Week 79: Socials Roundup
Posts from 8 July - 14 July 2024
Week 79 posts include shots from Broad City (2014-2019); two very different scenes from Dead Again (1991); The Bear (2022-current); and Edge of Tomorrow (2014).
Dead Again
How much FUN set dressing had with this set from Dead Again (1991) where amnesiac Amanda Sharp (Emma Thompson) walks into a studio where all the works suggest she's an artist-turned-serial-killer-via-scissors.
The camera and blocking have fun positioning the characters around the pointy bits, too, particularly this shot, which isn't being at all subtle about what should happen to the dastardly Madson, who's done . . . well, no spoilers here, but absolutely cutting things.
Broad City
This Broad City scene is a mini-three-act structure.
First it sets us up by alternating from Jaimé's face to shots within his perspective as tension builds through horror-esque audio cues and several shots of flavours getting closer and closer.
Then (in quick succession) we see a ladder, Jaimé's eyes shift / jaw drops, Jaimé looks up, up, uppppp.
For the climax, CUT to a shot which then tilts up to see several rows of dispensers looming over Jaimé / us toward the ceiling. This bit involves CGI 'copying' an ice cream dispenser; note the creative workaround of never showing a wide of the actual dispensers in the setup 'act.'
Joke landed (though plenty other mini-jokes in ice cream names!), we get the denoument in the final shot: looking downward at Jaimé as he climbs the ladder.
The Bear
#TheBear 3.06 "Napkins" uses time imagery to track Tina's journey; not merely a lot of repeated clocks, which were a constant in Season 2, but Tina constantly checking her watch, bus arrival updates, timesheets.
From the moment Tina sees The Original Beef, note the distinct LACK of clocks, allowing her and Mikey talk with no intrusion or rush.
Dead Again: Pratfalling
Scene Opens on Roman (Branaugh) dramatically entering frame, cueing sweeping music! before the scene splits Roman, Baker (Garcia) and Margaret (Thompson) into their own frames to set up for Roman's whopper of a punch.
Garcia executes a perfect Loony Tunes 360-into-pratfall, falling out of frame for a split second before his fancy shoes fly back up. A cut to Margaret's gasping reaction and Roman yanking her away sets up the final punch line: Roman soggy and sputtering.
Edge of Tomorrow
Sometimes you don't need 'shot analysis' sometimes all you need is the shot itself to understand why and how something works.
Exhibit A: Edge of Tomorrow's introduction to Rita Vrataski.