Scene analysis

Sequence Analysis

Film: Prisoners

We begin the sequence with an establishing shot of Gyllenhaal's (G) patrol car in front of a restaurant, his car is the only one we can see, the lighting, or lack of, almost letting the car slip away into the darkness. We then cut to G inside the restaurant, eating alone. A waitress enters the frame and the camera slowly pans downwards from a LS to a MS towards his shoulder. She says "happy thanksgiving" this line of dialogue informs us that G's character is alone on a holiday traditionally spent with family, reinforcing this shroud of loneliness that the character possesses. The camera then come to CU on G and then cuts to a LS again to show us this empty diner once again, this CU and LS show us just how lonely he is, his phone vibrates, this diegetic sound changes to non-diegetic sound of the police radio in his car, which becomes diegetic once G enters his car, this may signify how the job is always on his mind, as he can hear the radio even without being in the car, once her gets in the car we can hear him reply softly on the radio, this softness is contrasted later on in the sequence.


We then cut again to see G driving towards the suspect, coming towards the camera, we get a shot reverse shot and a POV shot of G arriving at the scene. a LS is used and shows G on the left and the other officers on the right, with G being lit by his cars headlights and the officers equipped with flashlights, this shows us how G is has much more of a "lone wolf" mentality when it comes to policing, this idea crops up many more times during the rest of the sequence. We then return to the suspects POV, seeing through one mirror G on his own, through a Dutch angle, he is clearly defined compared to only the lights of the officers.



We see a mid shot of Gs' reaction to the van beginning to reverse quickly, with an ELS showing how close the van is getting to G with then a final ELS showing G alone again, almost as if he is fighting the van itself on his own. We see G on one the right side of the screen and the Van on the left, almost like there is an invisible preventing either from crossing, this shows the two sides we have here: the police and who we imagine is a criminal. We then track G towards the van, now with his gone raised he has a different attitude to him, he is louder than he was earlier and his collectiveness has gone, showing his violent side. the van then hits a tree, smoke escaped the engine and we see a blue hue on the left of the van and a grey, dull hue on the right, reinforcing G's intentional isolation.



We then have an OTS  whilst being tracked shot of G moving towards the van. The camera rotates past G to see that the suspect is nowhere to be seen, making the audience question what has just happened. It then returns to the centre of the van, showcasing the two sides again. After this G goes in to inspect the interior and we have a POV and then an OTS shot of him doing this, constantly cutting which increases the tension until G locates the suspect. As mentioned earlier, G's tone has changed and this can be seen by how he handles the suspect, throwing him about and generally being aggressive and violent for a police officer. We also get a MS of G and then the other officers behind him, showing his dominance over the people in the area. We then get two different perspectives OTS again, from the suspect and G. The sequence ends with a MCU on G's face ordering the other officers. 

Final word count: 660

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