Case Study

Hello! Today in class, we were assigned to look for a 2 minute opener of a movie based on our choice. We were then asked to identify any camera movements, shots, angles, and focuses that we see throughout the scene. For my opener, I've decided to pick one of my favorite movies to watch, "The Help." 

The opening of the movie starts at 0:25, where it first shows a close-up shot of a notebook and a hand of a woman writing the title of the movie “The Help.” From the shot, it allows the audience to see what the woman is writing about; in this case, she is writing a story based on the interview from the main character, Aibileen.

When it comes to 1:05, a deep focus is being used to show Aibileen and her surroundings. This shot allows the audience to freely examine her surroundings clearly and see more of where she is at.

At 1:25, a steadicam is being used to show a still, green wall, revealing two framed pictures of people. This shot allows the audience to focus more deeply on the two pictures, indicating that there's a lot of importance of those people in the main character’s life.

Later, at 1:40, Aibileen walks up to this room, which then a pan shot is used to slowly introduce another character in the scene, a little girl that she has been taking care of since she got hired as a maid at that household.

At 2:05, it shows an over-the-shoulder shot, allowing us to see what Aibileen is closely looking at. This shot allows the audience to feel more involved in the conversation that Aibileen is having with the little girl while we can see the girl more clearly in more detail.

Then at 1:55, the camera starts to slowly zoom to Aibileen holding the little girl. The zoom gets a close of Aibileen’s face, being able to show the audience Aibileen’s bright expression towards the little girl.

Lastly at 2:15, a two shot is shown between Aibileen the little girl sitting on her lap. This shot allows us to fully see this love and strong connection that Aibileen has for this little girl.  

Clip from "The Help":

This work was reviewed by Veronica Madrid.