that come with their techniques of making the food they do. Plus, learning how to cook from generations before ensures that it looks “just like Mama used to make it.”

7.     Rang de Basanti

This has got to be one of my favorite Bollywood films EVER. It was made in 2006 and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. Four different languages are spoken in this film, and to me, it’s one of the better representations of the many cultures, religions, and politics that call India their home. It centers around an English girl wanting to make a documentary about her grandfather’s journal that speaks about Indian revolutionaries that were against British occupation, and the five guys she meets during the process. In the end, it inspires the five men to have a revolution of their own, and shows the power younger generations can have on politics and people to get things to change for the better. There is a distinct color palette when switching from present day (naturally colored/bright) and the “time” of the past revolutionaries (sepia).  The camera movements were also most likely choreographed along with the many musical numbers in the film.

8.     Folk/ Bluegrass Music

Folk and bluegrass music is one of those styles of music that has been created by infusing many different types of music from many different groups of people, all playing a part in the sound of the music. It has this soulful and yearning tone that makes you want to hear more, and at the same time, makes you want to dance around and let loose. It’s true country music. And despite what people may say, this type of music what listened to and played by white AND black people. Just listen to the Carolina Chocolate Drops.

9.     Going to Church

I feel like church, for black people especially throughout the years, is a type of safe haven. Church has served an important role for black people in history, and it is also a place to release any burdens that may be on you. Gospel music can really get into your spirit and impact you, emotionally or physically. Even if you don’t believe in God or practice another religion, it’s hard to deny the community and safety one can feel going to a church that embraces you completely.

10. Foreign Languages

Learning multiple foreign languages is one of the long-term goals for my life. I’m learning German here at school and have heard enough Korean pop and watched enough Korean dramas to know more than a few phrases in that language as well. I have at least two other languages on my list to learn as well. I think languages are important in telling a person’s story correctly because not only do you understand what the person or people are trying to say, but with that understanding of language comes better understanding of the culture as well. Words and their meanings can explain various things in a culture that are otherwise hard to pinpoint.