To Kill A Mockingbird Distinctively Visual Analysis Essay

1. Dominant:
Mrs. Robinson is the dominant in this shot. Our eyes are first attracted to her because her face and her body are noticeably lit which in turn, signifies her supremacy in the relationship over the young-looking Ben.

2. Lighting Key:
The lighting key is a low key in this shot. The low key light highlights the contours of Mrs. Robinson’s face and reduces the lighting on Ben’s face to produce strong contrast and shadowy areas.

3. Shot and camera proxemics:
The shot is a medium shot. Mrs. Robinson and Ben are shown from waist up. This medium shot tells us that a conversation is going on between the two characters and it gives us some cues to pick up on their body language and emotions.

4. Angle:
The shot is taken from a low angle.

We tend to look up at the characters giving all of our focus on them because the low angle shot gives a sense of importance on the characters.

5. Color values:
The shot has dim, emotionless colors, mainly grayscale over Ben, while Mrs. Robinson is wearing dark colors, her face and body are clearly bright proposing her dominance over Ben.

6.

Lens/filter/stock:
None.
7. Subsidiary contrasts:
The shot’s main subsidiary contrast is Ben, because he is placed in shadow and our attention is attracted to him second, after Mrs. Robinson whose face and body are clearly bright.

8. Density:
The shot has a moderate density. The main characters, Ben and Mrs. Robinson, are the main focus in the center of the shot and although the background is clearly visible but it’s not dense with information.

9. Composition:
The composition of this shot is diagonal since Mrs. Robinsons stares at Ben upward, while Ben stares at her downwards forming a diagonal composition in relation to their positions.

10. Form:
The shot’s form is closed because the shot’s frame completely defines the world that the director constructed and because it shows some geometrical and architectural figures, like the frame of the picture which is hanged on the wall and the ceiling frame.
11. Framing:
The framing in this shot is loose, because the characters have space to move around within the frame and between each other.

12. Depth:
This shot is moderately shallow. The foreground frame is the dominant one, whilst the midground is visible, and the background is not blurred in order to minimize its

importance.

13. Character placement:
The characters are centered in this frame, but Ben is substantially higher than Mrs. Robinson making her seem compliant, although the compliancy of Mrs. Robinson is not attained due to the bright lighting shown on her.

14. Staging positions:
Both characters are shot in profile in this shot, which signifies their concentration with one another and no interference of any other external disturbances.

15. Character proxemics:
The distance in this shot is personal, since the characters are between 18’’ and 4’ distant, although the stable starring on each another proposes that an intimate relationship is about to happen shortly.