Pride and Prejudice Shots

In my favorite film of all time, Pride and Prejudice, the director uses several different types of shots to display the feelings of the character in that particular scene. As the director chooses angles and shots he must foretell the feelings that they will invoke in the viewers and how they will affect the way that others see the movie as a whole. In this film, the relationship between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy is communicated through the eye of the camera as it shoots from different types of angles.

For example, here in this scene Darcy invites Elizabeth to dance, almost every frame is a medium shot of the couple as they move around with the others. The camera stays firmly on Elizabeth's or Mr.Darcy's s emphasizing their intimacy as they squabble over their shared prejudices. As the camera shifts form each of their faces to mirror their dialogue it also spins in a circle above and around them creating a very chaotic mood of blunt disagreement.This technique allows the viewer to feel the tension and frustration that each of the characters in the film are experiencing.

In the closing scene of the film, we see Elizabeth and Darcy after they have been married. The camera begins in a long shot with a view of their mansion. Quickly the frame is shifted to a medium view of them sitting together on a large porch under the night sky. As they continue into their intimate and loving speech the camera inches forward as the audience peeks in on what would be a very private moment between the newlyweds until finally the camera reaches a close up as they finally kiss for the first time in the entire movie.

The film Pride and Prejudice serves as a great example of each of the different shots to convey the emotions of the characters to the viewer. Not only would you find Long Shot, Medium Shot, and Close Up in this movie, but also integrations of each and scenes that use only one for several minutes. As an effect each scene conveys key elements of the movie and piece it together as a whole, fluent work. Through the eye of the camera's lens we see Elizabeth and Darcy grow together as a couple from the beginning where they lay a rocky foundation of discord and pride, to the end where we see their love that breaks through the preconceived notions.