Shot Evaluations - The Hero Shot

For the next few posts I will be analysing a few of the shots that we created in our film and why we framed them in such a way, in order to give you a deeper inlook into how our film was made. Every shot was meticulously thought out and we took our time on each one in order to present the highest quality film we could. Unfortunately it would be just about impossible to analyse every shot in the film, but by just analysing a few I hope that I can assist you in gaining a much deeper insight into the level of detail put into our film. Here is that shot which we have aptly named 'The Hero Shot':

This is a bit of a strange shot as it is unconventional to leave such a big empty space on one side of the screen. The audience feel like something is missing and this is exactly what we were going for. This shot occurs directly before one of the antagonists comes round the corner and they engage in a fist fight. Agent Davidson is waiting for him to come around the corner before striking him down. By leaving the empty space, the audience, like the character, are anticipating the antagonist coming roun the corner, and they can see that there is going to be a fight. The empty space shows the audience the 'battlefield' so they are ready for a climactic fight. This space also creates tension as they are not sure what is going to happen, it makes them feel a bit uneasy as it is so unconventional. Agent Davidson controls the most powerful third of the screen as the audience reads from left to right, so this makes the audience sympathise with him. However, he only covers one of the thirds, and has no control over the other thirds, which reduces his power in the scene, creating a visual oxymoron.
The camera is positioned slightly lower then Agent Davidson - a slight low angle shot. This is sometimes called the hero shot, as it shows them as powerful and great people. From this the audience realises that he is a powerful person, but as the camera is only at a slight low angle there is still a chance that he wont succeed. It is clear that the antagonist will approach from lower then Davidson as it is established that the fight will take place on the steps, so we can see that they are slightly lower in status to Davidson.
Davidson's pose makes him seem ready to fight, but also slightly worried. You can see the anxiety on his face, which is from the sudden turn around of the days events, and he is also worried about how powerful his immediate enemy is. His shoulders are locked in position, showing his uncertainty, and both arms are positioned for the attack. His hands are half closed in a fist, yet not completely, showing that he is not completely ready for the fight as he was not anticipating having to fight someone that day. He his a bit uncertain about the fight which compliments all his other body language.