Literature & Film - Danielle Bishop
MINORITY REPORT - Frame Analysis
In this shot the primary subject is John Anderton. He is decently large within the frame and is split between the left and middle sections. Above and to the right of the subject the shot shows the victim of a future crime that John is analyzing in his screen at work. It makes sense for Spielberg to have to have this shot portrayed like this because it is showing the reflection of the image that subject is viewing. In the right third of the shot John's left hand is shown, which is controlling what he is viewing on the screen. The viewer's eye will be naturally drawn to his hand, due to where it is placed in the shot.
The lighting in the scene is very important within this shot. The background is black which blends in the what John is wearing. It was important to have the background of the shot dark, in order to show the reflection of what John was viewing. If John was standing in a brightly lit room, it would be much more difficult for the viewer to view what John was seeing on his screen. The lighting also portrays a mysterious backdrop to scene by having multiple shadows. In my opinion, the lighting demonstrates that John will be told/shown something. I think this because that shadow of the victim is cast over his fast in a grey whitish light.
The frame of this shot is a close/medium shot, yet it still encompasses a great deal of subjects and details. I think Spielberg chose to shoot this frame like this in order to show John's facial expression to what he was viewing and to include his hand, which was controlling what he was seeing. Some details within the shot are his nametag on his jacket and the lights on his hand contoller. The nametag shows the veiwer that John is wearing some type of unifrom and is at work. The lightings on his hand controller are very modern, which informs the viewer that this movie is taken place in the future.
Danielle - great image choice. There are so many things happening in this shot; I especially like your comments on Anderton's hands and the role they play in this image -- it's sort of like he's manipualting the future.
ReplyDeleteHere's a suggestion: when you mention that there are "details" in the shot, spend more time focusing on specific details and what they mean. For instance, did you notice how the man Anderton is seeing is wearing a different colored jacket than Anderton's? Are there other details we should focus on?
DANIELLE!!
ReplyDeleteHey. I like what you said about Anderton's facial expression. He is very focused and clearly thinking deeply about what he is seeing. I also think the overlap between Anderton's head and the victim is interesting and shows that John is thinking about him. You're also spot on about the mood the lighting creates. I noticed the small, evenly placed lights at the top of the frame. They remind me of consistency, something which pre-crime has had a history of at this time in the movie. I'd like to go back and see what the lights were like when he revisited the office later in the movie.
Danielle,
ReplyDeleteI think you made some good points regarding the lighting and shadows in this shot. I agree with what you said about the lighting having to be dark because the whole point of this shot is to be able to see him manipulating the screen and what's on it. However, I also find the placement of the screen interesting. It starts right at his neck so only his head is completely in it. i think it goes off of what you said, but maybe Spielberg placed the future inside of Anderton's head - which is pretty much the premise of the movie. One last thing, you took note of many details within the shot and some of the things I hadn't even noticed until I read your entire post. I had to scroll back up and take another look at the picture! kudos!