MOVIE SHOT ANALYSIS

APPLYING MEDIA STUDIES TO REAL MEDIA

For homework last class, we were told to watch a movie, so I chose one of my favorites to rewatch, Mamma Mia. 

For those of you who don't know, it's a musical about a girl named Sophie who lives on a little island in Greece with her mother, played by the miraculous Meryl Streep. Sophie is preparing for her wedding, but before getting married she just desperately wants to know who her father is. She invites the three potential fathers to her wedding, which she discovered through some snooping in her mother's diary, and craziness and incredible song performances ensue.

Anyhow, being a school assignment, of course it wasn't just as simple as watching a movie purely for enjoyment. We were instructed by Mrs. Woz to write down some camera shots and angles as we watched during scenes we thought were interesting.

Scene #1: Opening

The first scene of which I noted down some specifics was the opening. Unlike most movies, Mamma Mia does not open with an extreme wide shot. I thought this was interesting so I decided to jot down what I thought the camera movements and shot selections were. We did just begin to learn the camera movements so I hope I didn't guess too terribly on what they were.

• Aerial shot, tilt up to full shot

• Cut to different full shot

• Back to aerial

• Dolly in

• Dolly out/tracking(?)

• Handheld

• Close up

• Extreme close up

• Close up

In this scene, Sophie is filmed from different angles, listed above, while she is on a little rowboat carrying the letters she plans to send to her potential fathers. I believe the aerial and full shots are used to make Sophie seem small, and emphasize her importance in the story. It introduces her and the idea that she feels incomplete due to the part of herself she thinks is missing in not knowing her father. The close ups once she arrives to where she will be placing the mail is to focus on the details of the letter and how they set up what will occur further into the movie. It is also very dark and slightly mysterious, drawing the audience in as Sophie sings her hopeful tune. I was slightly confused as to whether a dolly in or tracking was occurring in one specific shot, but with time and practice I think I will get better at these kinds of identification.

SCENE #2: "BOMB" DROPPED

Next, I chose the scene where Sophie tells her two closest friends that she invited three strangers to her wedding, all of which may possibly be her dad. I picked it because the conversation was really focused on reactions of Sophie's friends and her excitement. I also thought it was different how the director chose a lot of closeups rather than over the shoulder shots which is what I have come to expect from dialogue scenes based on my studies.

• Close up, two shot

• Close up

• Close up, zoom in, two shot

• Close up

• Close up, two shot

• Close up

• Cowboy shot, two shot

As you can see, it was a lot of close ups going back and forth between Sophie and the two other girls. The two shots help to depict that the girls are close friends, but are side characters and will not be that important to the story. Additionally, that their reactions are included to make the audience realize the insanity of what Sophie has done, where she sees it as perfectly rational and is giddy with excitement. In one of these close ups, there is a zoom in, which really emphasizes the shock that her friends feel upon learning of the wedding invites.

SCENE #3: OUR LAST SUMMER

Finally, I recorded a few of the shots and movements from the scene where Sophie and her three potential dads sing Our Last Summer. In this scene we really get to know who these men are and traits they share with Sophie that could indicate their status as her father. It mainly takes place on a boat, which I thought was a fun concept since filming would have to be strategic and nearby, but also capture the full picture of them on the boat enjoying a beautiful day.

• Mid shot

• Close up

• Handheld

• Close up

• Full shot

• Pan

• Full shot

• Full shot

• Full shot

• High angle, full shot

• High angle, full shot, tilt

• Low angle, full shot, tilt

• Object extreme close up

• Close up

• Pan

This is by far the longest list of shots I made throughout this post, but it makes sense because of how fast paced the scene is and all the changing. I think it's because there are three characters we have to learn about and it also highlights the confusion Sophie starts to find when she realizes it will not be as easy as looking at the three men and simply knowing which one she is related to. Anyhow, there are quite a few full shots used, I feel like they allow the audience to take in all the action and see the big picture of the scene, as well as the plot as it thickens. The pans add to this effect, making the audience wait a little bit to get that full view and see everything. 

--------------------

I just noticed during my blogging that the three fathers can likely be linked back to the trope of groups of three being an indication of trouble, which I believe began with the three witches in Shakespeare's, Macbeth. It's just an intriguing concept I thought I'd mention. Finding links in literature and cinema is kind of fun, it makes you realize how everything is truly connected and everyone kind of builds with and from each other.

I got through everything I had jotted down, so see you next assignment!