The document provides a summary of camera shots used in the film The Descent. It describes various shots including close-ups, mid shots, and wide shots that are used to convey mystery, vulnerability, confusion, terror and suspense. Many of the shots are taken from higher angles to show the character is vulnerable or use point-of-view shots to put the audience in the perspective of the character. Steadicam shots are also used to follow the character as she runs away from the darkness, representing her trying to escape her thoughts after her accident.
2. WS
Starts out of focus WS track into the cake in focus. Tracking shot. You cannot see who
this person is in the shot so this creates mystery and we don’t know what's happened
or what is going to happen next.
3. CS
• Close up shot on her face lying in the hospital
bed. The shot being higher up shows shes
vulnerable.
4. MS
Mid shot of her lying in the hospital bed. This shot being above her again with her
on her own in a dark room shows she's lost her husband and again that she's
vulnerable and defenseless.
5. MS
Mid shot of her in the corridor making the audience curious and showings she's
confused and don’t know what's happening.
6. WS
Wide shot in corridor capturing the looming hallway that’s empty and quiet which is
abnormal in a hospital.
7. CU
CU trombone shot showing she's realizing something is coming for her creating
terror and suspense. This is done by zooming in and then tracking the camera when
zooming out.
8. MS
Mid shot of the back of her head looking down the hall. This is like a POV creating
suspense and letting the audience something is coming for them.
9. Steadicam
Steadicam of her running down the hall, when the lights start to go out the character
begins to run away from the darkness which could represent she is trying to run away
from the thoughts of the accident that has just happened.
10. WS POV
Wide shot of her back running away from the darkness, this view is from the darkness
and from here you can tell the darkness is catching her and she wont get away.
11. MS
Two shot of her and her friend in the hall panning around on a steadicam. Here she
is back in the real world and you can tell that that she was frightened about what
has happened.
12. CU
Panning around from the wide shot in the shot before it zooms into a close up
taken on a steadicam. She collapses onto her friend because she is distraught
Which tells the audience this could be a character changing event and she wont be the
same.
13. MS
Pans back out to a MS on a steadicam. Here you can see other people in the hospital
making sure that she is the real world however no one seems to realize they are
there which can represent when they are trapped in the cave and no one knows
they are there.
14. MCU
This is a two shot and as they fall to the floor hugging the shot tilts down from a MS
to a MCU. Taken on a steadicam. You can see her injuries from the car crash and
Neil Marshall again has the shot from higher up shows she is venerable.
15. WS
The shot pans out and up from a MCU to a WS with everyone in the corridor
taken on a steadicam. They are sitting in the hospital which is a busy place and
no one is taking notice of the which isn't normal and suggests not everything is right.
16. CU
Cuts to a close up of Juno showing the emotion of what has happened. This shows
Juno is almost as crushed as the main character and this is explained later in the film
when you discover that Juno has slept with her wife which explains why she is so sad and
also in this shot she is on her own which could represent how she feels in her group
overseeing her two friends.
17. WS
Wide shot taken with a steadicam which does a 360around the couple. Towards the
end of the scene the people are walking away leaving them alone which is repeated in the
film later on when the are alone in the cave.