Name:
Professor:
Institution:
Course:
Date:
Shot Design Analysis
Introduction
The style of cinematography is manipulated In Spike Lee’s “Do The Right Thing,” to emphasize the racial tensions between the characters. The implementation is done through camera angles of low, high, and flip-flop, camera movements of fast-paced and slow, and camera distances, which may be close or further. These aspects are a direct medium for revealing and expressing the relationships between the characters.
SCENE ONE: Introduction to Senor Love Daddy
The scene starts with a view of big white teeth and very Negroidal (big) lips shouting the words “Wake up” The camera then moves back at a slow pace to reveal Mister Seor Love Daddy. He is a radio personality and a DJ. He is behind the microphone. The camera then withdraws, showing the Mister Seor Love daddy sits in a storefront window. The control booth of the WE LOVE RADIO looks directly out onto the streets. The station has loyal followers in the neighborhood. These are trick shots, and the camera pulls back through the storefront window.
SCENE TWO: Introduction to Smiley
An angel shot revels Smiley at his hiding place during the eve of looting and burning of Famous Pizzeria. He is shown to move to the wall of fame and stands there. The then pins his Martin Luther King or maybe Malcolm X cards on the wall of fame. The camera moves closer to Smiley’s face, and a slow traveling smile is seen across, a rare occurrence that has no witnesses.
The close camera distance during the shots is as a result of the reduced distance from the character. The strategy is used in this section to engage the audience emotionally and mentally. It makes the audience share the point of view of the character. Thes close shots allow the audience to be in the middle of the direct action line, increasing the sense of emotional and mental stress that characters endure from dealing with other characters, situations at the heat of the moment. The audience is, therefore, able to share the joy of Smilie when he is finally able to pin the African photos at a place he always wanted.
SCENE THREE: Introduction to Mookie and Jade
The scenes start with Mookie handing over a pizza on the streets before rushing into his apartment, where he meets Jade in front of an air conditioner at full blast. The camera shots move left to right and back during their conversation. Mookie then takes a quick shower and dashes to his bed while still wet. An angle shot shows Jade asking Mookie to hurry. They dash out and walks to Buggin’ Out and then enter into Sal’s pizzeria one after the other, Jade then sits down at a table with Vito. All these shorts are shot at an angle. Jade finishes her unique slice and lives Sal’s. Mookie sees her out, and they have a conversation. The shots flip flop from left to right during this time. These two meet again at the street when the onlookers turn into an angry mob. A close shot at Mookie reveals him shouting, “Hate!”
An angle shot shows Jade running on the street looking for his brother- Mookie. An angle shot also shows Mookie running around with the rest of the mob. The camera then moves at an angle to show the street, which is now packed with police sirens and a wall of fire trucks. With the camera shot at an angle, Sal’s famous pizzeria is blazing and spreading to the adjacent buildings. The camera then focuses strictly at Mookie, who shouts, “This is our home.”
Camera movements at the last scene have played an important role in displaying the racial tensions amongst the characters. The Movements are rapid shot-reverse shots because the characters are constantly yelling at one another. The fast-paced camera movement, therefore, creates a heightened sense of confusion and tension. It also adds to the edginess of the dialogue of characters who let their personal struggles cloud their judgment about other races; Lee uses this strategy during the argument between Sal and Buggin’ Out.
The flip-flopping camera movements at a slightly slanted angle have also been used to reveal anger and animosity amongst the characters, for instance, the mob. The low angles have also been used to highlight the dramatic difference in stature between the characters. The centered angles, on the other hand, have been employed to visually express the demented and dysfunctional relationships between the various characters, for example,
the fight between Radio Raheem, Vito, Pino on the sidewalk.
Conclusion
Spike Lee’s work, Do the Right Thing, is fascinating and exciting to watch. He has successfully used his directorial standpoint to create high angle shots, low angle shots, and in some cases, a combination of both.
In some cases, the camera angling is combined with a flip-flop or swift movements to reveal themes of the play. The techniques have also made it possible to enable the audience to share the emotions of the actors.
Work Cited