Lost in Translation (2003)

One of the first things I notice about a movie is the use of establishing shots, especially when they take place in cities. The vast majority of cities are simple blocks of concrete, glass, and steel. Few ever demonstrate an individualistic flair, like Tokyo does in this shot.



I like this shot because it shows how far this character is out of his element. He’s far away from home as it is. This otherwise pointless elevator shot demonstrates effectively how much this American visitor sticks out like a sore thumb.



I like how this shot sums up this character’s predicament. He’s in Tokyo for a couple weeks and his family is in the states. The arrangement of the items on the table shows that he’s used to sharing a portion of it with someone else. Without anyone to share it with, his lonely state becomes evident.

Terminator (1984)

This intimidating pose is struck by an infiltrator machine bent on destroying a bunker full of holocaust survivors. I found the lighting to be significant in creating the feeling of gloom and doom. The fact that it’s holding a huge laser gun also helps. At first I didn’t notice it, at least not consciously, but the infiltrator’s eyes are glowing. This also contributes to the feeling of dark power radiating from this thing.



I like this establishing shot because the city has so many lights yet only the street itself is well lit. Granted it’s nighttime, but you’d think with all those lights blazing there’d be much less darkness. The bluish street lamps shrinking with distance give the feeling that there’s a long road ahead. Indeed, this shot was taken not long after one of the main characters arrives early in the movie.



This is probably the first point of view (POV) shot I can remember seeing in any movie. Watching this movie as a kid, I didn’t realize how much it affected the movie overall. But it does make the terminator’s mission crystal clear: search and destroy. The choice of red and black as major colors lends to the air of ill will associated with this machine.

Batman Forever (1995)

One thing that has always fascinated me about Batman movies is the style of architecture of the city of Gotham. In this movie, the lighting dominates the structures rather than the opposite. This creates an unusual look for a city that’s supposed to be all doom and gloom when now it seems to glow radioactively.



Jim Carrey always seems to bring a considerable measure of spontaneity and odd facial expressions to a character. This medium shot of him explaining to his boss the key element in his latest invention proves that notion quite well. There are no objects to help the emphasis because they are not necessary.



Dark colors often represent dark feelings, and that holds true for this flashback to Bruce Wayne’s childhood. Everything has the blue tint, even the fire. It makes the flashback distinct and ethereal, which is appropriate for the situation.

Employee of the Month (2006)

There are several ways to show the passing of time in a short period. One of those is time-lapse. This is where a camera is left to run for a long time and record at a much slower frame rate. The result is an afternoon gone in 30 seconds or sometimes less. This one in particular I find to be uncommonly beautiful for a movie whose main focus is comedy.



If there was ever a doubt in your mind that you could get pretty much anything from a warehouse store, this little shot dispels it. The floor workers of this particular warehouse store have set up a pallet clubhouse complete with drinks, games, and furniture. You can even see what appears to be a sleeping area behind the two card players. It also attests to some latent ingenuity in the lowly workers.



I liked how this scene utilized a diminished form of dramatic effect to create a humorous scene. Normally dry ice is used to add mystique or emphasis to a serious scene, but in this case the use of freezer mist thrown into the path of the savior’s run just adds some amusement.

Army of Darkness (1992)

Though it was probably unintended, I thought this shot of the windmill behind the chainsaw made a noteworthy contrast between old and new technology. The chainsaw is shiny and full of power while the windmill is dull and slow. The new tech looks so strange compared to the old, yet we’re much more familiar with it than we’d be with a windmill.



A single light could be all a filmmaker needs to put emphasis on the importance of something. This shot is no exception. The altar of the Necronomicon (book of the dead) is dreary and old, not in the least bit holy as white lights often emphasize. Yet a white light is used to illuminate the place of the book. Whether this was intentional or not really thought out by the filmmaker is arguable.



For some reason, the use of jerky puppets seems more appropriate than computer animation for the simulation of walking skeletons. Computer animation is either too shiny or too smooth, neither of which would go well with the undead. Though the option to use puppets and animatronics is more due to the limitations of technology at the time this film was made, I still feel it is the best choice.



This shot could have been broken up onto two, but the filmmaker kept it together. The man on the right (from the future) slaps the man on the left (in the correct time period) after watching the troops score small victories in the battle below. The man on the left isn’t accustomed to such body language and stares back almost threateningly. It could have been split up so the reaction was shot separately, but that would probably have made the reaction seem too serious and detract from the comedic air of the film.

300 (2006)

I find this shot to be particularly special because of all the symbolism packed into one short instance. We see here the young Spartan soldier, thrown out into the wild to fend for himself and return alive or not at all. He has encountered a wolf (whose shadow we see on the rock face), easily as big as he is. He fights with his brain first, by luring the wolf into a rocky crevasse. The wolf gets stuck and wounded by the spear in its attempt to lunge toward the Spartan boy, who deals a deathblow with one swift strike. This demonstrates the Spartan king’s overall strategy on how he will fight the Persian army: lead them to a narrow space, then strike. Talk about foreshadowing.



I like this shot because it efficiently sums up the main points of this character and all the hell he’s been through. The piercing gaze speaks of an unyielding spirit, and the battered helmet tells of the long hard battle he has fought.



Here’s a shot with some good imagery. The “God-king” Xerxes rides on a huge white polished throne carried on the backs of slaves. There’s no more obvious way to say that he is the absolute ruler of these subjects. The subjects themselves are dehumanized by their lack of faces. Rather, they wear masks or head cloths or other such related apparel. This lets them seem less than human, worthy of scorn and fit only to die at the hands of the noble Spartans.

Black Hawk Down (2001)

Here's a scene near the beginning where religious observance is performed by the townspeople of this city in Somalia. I find it interesting that everyone puts down their weapon to do this, even though it's pretty much a war zone and anyone could take advantage of the situation. Though the window of opportunity is small, it could make the difference in a fight. These people are devout, and it lends some humanity to their overall character despite the bloody nature of their existence.



A nice shot of the aftermath of the battle thus far. This part really helps drive home just how impoverished these people are in terms of material wealth. It also serves as a calming breath between action sequences. Viewers cannot be flooded with too much action, or they'll eventually lose interest.



This might seem like any scene from a war movie where doctors operate on the wounded. But this scene is unique in that it shows just how much the commanding officer really cares about the welfare of those under him. He sees a spatter of blood spill onto the operating room floor and grabs a towel to wipe it up. Few generals I've heard of demonstrate their devotion down to such a small detail. We usually hear about how they command from the rear, so we assume they're detached from what they do.

Lord of War (2005)

This is perhaps one of the most interesting opening sequences I've seen. The camera follows the path of a bullet from manufacture to usage. We get to see it developed through a factory, trade hands with various people, and finally be used on a battlefield. As an opening sequence it does a great job of catching and holding the viewer's attention.



I found the symbolism of this shot to be quite interesting. Here we have a statue of Lenin, our antagonist weapons dealer doing some calculations, and a row of military vehicles stretching into the background. In this world, capitalism thrives, and it is the merchant class that gets rich most easily. Here we see a visual manifestation of the outcome of the struggle between the classes: Communism falls to the wealthy, aided by the military.



Here we have another somewhat symbolic scene. The gun dealer and his brother (his partner in "the biz") are both nearly shot by a spray of bullets. After much ducking and dropping of recently-made money, the brother looks around to see who fired the shots. It's a firing squad, and they're executing several people including women and children. The brother wants to interfere, but the gun dealer keeps him from doing so, while also gripping his money more tightly. Here we see a conflict of human nature; the desire to help others, and the desire to stay wealthy (and alive). Ultimately, they choose the latter.

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

The beginning scene in the coffee house does a good job in showing the relations between the members of this particular group of criminals. The viewer learns a good deal about them in this first scene. While some movies start with a little action first, this film starts with actual story-building content. The argument posed by "Mr. Pink" in this picture regarding tipping certainly brings a level of detail to the character that other movies don't even attempt (even if it is about a superficial issue).



What caught my interest in this scene is not the sense of camaraderie, but the fact that the slow-motion is somewhat choppy. For the longest time I had the assumption that all slow motion scenes were smooth as butter. But seeing this rather old film using it really showed how far we've come in video technology.



If there ever was a moral summed up in one scene, it would be this. Nearly all the bad guys and a few good guys end up dying, with the exception of one of the bad guys. He gets away while the others suffer the consequences. Though it says pretty clearly, "Crime doesn't pay" it simultaneously shows how dangerous and bloody police work can be.

The Usual Suspects (1995)

This scene communicated more than just what was said in the conversation. You can tell from observing the position of the man being questioned (left) and the officer (right) that the cop should have the upper hand. He should be the one in power, asking questions and getting answers. But the mannerisms of the man on the left tell that he believes he has it all under his control. Later on you learn just how far in control he really is.



Here is a good example of the dramatic effect of fire. We see the silhouette of a man as he walks away from what we presume to be a burning building - partly because it's what you might expect, and partly because the man narrating this tidbit says so. This near-mythical figure is Kaiser Sose, a famed criminal known for his viciousness and tenacity. The story goes that he was crossed by some mob who wanted his territory. He ends up slaughtering them and anyone even remotely associated with them. Horror stories are told about him by criminals to their children, saying, "You cross your dad, and Kaiser Sose is gonna get you!" This shot gives meaning to that phrase quite well.