Shot Zero

We talk about shot design - because shot design isn’t just how it looks and feels, it’s how it works. || Produced by @stuwillis & @mehlsbells and @draft_zero

[Shot Zero @_shotzero]

we're celebrating Spooky Season with deep dives into Widow's Bay, The Spiral Staircase, The Masque of the Red Death, and more!

if you like our bites here, but want a full meal every so often, suss us out at https://t.co/qxbsQ0j8kf

[Shot Zero @_shotzero]

It's a fool's errand to post even the few seconds of this beautiful shattered mirror shot on socials - the House-of-Mouse's algorithm will have us shot down before you can say boo! - but we take a closer look at its wonderful animation next week on the Substack.

[Shot Zero @_shotzero]

(and pssst, next month we're looking at big, bold color washes from a Series 3 episode).

[Mel Killingsworth @mehlsbells]

Series 6 did more with neon lighting than prior seasons, but Slow Horses is always making distinct choices; often scenes have their own mini-visual-arc, as this one from the Series 2 finale.

[Shot Zero @_shotzero]

In The Boys Season 3, Homelander has a long conversation with a few of his Selves in a mirror (photos 1-3)

In season 4' “We’ll Keep the Red Flag Flying Here,” the mirror is shattered, depicting how much more fragmented and broken Homelander is (photo 4).

[ford @FordHeistCrew]

every time i watch the exorcist i get to this scene and i'm like yeah man that is some of my favorite looking 40 seconds of film ever

[Shot Zero @_shotzero]

As Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) tries to get the upper hand on an old nemesis, the scene's choice of angles show how off-kilter both men really are.

We break it all down in our longread, today on the site:

https://t.co/iv7y8DETSt

[Shot Zero @_shotzero]

@camcavers it's an enlightening conversation, but the "must be in color" coming in late and from high up must have compromised parts of color (if not parts of both) versions

still! great stuff.

https://t.co/KLGSJEQzlR

[Shot Zero @_shotzero]

@camcavers definitely watching it immediately after the B&W didn't help the comparison 😄

I don't mind experimenting! but AC saying "The production carried a unique mandate" [link below] sounds as tho studio forced it bc they didn't trust the B&W, which then handcuffed the creatives a bit

[Shot Zero @_shotzero]

this beautiful shot of Cat Hardy (Li Jun Li) says so much - it’s visually indicative of how Cat’s allegiances are split, but also demonstrates how her life is close to shattering, as Silvermane (Brendan Gleeson) comes closer and closer to discovering what she’s really up to.

[Shot Zero @_shotzero]

Reminder we’ve got a weekly roundup of five short shot analyses - now even more themed! - published every Wednesday.

Here are last week's shots, looking at characters under the influence of everything from mushrooms to special bubbble gum

https://t.co/v8A8NN0XBg

[edgarwright @edgarwright]

We shot the aftermath first. Then redressed everything to shoot the 'before times' after. The ace steadicam operator was Paul Edwards. It was the first day of the shoot on the film too!

[Shot Zero @_shotzero]

Already suffering #SlowHorses cravings now the finale has aired?

Coming up, we're dishing up looks into scenes from Seasons 1, 2, and 3, to tide you over!

(FTR we are Team Louisa here! No matter how good in bed you are, you don't help yourself to a stranger's Ben and Jerry's!)

[Shot Zero @_shotzero]

The #Spider-Noir title sequence uses lines like spiderweb gossamer to make cracks across a mirror, the shards of which reflects The Spider, his city, nemeses, friends, and those in-between.

[full breakdown of the title sequence coming on Substack next month!]

[Shot Zero @_shotzero]

From the moment we meet Tilly, it's clear how much she values fashion and presentation.

So when she opens the door to her mother’s house and is immediately pictured in a shattered mirror, the stark contrast tells us all about who she is now, versus the past she is now facing.

[Shot Zero @_shotzero]

This week's socials snippets are all on cracked mirrors; first, we look into the silver surface of a very large, tricky mirror shot in 1946 classic The Spiral Staircase.

https://t.co/PnobYXFTuD

[jo. @sereneObscurity]

just came across the mother of all transitions in anna magdalena (1998)

[Shot Zero @_shotzero]

Revisiting one of the best jump-scares in all cinematic history . . . one so good it coined its own term!

https://t.co/KQaGgeCQmn

[Gene Park @GenePark]

underrated part of this scene is how the camera work goes from steady to shaky because the camera crew was struggling not to lose it too

[Shot Zero @_shotzero]

#WidowsBay 2/2

Both use sound mixing to give us an approximation of what Mayor Tom hears; one pairs with a low wide-angle pan to give us an up-close-personal view of Mayor Tom’s sweaty brow and paranoid eyes, while the other dolly zooms to depict / induce a vertiginous feeling.

[Shot Zero @_shotzero]

When Mayor Tom (Matthew Rhys) ingests mushroom tea meant for Wyck, the rest of the episode uses various techniques to depict his trip.

We expounded on a longer scene [https://t.co/OdID4vYfo8], and here are two smaller moments.

1/2