Post for June 11th -- Scene Analysis and Teaching Film Technique

Part One: Scene Analysis

Scene Analysis from the Opening Scene of There Will Be Blood, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (2008)

Scene Description
In this scene we see the main character alone in a barren desert mining for gold. The main character finds something worth while and decides to use dynamite to blow up part of the mine shaft. He goes down the shaft to collect the remains but the ladder breaks on his way down and he falls to the bottom of the dark shaft.

Scene Analysis
In this scene we first see a barren desert accompanied by string music with dissonant glissandos to set a feeling of suspense and discomfort – a feeling that is felt throughout the movie. The opening shot also sets up a feeling of isolation as it scans the horizon and all that is shown is desert. The following shot shows a single man in a dark and cramped mine shaft mining for gold alone. As there is no music in this part of the scene, the viewer focuses on the mining sounds, the lighting, and the minute occurrences of the scene. The silence, yet again, creates a feeling of isolation as there is no sense of socialization.

The lighting further creates this isolation. While he is down the mine shaft, the light comes from above naturally. Because of this, not all of the main character or the mine shaft is illuminated, creating a sense of being unknown or unseen. When above the ground, the lighting is extremely bright, and the main character blends into the desert surroundings as his clothing fits the desert color scheme. Blending into the surroundings also shows isolation as he does not stand out and is only accompanied by desert.

When the main character leaves the mine shaft, the camera angle looks up creating a sense of the mine shaft being longer. This camera angle also looks into the light creating a sense of hope for the viewer as it appears the main character is climbing into the light. This hopeful shot is followed by the character alone, silent, and huddled near the fire. When climbing down the tunnel the camera angle looks down into the tunnel to again create a sense of it being longer, but also to show the main character climbing down into a dark place of isolation. With no sound during the scene, any happenings in the scene are amplified, particularly the end where the main character is climbing down into the deep dark shaft, but instead of climbing, the ladder breaks, and he falls with no control.

In this scene, very little really happens, but the lack of music and sound makes the reader focus on the feeling the scene projects. From the opening dissonant music, barren landscape, and silent/isolated character, the viewer gets a feeling of discomfort and loneliness, two things that continually build throughout the movie. The movie can be bothersome to watch as it presents disturbing pictures of not only the oil mining industry, but also a money-hungry oil tycoon. The lack of stimulation in the scene helps to create an unusual sense drama and suspense in this drama/thriller.


Part Two: Teaching Film Techniques

In teaching film techniques and analysis of them as shown above, I would first see and activate student/ prior knowledge of film. To do this, I would show a few clips that I feel easily demonstrate various techniques in film. After viewing each scene, I would give students the opportunity to talk about what they say, what stood out to them, and what the scene might mean. As students discuss this, I would point out the “technical” names of the film techniques the students are referring to, and then make sure to later cover the techniques in more detail. We would then view the scenes a second time to explore the techniques further.

After reviewing the techniques, I would have students explore the use of them in small groups. I would have students create their won scenes by way of storyboarding or making short films (if the resources are available. I would have each group focus on a particular technique to utilize. After the creation of these scenes, I would have students present on the decisions they made and what meaning they were trying to create through the use of their technique. This would give all students the chance to see how filmmakers go about using and implementing these techniques. Having this hands on approach will help students better retain the information and have a more well rounded view of the use and purpose of film techniques.