Good Scene / Bad Scene:
Chosen By Damien O'Donnell, The Director Of 'Heartlands'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Good: 'Anatomy of a Murder' (Otto Preminger, 1959)
Attorney Claude Dancer (George C Scott) is questioning Laura Manion (Lee Remick), whose husband has been accused of murdering a man who had allegedly raped her. There's a great use of blocking when Scott moves from one side of the room to another. He is trying to block Laura's view of her husband's lawyer (James Stewart), who he thinks is giving her signals. Scott's every step is precise, and he blocks Stewart, who keeps moving his chair to see past him, about six times. Finally, Stewart stands up and his head appears over Scott's shoulder, far in the background. It's very subtle and artful, but it involves a lot of timing, and no unnecessary camerawork. Both the foreground and the background are in focus, there's action – Scott and Stewart – in both, there's depth of field, and a sense of being in the courtroom.
Bad: 'Amelie' (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001)
It's the moment when the identity of a man with whom Nino (played by Mathieu Kassovitz) is obsessed, and who leaves his passport photograph in booths around the city, is revealed: he's simply fixing the machines. When the repairman suddenly appears, there's a punctuation of sound to let you know that something important is about to happen. Then there's a 360-degree tracking shot around Nino's face as the man's identity dawns on him, and the camera rotates on a horizontal axis so that his face turns upside down. It doesn't allow the actor to do his job. It drags the audience through the story rather than letting them find their own way. It suffocates the story.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments