The Following Shot
Penguin June 8th, 2009
Matt Zoller Seitz has a video essay about the “following shot” at The L Magazine.
“Following” is a montage of clips illustrating one of my favorite types of shots: one where the camera physically follows a character through his or her environment. I love this shot because it’s neither first-person nor third; it makes you aware of a character’s presence within the movie’s physical world while also forcing identification with the character. I also love the sensation of momentum that following shots invariably summon. Because the camera is so close to the character(s) being followed, we feel that we’re physically attached to those characters, as if by an invisible guide wire, being towed through their world, sometimes keeping pace, other times losing them as they weave through hallways, down staircases or through smoke or fog.
I think the shot was used to great effect in Gus Van Sant’s Elephant. In it, Van Sant follows various high school kids going about their daily lives.
The shot is very reminiscent of those used in 3rd person video games. You get a clear view of the area around the character, but at the same time, feel you’re in control. It gives a sense of presence in the scene, as if you are experiencing the things the character on screen is experiencing.
-Penguin
via: The House Next Door
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