Shot by Shot Scene Analysis

Shot by Shot Scene Analysis

I chose a scene from the film Coach Carter for my shot by shot analysis. Coach Carter was directed by Thomas Carter who I think has a knack for capturing relationships and strong emotions in his films. In addition to Coach Carter, he directed Save the Last Dance and one of my favorites, Swing Kids. I think this scene from Coach Carter shows his ability to produce strong emotions that reach the audience. Strong performance by Samuel L. Jackson and Rick Gonzalez don't hurt either. This is one of my favorite quotes and I don't think it could have translated to film any better.

The first shot of the scene is of Coach Carter as he walks into the gym. This medium shot uses back lighting to create a silhouette of Coach Carter. The shot has a shallow depth of field focusing on Coach Carter while everything else is out of focus. The camera dollies in following Coach Carter as he walks into the gym. This shot feels as though Coach Carter is in the dark, metaphorically speaking.

The second shot is an over the shoulder wide shot of the team in the gym. This is also the establishing shot. The camera is focused on the team while Coach Carter is blurry. The lighting in this shot is natural light coming through the windows from outside. The rays of light are visible and shining on the team. This shot is slightly overexposed. The combination of light and exposure create a feeling of hope. This shot contrasts the previous shot in which Coach Carter was only a silhouette. I think this shot is meant to show Coach Carter coming out of the darkness and into the light again. Right when he thought he was done coaching, his team pulled together and helped him.

The next shot is a medium shot of Coach Carter with a shallow depth of field. This shot is well lit and there not any shadows on him. He does not fit perfectly into one of the thirds, but the shot still looks alright. This is a basic shot used for a shot reverse shot.

This next shot is a medium long shot of the team. The light coming through the windows is very bright and the shot is slightly overexposed. The team takes up the entire frame. This shot makes it feel like they are all together as one and not individuals. This shot and the previous shot cut back and forth as the team speaks to Coach Carter.

After cutting between the two previous shots, this next shot is cut to after the shot of Coach Carter. This shot is a medium close-up with the main subject on the right third of the shot. The main subject is in focus while everything else is out of focus including another one of the teammates. The lighting is still bright and some of the windows can be seen at the top of the frame. The lighting creates a slight halo effect on the subjects. This shot is used to focus on the player talking to Coach Carter.

The previous shot then cuts to a shot of another teammate. This shot is a medium close-up as well and has the same kind of lighting and focus as the previous shot. The teammates are all shown in the same light and at the same distance which makes it feel like they are all equally as important.

There is a cut to a medium close-up of Coach Carter from the same angle and position just closer because he moved forward. This shot allows for the audience to get a slightly better view of his facial expressions.

The next shot is a medium two shot of two teammates shown together. Both the main subjects are in focus and have the same amount of lighting on them. This shot adds a little diversity to the shots of the players by breaking up the shots of individual players.

This next shot is another medium close-up of one of the players, Timo Cruz. This shot is similar to the previous shots of the players in that Timo is in focus and the background is out of focus. The lighting is also the same in this shot. Unlike the previous shots, the background is extremely blurry and it is almost impossible to distinguish what is behind him. This directs the audience's attention to Timo and prevents them from being distracted by anything in the background.

There is a cut to an over the shoulder medium shot of Coach Carter. This shot is similar to the other shots of Coach Carter except it is slightly further away. This shot also provides a view from Timo's perspective and makes it clear that he is talking to Coach Carter.

Another shot of Timo is used. This shot is a medium close-up with a shallow depth of field. Unlike the previous shot of Timo, another player can be seen in the background. Although the background is still out of focus it is clearer than the previous shot of Timo. The combination of bright light and a shallow depth of field make Timo really standout. His figure has strong lines created by the light and depth of field. The camera dollies in as Timo speaks. This allows for his face and emotions to be better seen. Then there is cut back to the medium shot of Coach Carter. The camera then slowly dollies in creating a slightly tighter shot before cutting back to the previous shots of the different teammates. Then it cuts back to the shot of Timo.

Next it cuts to the shot of Coach Carter, but because of the dolly in it is now a close up shot. The shot looks the same as the previous shots of him except it is tighter.

The next shot is a close-up of Timo. This shot uses a very shallow depth of field. The background is extremely blurry and out of focus. This shot was used to capture the emotion and facial expressions of Timo. Then it cuts back and forth several times between Coach Carter and Timo to get their dialogue and reactions. After they finish talking it cuts back to the medium long shot of the team and then back to the close up of Coach Carter.

The final shot in the scene is a long shot of the gym with the students on the right third of the frame. The lighting in this shot is very hard. The subjects can be seen, but it is not possible to see their faces. This shot is a good closing shot to the scene.