Analysis of a moving image
Student Ellen Yin was asked to write an analysis of one production aspect or element of a moving image. She chose the movie Cloverfield, which has an unusual perspective. Here is an excerpt from her analysis.
For most movies, the audience is supposed to be unaware of the camera. Viewers are supposed to have an experience of watching the movie and forgetting the existence of a camera filming and a stage, set, crew, and director. When we watch the Harry Potter movies, it’s as if we’re there observing the changes in the characters. When we watch Transformers: Dark of the Moon, it’s as if we’re there witnessing the battles between the Autobots and the Decepticons. The 2008 movie Cloverfield, however, was shot in a way that differs from most major movies; Cloverfield was shot primarily from a first-person perspective. The premise of the movie is that viewers are watching footage captured on a digital video camera found abandoned in New York City after the recorded action. This choice has a huge impact on viewers. Rather than being something we can overlook, the camera becomes a key element in the experience of watching the movie. The viewer feels as if she or he is holding the camera. By offering this first-person, handheld, low-quality perspective, Cloverfield forces viewers to join the main characters in their fight for survival.