The scene I chose is a very critical scene from The Avengers. The scene comes from the midpoint of the movie and can be considered the build up to the lowest low. Our heroes gather together in one place for the first time. All of their story arcs have lead them to mistrust each other and SHIELD. Now they are given a proper reason to mistrust SHIELD, and with a little push from the villain, they fall apart almost instantly. This scene is a linchpin of the entire movie. Story-wise this scene sets up the heroes failure and drives them to the edge of the cliff. Filmwise it's a very well shot scene that toys with classic camera movement in a new and interesting way.
The style of the shot, the shot's composition, begins with classical shot/reverse. However, even this traditional shot/reverse is forced to accommodate five characters instead of two, often multiple characters in a single frame.
The introduction shot is wide long shot establishing shot of the room that the scene will be happening in. The framing here is quite interesting. Our heroes are bunched up together on the left of the frame with the entire wide open room being empty to the left side. We already see a feeling of the heroes being forced together, bunched up tightly. Tony Stark and Bruce Banner are allied against Nick Fury. Stark and Banner sit side by side facing Fury.The translucent computer screen Banner and Fury are working on becomes a physical wall between them and the man.
Shot/reverse, the previous information becomes much clearer. We see a framing of Bruce and Tony against Fury. It’s two sides. The two are united against their ally. Fury is uncomfortable. He can already sense the situation is bad for him. He’d framed dead center of the shot. Shot/Reverse is quick, following the flow of their conversation.
Cut away to the gun entering frame.Using Hitchcock's rule we know the gun is important as it’s now the largest thing in frame.
Captain in his full shot, upward angle. He has dominance over the conversation. His realization of Fury’s betrayal of the group’s ethics has made him strong as an individual. The camera is introducing him into the conversation with power, forcing Fury even more onto defense.
Again framing is key. Fury is alone, all the others are on the right side. Right now he’s the enemy and everyone is united against him. The gun is in front, reminding us why Fury is a bad bad dude. Stark still has his walls up. He is protected from real emotion. It’s gotten bad, but it hasn’t tipped yet.
The camera pans, it doesn't cut here. This is the start of interesting camera movement. Fury walks over, trying to calm Captain. Captain’s back is to us, now his walls are up. He’s been fooled before, he doesn’t intend to be again. He’s mistrustful.
Stark has removed his walls and engaged the conversation, now. He has moved the screen from in front of him and used it to show that Fury is lying, but in doing so he was forced out of the role of mirthful spectator. Now he is involved and his emotions are involved too. The conversation is becoming faster with four characters.
Fury realizes he’s in a losing situation here. He can’t explain himself as everyone has information they aren’t meant to have.His deceit and tricks aren’t working. Notice the framing. He is quite literally in a corner.
Thor and Black Widow enter the room. Both are framed together, a new faction. Five people are now in the room.
Bruce is now framed alone. Tony has left his side. They are becoming more isolated as the room gets more crowded. Bruce is framed tight. He seems large in the frame, taking up much of it.
Focus shifts from both to Black Widow as she pushes forward, Thor is edged to the side of the frame. She is desperately trying to get Bruce to leave and remain calm. She knows this situation is bad.
Again Fury is framed near the center, and alone. He’s isolated and surrounded. His emotions begin to rise.
The next shot is critical. While the focus is on Banner the scepter is large and glowing in the foreground of the shot. Your eye is drawn to it. Again we are drawn to Hitchcock's rule. Suddenly the secret of the shot begins to clear up. We see everyone gathered in the room and the scepter, drawing a link between them and it.
The next shot has Banner questioning Fury. His emotions are rising. His back is to us. Tension is building. As Banner gets more upset fears rise.
Again we cut back to Widow, the cutting is becoming very fast now. She’s framed farther back, as if she’s backing away from Banner Banner is framed dead center now with the light behind him. He feels trapped in by the window behind him and the hanger outside the room. Suddenly he feels very crushed in.
Fury is trying to explain himself. The camera takes an upwards angle again. Fury once more has the power.
Here the camera cuts between Thor and Tony to give their reaction to Fury’s revelation before finally it cuts back to Fury. The camera has shifted to no longer show Captain at his back but Thor at odds with him. Thor has been forced into the argument.
A new establishing shot. Now everyone has backed away from each other. The tension is momentarily released and this allows Nick a few moments to speak uninterrupted. He explains why they’re in the situation they’re in.
Nick Fury is facing the camera now, speaking directly to Thor and the audience. Suddenly his motivations are made plainly clear. However this pushed Thor even more at odds.
Fury continues to speak, but now he and Thor are on complete opposite ends of the frame. They are divided.
The cutting picks up pace again here to show each person’s reaction. They're all alone, with backs to the wall. They all feel boxed in. Finally we cut back to Fury.
The framing here is very deliberate. Fury is at the front of the frame, but Stark is at his back. As soon as Fury speaks Stark cuts in to cut him down. Now the camer pans and trucks across the room, not cutting but flowing between each character. First to Stark, briefly to cap, then to Stark but now he’s framed alone. Back to Fury and Cap whom are now framed together. Sides are shifting, everyone’s beginning to talk at once.
A brief cut puts us behind Stark’s back. He’s pushed on the deense. Everyone is talking. The camera is now at an unnatural canted angle. Everything is wrong. The camera pushes through to focus on Fury, then Thor, Then Black Widow, Then Bruce. Everyone is together but opposed. It’s no longer cutting at all, it’s flowing. Finally the camera settles on the glowing scepter. It rises over the scepter as the noise of the argument continues. Finally be slowly lower showing everyone upside down. It’s all painfully clear. The scepter is symbolic of Loki, and he’s managed to turn the team upside down, fighting each other instead of him.
