Blog Post 3: Relationship Between Shots

For this assignment, I’ll be analyzing the ending scene from a short film on Youtube called “Agents of Secret Stuff” starting from 31:14 to 33:18. The short film centers around an undercover secret agent, Aden, whose missions is to protect a high school student, Taylor. Taylor convinces Aden that she is not in danger and, instead, teaches him how to become a normal high school student. To her surprise, the two encounter some trouble with the secret agency and Taylor misses her school’s homecoming dance that she has been planning for a while. The ending scene shows Taylor and Aden arriving to the dance after it is over. The music, camera angles, and editing of the ending scene contributed greatly to the romantic and comedic interaction between the two characters.

          The scene starts with a pan shot of the street lights outside the school where the homecoming dance is held. This sets the time and space, allowing the viewer to know that it is late and the dance is already over. There is a close shot of Taylor running up to the door handle and tugging on the doors to open. The camera then tilts up to Taylor’s disappointed face. The close up of these two shots sets the mood for urgency and disappointment. The mood changes to a romantic one when Aden asks Taylor for a dance and the music starts to play to set the mood. The music slowly becomes softer as Taylor begins to speak. While the two are dancing, the camera shots are close ups of their faces, which gives off a close, intimate and romantic feeling. The shots switch between Taylor and Aden as they are speaking to each other, but remain close up to their faces to maintain the intimate feel. When the two are interrupted by a sound in the bush, the music stops, and the romantic mood changes to an anxious mood. The shot is a medium close up of Aden and Taylor looking into the distance. The medium close up shot allows the viewer to see the danger in their eyes and facial expressions. The camera then switches to a long shot when Taylor says she’ll go left and Aden will go right. The long shot shows the space that the characters will eventually run off to. The scene then switches back to a medium close up and the music resumes as the two characters kiss before parting. The medium close up shot and music resumes the romantic mood. The scene ends with a long shot of Aden running off to the right and Taylor running off to the left. Each camera shot was not too long, and switches between Aden and Taylor to keep the viewers engaged and interested. I also like the effective use of music to set the mood. Overall, I think this was a successful scene and a great way to end the short film.