Close Viewing

1. Close Viewing

2. Don’t • Treat the scenes as though you are unaware of the context within which they fit.

3. Do • Make connections with the rest of the film • E.g. Jaws – the shark has its own theme tune, so when we hear the score the audience is aware of his approach, even if the characters are not. Dramatic tension is created through our knowledge of the sharks approach being paired with shots of the characters obliviously playing or swimming in the surf.

4. Don’t • Tell me Spielberg’s trademark is a particular shot type (e.g. close ups). This is vague and practically meaningless as every director uses these shots at some point.

5. Do • Refer to the director’s trademark concerns or intended impact on the audience. • E.g., the framing of the shot that shows Elliot’s reflection in the window as he looks at a dying E.T is similar to other Spielberg films. This shot is used by the director to simultaneously show the protagonist’s emotional state at the same time as revealing the object of his or her gaze. It effectively causes the audience to sympathise with the protagonist. In this case, we feel that….

6. Don’t • Merely describe what is going on on-screen or be vague about the effect (e.g. this shot shows us what the character is reacting to).

7. Do • Answer ‘so what?’. Yes, I understand this close up shows the soldier’s fear. But so what? • E.g. The sequence of shots of soldiers’ faces shows their fear at going into battle. We become aware that they are all young men, and are afraid of what is to come. This reinforces Spielberg’s point that war destroys innocent lives, because even the soldiers commissioned to kill are innocent of hatred and vengeance.