Post 5: The Use of Cameras

Corrigan and White believe that ‘the shot is the visual heart of the cinema’ (p.105) and Wes Anderson stays true to this statement as he uses numerous camera shots and angles to create a dynamic and interactive film. Moonrise Kingdom is a movie about love, childhood and discovery, and all these aspects and more are emphasised with camera shots, such as close-ups, long shots and traveling shots. 

An establishing shot depicts the setting where Sam and Suzy first meet, the poster of the ‘Summer Pageant’ at ‘St Jack’s Church’ in 1964. A low angle shot of an actor in a play then zooms out and helps to set the scene as we see the stage and the audience. A pan shot is used by Anderson to show all the boy scouts sitting and watching the play, before it finally pauses on one of the main characters, Sam. A traveling shot then follows Sam as he walks out of the building giving the viewers the feeling that they are physically behind Sam as he walks. Additionally it creates an atmosphere that involves movement and energy and this allows Wes Anderson to create a happy and lively mood despite when the story makes viewers feel miserable and emotional. 

Another instance where camera shots are very effective is when Sam and Suzy reach the cove on the other side of the island, they bond while they swim, dance and eventually kiss. An over-the-shoulder shot offers a perspective from Sam’s mind to the features of Suzy as they both declare their love for each other. The scene progresses as a long shot is used to show the beach, the sea and Suzy setting up the record player. The two young lovers then walk hand in hand to the middle of the shot where they start dancing. Corrigan and White say that long shots are used ‘to emphasise isolation’ (p.110), and in this scene that is very much so. Sam and Suzy are caught up in their own world at the cove, with nothing to disturb them apart from the sea and the music…  perfect isolation. The camera zooms up on the two and changes to a medium shot showing Sam and Suzy with their arms around each other, still slowly dancing and eventually Sam kissing Suzy. As the scene continues, a jump cut shows two close-ups of each character. ‘Close-ups show details of a person or an object… perhaps indicating nuances of the characters feelings or thoughts or suggesting the special significance of the object’ (p.105 - Corrigan and White) and in this case, the close up shows the special significance of Sam and Suzy and what their kiss meant. There is love, discovery and adventure in such a small act. A medium shot then follows and again Corrigan and White state that ‘romantic films about personal relationships often feature a predominance of medium close ups and medium shots to capture the facial expressions of the character’ (p.111). The relationship between the two young people is the primary story in this film and as viewers, being able to capture the looks and the expressions just brings us deeper into the story and heightens our relationship with the characters.

Works Cited:

Corrigan, Timothy and Patricia White. The Film Experience: An Introduction. Third Edition. New York: Bedford/St Martin’s, 2012. Print.