In an attempt to further expand my knowledge of film, I have taken several techniques that I was taught in film class and applied to shots of film. Learning more about the process of these works of art inevitably creates a more saturated viewing experience. The appreciation of the artistry found in so many places in film is a simple joy of life that I will continue to crave.
Temporal Connection
We cut from a man dropping his drinking glass in one shot to the glass breaking on the floor in the second shot.
Start at 1:07:47- 1:08:12 end.
In this scene, Coraline finds a doll in the shape of her parents. The shot moves from a close up of the doll, to Coraline throwing the doll down, then cutting to the shot of the doll burning in the fire. This is a successful use of temporal connection in the sense that we saw the whole range of emotions that Coraline experienced as well as connecting those emotions to the plot of the movie. Knowing that the doll was made by the antagonist of the movie, this is the moment where we see Coraline finally coming to the conclusion of the antagonist’s true evil nature. Any conflict of emotions towards the Beldam (antagonist) has been extinguished as she pushes Coraline to her breaking point by getting her family involved. The burning of the doll is powerful in the sense that Coraline is now forced to grow up and actively work to defeat the Beldam and save her family.
Spatial Connection
We cut from a wide shot of the White House to a recognizable detail of the White House to a recognizable detail of the of the White House in a closer shot- for example, the portico and front door.
In the opening scene of Hereditary, the camera pans from the inside view of a window to a diorama house then slowly zooms into a bedroom of the house. The shot is very slow and has an eerie sound intensifying as the zoom gets closer. The dollhouse room begins to clarify that it is the real room of one of the main characters; thus beginning the film. This spatial connection is essential to the film as it is a metaphor. With this being the opening scene to the film, it not only previews a later hobby/ obsession for the mother (also playing into the manic nature of this psychological thriller) but informs the audience on how the family dynamic and disturbing nature of the events to follow. The diorama is also used to let the audience know how many outside forces are used to manipulate the characters in the film.
Logical Connection
We cut from a wide shot of the White House to a shot of the President seated in an office. No temporal or spatial connection is necessary in this combination. If we recognize the White House and we recognize the President, then we make the logical connection that he's seated in an office in the White House, even though there is no actual information presented to tell us we are at the White House.
For my logical connection, I immediately thought of M. Night Shyamalan and his plot twists. I had to choose the iconic Sixth Sense ending. Though there were clues throughout the movie, the ending scene is holds the conclusion. In this scene, Malcolm is trying to speak to his wife who had been acting incredibly distant. They are speaking with each other as the audience is shown several shot- reverse- shot movements. As the conversation goes on, Anna, Malcolm’s wife, drops a ring that is not hers. When we see the ring drop, Malcolm raises his hand to reveal he is missing his wedding ring. The shot of the ring and confusion on Malcolm’s face is then joined by flashbacks throughout the movie about people who do not realize they are dead. This is when the audience is forced to realize Malcolm has been dead for the whole film.
References:
Katz, S. D. (2019). Film directing shot by shot: visualizing from concept to screen. Michael Wiese Productions.
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