Jurassic Park Essay

Jurassic Park Kitchen Scene

Analysis of Cinematography

The opening shot instantly creates a tense atmosphere as the camera peers over the kitchen cabinate at the back of the room, staring at the dinosaur that entered the kitchen. The camera crabs across the back of the room, then to a medium close-up of the panicked reaction of two terrified children and the camera holts their reaction at a side angle view. At this angle we get to see a lot more of the shadows and background creating an earie and frightening atmosphere. A straight cut then goes on to show the next shot, which is a medium shot of the Raptor from side-on, and the camera is placed again as if it is peering aside a kitchen cabinate. The next shot used is a low-angle long shot of the full Dinosaur from the back of the room as it calls its friend, shooting the shot from this angle creates the sense that the dinosaur over powers the children and makes them seem larger. The camera jerks up a little and slowly crabs to another reaction of the panicked children. The way the camera moves is like it is an added character to the scene, as if the audience are playing a part of the movie, as when the children are in the shot the camera is an equal level and also when we the Dinosaur is in the shot, the camera appears to be peaking out over a kitchen cabinate. This makes the audience engage with the film as if it is happening to them.

The next shot is another low-angle shot of the dinosaur, however this shot is a a medium long shot at a diagonal level. The shot shows the Raptors friend entering the room, and makes the two creatures look even more fearsome by using the low-angle shot even closer. Also in the shot, a lot of shadows are created by using upper lighting which maintains the earie feel to the atmosphere alongside a red coloured tinge to the door the Dinosaurs entered from. The red coloured tinge adds a sense of danger and alert to the shot, and also represents the colour of blood which relates to the children if they are caught by the Raptor. The shot tracks both of the dinosaurs actions in a way, as it looks like the camera is moving its 'head' watching the dinosaurs which proves the sense of the audience being part of the film. The shot then switches back to an over the shoulder two-shot of the girl who is peering over the cabinate at one of the dinosaurs, as the girl returns to her position next to her brother as she realises two dinosaurs are in the room the camera pans back with her to show the boy and the girl at a medium close-up at a side angle view.