Shot and Reverse Shot Technique - Coursework Example

face-to-face, shot/reverse shot by The of the The of the School The and where it is located The Date Face-to-face, shot/reverse shot Introduction If one takes a look at the human civilization, one cannot help noticing that the notion of art plays extremely important role in it. Indeed, it allows people to exercise a characteristic feature that they possess, namely their imagination. It must be noted that the technological advancement also contributes to the development of art as an area of social life. Thus, cinema as a kind of art could not have emerged without the necessary equipment. In spite of the fact that if compared to literature or dance, cinema is relatively young, the evolution of it has been quite rapid and nowadays it occupies a significant place in modern culture. This paper will analyze a particular technique that is used in cinema, namely shot/reverse shot, and examine its peculiarities on the example of a scene from The Bourne Identity. Elements of shot/reverse shot scene technique To begin with, it may be particularly important to pay attention to the fundamental elements which make the above mentioned technique. Thus, it primarily focuses on depicting characters who are having a conversation in turns, focusing on the person who is talking rather than the one who is listening. The latter might be shown fully, partially (from the over the shoulder point of view) and disappear from the screen (Bordwell 2007, p. 58). In other words, shot/reserve shot structures the narration in a way so that the audience would be able to see only the person who is talking rather which makes one more important than the other. Another important element of the technique in question is portraying the character looking at each other. Indeed, in spite of the fact that the camera changes its location constantly, the position of the people who are engaged in a conversation should remain looking at each other. Indeed, if the viewer does not see this, then the interaction of the characters will lose its contextual value. What is more important is that if two people face each other and are portrayed simultaneously then this will not be aesthetically pleasing with as, on the one hand, the audience will be look at them from a side, not seeing their faces, and, on the other hand, if a face of a person is shown fully, there is no way but to show the other person’s back which ruins the face to face atmosphere. Finally, a significant part of shot/reserve shot technique lies in the fact that there are no transitions between moments when the camera shows a different person talking. In other words, there is no fade out, fade in or other elements of editing; a picture of a different setting is shown immediately after a character stopped talked. In spite of the fact that this may distort the narration in other scenes, lack of transitions in shot/reverse shot scene is well accepted by the audience since the latter connects the two parts of the conversation, but loosing sight of the general picture. In other words, while transitions might be suitable in other situations, in this particular instance they would have a negative impact. Shot/reverse shot and universal elements of human interaction It is quite obvious that the technique in question is used primarily in order to show interaction of the characters. That is why it tries to depict it as natural as possible. Indeed, the above mentioned elements may be found not only in this technique, but also in the patterns of human interaction in general. Thus, the fact that only one character is shown on the screen while talking reflects the conventional rule, according to which only one person may be talking at once (Bordwell 2007, p. 335). Indeed, if everyone talks at the same time there would be no dialogue as people will simply not be able to hear each other. The next element which was analyzed previously, namely showing characters looking at each other, reflects another universal element of human interaction, namely eye contact. Thus, in spite of the fact that characters are shown separately, they maintain eye contact with each other which contributes to perceiving the depicted conversation as natural. It has often been noted that staring at another person may be rude, but looking into the eyes from time to time serves as an indication that people have focused on the conversation and are not distracted by anything else. If shot/reverse shot did not feature the above mentioned element, then the phrases that were articulated by the characters would be perceived as parts of their monologue. Finally, the lack of transitions between the frames in shot/reverse shot scene adequately reflects the nature of the real conversation. Indeed, when two people are talking there are almost no pauses between the replies. This means that those who are engaged in a conversation know when they should articulate their position and when they have to remain silent in order to let the opponent articulate his or her. What is more important is that this happens constantly so it seems that the interlocutors almost practiced it. One would make no mistake pointing out that if there were transitions between the frames, even the quickest ones, it would absolutely destroy the natural character of the conversation which heavily relies on replied that are provided in a split second. Shot/reverse shot scene from The Bourne Identity at a truckstop cafe Goals of the filmmaker As has already been pointed out, this paper will analyze the above mentioned technique on an example that is taken from an actual movie. The scene that will be analyzed is taken from The Bourne Identity when two main characters, Jason and Marie, are sitting at a truckstop café talking to each other after Jason, who lost his memory, discovered that he had a deposit in a Swiss bank that was full of passports, claiming that he has different nationalities and identities, a considerable sum of money and gun. It is quite understandable that the filmmaker decided to use the technique in question in order to focus the attention of the audience on the idea that the two characters were exchanging and put emphasis on the significance of this conversation. Perceptual response from the audience It may be particularly important to analyze this scene from various perspectives in order to see what responses the filmmaker wanted to elicit. To begin with, one should note that the use of shot/reverse shot technique influenced the perception of the audience. At that point in the narration, the two characters were under enormous pressure. That is why showing only one of them at a time contributed to the feeling of lack of space for decisions that the character faced. In other words, absence of space on the screen matched absence of safe place for the characters In addition to that the use of shot/reverse shot technique allowed the filmmaker to elicit a perceptual response of the audience according to which the characters will be viewed as disoriented. Indeed, Jason, the protagonist, can not understand his past, especially after he discovered items that an ordinary person would not have in a deposit box. That is why when he and Marie look at each other they appear to be at loss what to do. Taking turns, they articulate the concerns that they have about the recent discovery of Jason and are trying to understand the general picture. Nevertheless, at first all this does not make sense, so they clearly panic. Cognitive response from the audience The next point of view that should be analyzed is the cognitive aspect of using shot/reverse shot technique. As it has already been noted, this technique allows the characters to exchange their ideas easily. As a result, their interaction may be quite production. Indeed, while sitting at the truckstop café Jason and Marie desperately trying to think a plan that they can follow in order to get out the trouble that they found themselves in. This consider the evidence that they have at hand, draw connections between the fact and the audience is able to witness it through phrases that they are shown saying. Indeed, the conversation that they are having in question may be one of the most important in the movie; that is why the filmmaker wanted to emphasize it by engaging shot/reverse shot. In addition to that there are parts when both Jason and Marie say rather long lines and depiction of them benefits from the fact that they are shown independently of the other character. In this case, the audience understanding that the idea belongs to Jason or Marie. For example, due to this, the viewers will see that Marie is doing her best while being helpful and supportive. This means that the shot/reverse shot technique allows a character to present one’s characteristic features. Emotional response from the audience Finally, pathos, or appeal to emotions, has always been one of the central tools that the cinema used in order to attract the audience. This means that the use of shot/reverse shot is used to engage the viewers into the narration and provoke specific emotions that would make the experience of watching the movie unforgettable. First of all, the above mentioned technique is quite suitable while depicting the hostile world that the characters live in. Indeed, shot/reverse shot technique shows a person, but not the environment. This means that the viewers will have to use their imagination to reconstruct it. Keeping in mind that the characters talk about the threat that they face, the audience is likely to imagine the world outside the truckstop café to be full of danger to Jason and Marie. What is more important is that aspect that the technique in question is able to convey quite effectively focuses on the feeling of loneliness that the characters must feel. Indeed, Jason is a person who lost his memory and can not make out who he really is. Marie is a women who is trying to apply for visa, but she does not have a steady source of income and she is probably a vagrant. This means that other than help of each other, these two characters may any expect anything else. There is no wonder in the fact that portrayal of them in turn contributes to the understanding that this pair is left alone in the entire world. Why has the director chosen shot/reverse shot for this particular scene? It would not be a mistake to suggest that there were different techniques at the disposal of the director of the movie in question. Nevertheless, the movie features shot/reverse shot scene. This can be easily explained by the following reasons. First of all, the director wants to attract the attention of the viewers to the fact that the character tried to find a way out of the crisis by talking. Indeed, this contrasts with all the actions which happened during the movie. Another point that should be mentioned is the connection that builds between the characters as the result of this conversation. One would make not mistake pointing out that shot/reverse shot is the perfect tool for showing two people engaged in a productive interaction of ideas. Finally, the technique in question was chosen by the director in order to show the intimacy of the conversation. Jason is talking about his past that he has not idea of and, quite naturally, he panics since he does not know who he is. Contrary to that, Marie is trying to calm him down and this experience bring them together even closer. Conclusion Having examined all the evidence that was brought up in the paragraphs above, one is able to come up with the following logical conclusion: shot/reverse shot is a special technique that allows the filmmakers to put a tremendous emphasis on the significance of interaction of the two characters and convey in a natural way. Indeed, all the elements that are featured in it match universal elements of human interaction. The scene from The Bourne Identity shows that it was wisely chosen by the directors. References Bordwell, D 2007, Who Blinked First? In Poetics of Cinema, Routledge, New York, NY. Bordwell, D 2007, Convention, Construction and Cinematic Vision. In Poetics of Cinema, Routledge, New York, NY. Read More