Topic:
Analysis of a shot from Sherlock Jr. (Buster Keaton, 1924).
Begin by determining what the function of the shot is. How does it help to move the action ofthe scene or the film along? How is it related to the rest of the film, for example, is it an echo or precursor of any other shot, or does it pick up on themes or visual motifs that are being used in other parts of the film? How is it related to the shotsthat precede and follow it?Technical aspects of the shot to consider include: what kind of shot is it (close-up, establishing shot, etc.)—note: you should definitely say what sort of shot it is early in your paper; duration of the shot; how the shot functions as a visual composition (is it balanced or unbalanced, is the field shallow or deep, etc.); camera angle, set-up, and movement; point of view from which it’s shot; special effects used; lighting; sound (diegetic or non-diegetic); the action that takes place in the shot and scene; dialogue; any other elements of mise-en-scène including setting, set decoration, costumes, make-up, etc.; is anything going on off-screen?Use these details in your analysisto explain how they all come together to accomplishthe purpose of the shot. It’s not enough to just catalogue them. Remember to mention the film’s title, release date, director’s name, and the name of the actors in the shot fairly early on in your analysis. Use the present tense for describing action in the shot (e.g., “When Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) walks into Rick’s American Cafe that night, she finds
Sam (Dooley Wilson) at the piano…”). You’ll also need a “Works Cited” (even if it’s just for the film you’re discussing), for example:Rear Window. Dir. Alfred Hitchcock. Paramount, 1954
