analysis of the descent's cinematography

CINEMATOGRAPHY OF THE DESCENT

Clip 3

Mid ShotThis mid shot of Sarah’s (the protagonist) daughter shows that she has died during the car crash, meaning Sarah is dreaming about her. The fact that the girl has a birthday cake in front of her suggests that she will never be able to celebrate her own birthday. This also shows that Sarah is being haunted by the fact that she will never celebrate her daughter’s birthday, giving a sense that she has failed her.

Angled Close UpThis shot makes the viewer feel like they are looking down on the character, almost as if we’re watching over them. Due to the tilt, it demonstrates that the character is hopeless and vulnerable in her current state. To add to this, the shot makes us seem as God since we are looking over them at their most vulnerable moment.

Extreme Close UpThis extreme shot shows the life support in the room, showing her heart beat and how its slowly fading away. This links in to the next part of the scene in the corridor, telling the viewer that she is very close to death. The shot also tells us what her state is at.

Wide ShotThis wide shot is used to establish the location she is at, which happens to be a hospital as shown in the previous scene. The color pallet of the scene hints that it is not actually real due to everything being green and surreal. The emptiness of the hospital corridor also shows how lonely she is after losing her family.

Trombone ShotThis mixture of a trombone shot, tracking shot and close up is used to show her realization of what is about to happen, which is that darkness is catching up to that, hinting to the viewer that she is close to death, linking to the close up of the life support.

SteadishotThis shot of Sarah running through the corridor is shot using a steadicam, which helps the camera keep up with the character whilst keeping it smooth. Due to the shot showing her running towards the camera, it makes it seem as though the camera represents safety.

Arc(With Two Shot)

This arc shot shows that her world has completely gone down hill and is not as how she left it before she got to the hospital. It is also successful in showing her despair and how helpless she is. The shot makes the viewer seem as a by stander, as it looks the camera is walking by.