The 'Henley Regatta Sequence' scene analysis

The scene that i choose to do my video analysis of shots and camera angle and composition is from the film ‘The Social Network’. The scene is the twins boat race-’ the Henley regatta sequence’. This scene for me was by far one of the best scene that i have seen so far in this film.

 The shots were fast and short, focusing on the action as well as the emotion of the characters. The background score although did play a huge part in adding emotions to the scene but the shots in itself were also adding a lot of drama to the scene.

The first shot is of course the establishing shot(extreme wide shot) where the camera is panning from right to left to establish the location. It is a birds eye view camera angle. Anyone who belongs to England would recognize this place even if the small caption of the place's name was not given.

The establishing shot explains the environment or the setting that the scene is taking place in. Then a cut away shot, and a panning shot to again establish the scene, the people in the place and the action that is taking place. In one panning shot they show the boats resting meaning either preparing for the race.

Then the main race scene starts from where the camera tilts from the top to the bottom, giving a high and wide angle shot.it shows the entire length of the scene and its widths that establishes its majestic sense.It is a very wide shot. Also this shot features the character and the activity that is going on.(It is a wide angle shot so covers the environment and the characters slightly).

camera is panning with a wide angle, slightly high angle and very wide shot.

The next shot consists of the camera panning from right to left but with the camera static. The shot starts with a full shot that is converted into a medium full shot as the camera is static but the subject is moving.

The camera movement is a tilt up and panning from left to right that focuses on the main two character immediately telling the audience that the focus would be on the twins thus indirectly establishing this fact for the audience that the focus later on would be on the these two characters. Its a close shot.

the first scene is a panning scene with a medium close shot.
the second is a over the shoulder, high angle view, cowboy shot.
the third is a slightly high angle medium close shot.

This shot consists of various camera movements of tilting up, panning and cut away and cut back shots that establishes that the motion is the same again and again. The teams are crewing(rowing boats) and are racing against each others so they again and again look back and forth at the other teams to see how ahead they are or how further back they are. 

The shots are ranging from cowboy shots to extreme close up, medium close up, full close up and an over head shot that is again full close up to medium close up. One scene compromises of two three shots that go back and forth since the movements of the character is back and forth because they are rowing.

the first picture is an example of a full close up shot with adult angle view.
the second picture is an example of an over the shoulder full close up shot 
the third is an example of a wide close up shot of the subject.

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There are various insert shots that focuses on a particular part of the subjects body in this case the focus is on their hands and the pedal of the row boat that shows the masculinity and strength that goes into rowing and that its not as easy as it looks. These macro shots help in building the character identities like focusing on the face to show the enormous amount of physical strength that is required for rowing. Without this emotion shown clearly the viewers would not get the feel of the scene.The close up shots help in this too because it focuses on the emotions of the character that immediately help the audience in understanding what they are feeling and experiencing at the moment.There are a lot of jump cut shots in the scene overall and a lot of cut away shots and cut back shots.
                                                          insert shot, low angle view

 

                                                  close up shot with adult angle view                                               

The scene is a close up shot with the subject on the far corner of the frame so that background is visible that shows the of the entire river and the action going on. The position of the character is such that the audience can assume that he has turned away from the scene that  he was witnessing.either because what he sees has a unpleasent effect on him and does not pleases. Thus m making clear to the audience on whose side he is on and how this effects him and others like him and whether this should effect the audience as well and if they should relate to him and show the same emotion as the subject.

The last shot is again with the camera tilting up and a very wide shot that shows the end of something that started.