A phenomenal film, The Shawshank Redemption, starring Tim Robins and Morgan Freeman displays a variety of camera shots in which help the viewers perceive certain qualities of the characters. One of the most influential camera shots used in the beginning of this film is the close-up. A close-up is a shot that mainly serves as an introduction to an important character in a film. The shot frames a character showing his/her details of appearance and emotion. This shot as well signifies the importance of the character in the movie. One of the first scenes in The Shawshank Redemption is set in a courtroom. Tim Robins’ character, “Andy” is being accused of murdering his wife and her lover. Due to the substantial evidence presented in the case Andy is plead guilty and has to serve two life sentences. The close-up shot is used in this early scene of the movie as the judge gives Andy his punishments. The camera zooms in on Tim Robins’ character and shows the audience his reaction of disbelief. The use of this camera shot was a great aid in introducing his character in the film because it gave the audience an idea of what obstacles his character would have to face in the rest of the movie.
Another camera shot used in this film was a low-angle shot. A low-angle shot is a camera angle which the camera is pointed upward at an object or person. This shot gives a person power and also creates a psychological effect on its viewers. The viewers may develop a sense of insecurity and fear as the low-angle shot can portray power onto a particular character. In the very beginning of The Shawshank Redemption during the court case as I described earlier, the prosecutor is explaining his theory of what happened during the murdering of Andy’s wife and her lover. A low-angle shot is used on the prosecutor as he explains what he thought went through Andy’s mind during the murdering he supposedly committed. Therefore, this low-angled shot gave power and dominance towards the prosecutor in this scene. This power exerted on the prosecutor eventually led him to persuade the jury that Andy was in fact guilty.
After the court scene a long-shot is used in order to give a big picture of the Shawshank prison. This camera shot allowed the audience to observe massive size of the prison and as well several prisoners walking and talking amongst themselves from far away. This shot may serve as an introduction as to what Andy will be dealing with once he begins his sentence in the Shawshank prison. This shot also establishes the main setting for the rest of the movie.
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