JoshPetty

ETT531
Assignment10
12October2014

Myvideo:http://youtu.be/oHr4AIiHVyY

VideoSummary

Thisvideoistheopeningscene/creditsforthemovieTheBigLebowski.Thenarrator
inthisvideo(SamElliott)introducesthesettingforthemovie,aswellasthemaincharacter
JeffreyLebowskiakaTheDude.Thereisntagreatdealofinformationpresentedinthisclip
butitisaverygoodexampleofseveralmovietechniques.

IllustrationofEssentialMeaning

I.

Composition

A. RuleofThirds
1. CityofLosAngelesfeaturedinthebottomthirdoftheframe
2. Inthebeachscene,thewaterisintheupperthirdoftheframe
3. Asthebeachsceneadvances,thesandtakesupbottomthird,withwaterup
twothirds
4. Ingrocerystore,dairycasetakesupleftthirdoftheframe
5. Ingrocerystore,walldesignabovedairycasestakesupupperthirdoftheframe
6. Televisioningrocerystoretakesupmiddlethirdoftheframe
7. Dudessidewalkinhisapartmentcomplextakesupmiddlethirdofframe
8. TheDudeiskeptinthemiddlethirdoftheframeinshotsathisapartmentcomplex
9. Uponenteringhishome,theintruderisontheleftthirdoftheframe
B. DepthofField
1. Focusingontumbleweed
C. AngleofPractice
1. HighAnglelookingdown
a) weedsinopenandoncity
D. ScreenSpace:ShotTypes
1. Closeup
a) Weeds
b) tumbleweed
c) cashier
d) DudeinGrocerystore
e) television
2. ExtremeLongShot
a) CityofLosAngeles
3. MediumShot
a) Dudeinthegrocerystore

b) Dudeoutsideathome
MediumCloseUp
a) DudeintheGroceryStore
b) Dudeathome
E. Lighting
1. ScreenisdarkwhenDudeentershisapartment,simulatingthelightsbeingoff.
Roomsilluminatesonceheturnsonthelights.
2. Tumbleweedilluminatedbyheadlightsandstreetlights.
3. TheDudeilluminatedbythelightstothegrocerystore.
F. ShotTypes
1. TrackingorDollyShot
a) Openingscenewithweeds
b) Followingtumbleweed
2. Tilt
a) Cameratiltsupatendofweedsscene
3. RackFocus
a) Tumbleweedstartsinfocusandgoesoutonstreetandonbeach.
b) Dudewalkingdownsidewalk,awayfromcamera
c) Dudewalkingdownsidewalk,towardcamera
4.
Zoom
a) CamerazoomsinonTheDudewhenhesfirstintroducedinthegrocery
store
G. Continuity
1. Dissolve
a) Scenesinvolvingthetumbleweed
2. Cut
a) Frombeachtogrocerystore
b) Allgrocerystorescenes
c) FromthestoretoTheDudeshouse
d) AllscenesinvolvingTheDudeshouse
3. Fadeinfromblack
a) Beginningofvideoclip
PostProduction
4.

II.

A. Editing
1.
ContinuityEditing
1.1.
Alleventsflowinanaturalorder

B. Montage
1.
Eventscompressedintotime
1.1.
Dudegettinghomefromthestore
1.2.
Sceneopensindaylight,whichbecomesnight
C. Music
a. Musicaddedforsceneflow

AnalyticalPaper

ThevideothatIamchoosingtoanalyzeisthetheopeningcreditsfromthemovieThe
BigLebowski.Thelinktothatvideocanbefoundatthetop,andattheconclusionofthis
paper.Eventhoughthereisntagreatdealofinformationpresentedwithinthisvideo,there
arealotofvisualelementsbeingdemonstratedwithinthisvideo.Therearethreeelements
withinthisscenethatIamgoingtolookatandbreakdown.Thefirstoneisthedifferent
screenshotsthatwereusedthroughoutthisscene.Thenextelementisthedifferentshot
typesused.Thelastoneisthecontinuityoftheentirescene.EventhoughImonlypicking
threeelements,thereareagreatdealmorethatIcouldhaveactuallypicked.
Thefirstelementthatisbeingdemonstratedwithinthissceneisavarietyofdifferent
screenshots.Thedirectorsusedcloseups,mediumshots,mediumcloseups,andan
extremelongshot.Inthecloseups,theyfocusedontheweedsandthetumbleweed,priorto
introducingJeffreyTheDudeLebowski.OnceTheDudewasintroduced,theyusedaclose
uponthegrocerystorecashiertoshowherboredom,andpossibleannoyance,withThe
Dude.TheythenfocusedonTheDude,andthecheckhewaswriting,alsousingtheclose
upformat.Thefactthathewaswritingacheckfor$.69probablyexplainstheexpressionon
thecashier.TheyusedbothmediumandmediumcloseupshotstocaptureTheDudein
boththestoreandathisapartmentcomplex.Thelastmainshotthattheyusedwasan
extremelongshot.Thiswasusedbythedirectorstosetthesceneandestablishthelocation,
whichwasthecityofLosAngeles.
ThesecondelementthatImgoingtoanalyzearethedifferentshottypesthatwere
featuredinTheBigLebowski.Thefirstmainshotthatwasusedwasthetracking/dollyshot.
Thiswasusedfortheopeningshots,wherethecamerawashoveringovertheweeds.This
techniquewasalsousedtotrackthemovementofthetumbleweed.Towardtheendofthe
openingweedsscene,thecamerapannedup,creatingtheextremelongviewofLosAngeles,
whichwaspreviouslymentioned.Theyalsousedtherackfocustechniquetotrackthe
movementofthetumbleweed,makingitaninsignificantpartofboththecityandthebeach
scene.Thiswasalsousedacoupleoftimes,onceTheDudearrivesathishousing
complex.Hewaswalkingawayfromthecamerainoneshotandthenwalkingtowarditinthe
nextshot.Lastly,whenTheDudeisfirstintroducedtotheaudience,thedirectorsusethe
zoomtechnique.
ThelastelementthatImgoingtolookatwithinthisopeningsceneisthecontinuityof
it.Thesceneandmovieopensusingthefadefromblacktechnique.Fromthere,therearetwo
differenttransitionsthatareusedtogofromframetoframeandtheyarethedissolveandthe
cut.Intheopeninghalfofthescene,theyfocusmostlyonthedissolvetransition.Thisbegins
withadissolveaftertheextremelongshotofLosAngeles.Allscenesinvolvingthe
tumbleweedtransitionusingthedissolvetechnique.Thiswaspossiblyusedbythedirectors
toindicatethataperiodoftimehaspassedbetweenshots.Thisissupportedbythefactthat
thelastsceneinvolvingthetumbleweedtakesplaceindaylight.Whenthescenetransitions
itsfocusfromthetumbleweedtothegrocerystore,andtheintroductionofTheDude,thecut
isfeatured.Thatwouldmakesenseforthescenesthattakeplacewithinthegrocerystore
becauseverylittletimehaspassedbetweenshots,butIwonderwhyitwasusedbetween

shotsofTheDudeatthestoreandathome.BasedonwhatIknowaboutthedissolve
technique,maybeitwouldvebeenbetteroffusedthere.
ThescenethatIchosetobreakdownistheopeningcreditstotheCohenBrotherscult
classic,TheBigLebowski.Eventhoughthereweremanyfilmtechniquesthatwere
demonstratedwithinthisvideo,Ichosetofocusononlythreeofthem.Ilookedatthescreen
shots,theshottypes,andthecontinuity.Eachofthesedifferenttechniqueshelpedtosetthe
toneforthissceneandthemovieitself.

Myvideo:http://youtu.be/oHr4AIiHVyY