Final Exam Part 2: Essay Section. Essay Question # 1: Film Glossary and Desperately Seeking Susan

Ngozi Onyema
Film 3000
Final Exam Part 2: Essay Section. Essay Question # 1: Film Glossary and Desperately Seeking Susan
Professor Kristine Mirrer
December 18, 2011

The five terms that I chose to explain in my own words are: Follow Shot, Focus, Pan, Eyeline Matching and Rack Focusing.

A follow shot is when the camera is following the subject while it is moving. An example of a follow shot in the film “Desperately Seeking Susan” is when the character Roberta Glass is in Manhattan and walks down the path by the benches near the water on the peer where she is hoping to catch Jim and Susan meeting. The camera follows her as she walks down the path then stops to have a seat on one of the benches.

Focus is when the camera is shooting an object that starts off dull/blurry and unclear to see and then increases the sharpness of the image, making it clearer to see. An example of focus in the film “Desperately Seeking Susan” is when Dez sees Roberta topless and getting dressed. First the focus is on the cat which Dez is trying to take but then in the distance is a blurry image of Roberta topless getting dressed. The focus on Roberta goes from blurry to sharp.

Pan is when the camera pivots from left to right or right to left filming parts of objects that are next to each other on the same vertical plane. An example of pan in the film “Desperately Seeking Susan” is in the scene at the movie theater that Dez works at when the camera pivots from focusing on the movie screen in the theater to Dez in the back controlling the film. This is Dez’s introduction to the film.

Eyeline matching is when the camera acts as the eyes of the subject and focuses on what the subject is looking at in the same position that the subject is in. It also shoots back at the subject to let the viewers of the film know that the view at the moment is the view of the subject. An example of eyeline matching in the film “Desperately Seeking Susan” is when Roberta Glass is watching Jim and Susan meet through the standing binoculars at the peer in NYC. The shot cuts back to Roberta Glass to show that when the camera is focused on Jim and Susan it is the view that Roberta Glass is seeing.

Rack focusing is when the focus is shifted from one of the two main objects in the shot to the other main object in the shot. An example of rack focusing in the film “Desperately Seeking Susan” is when Roberta is following Susan secretly down the streets of NYC. The focus goes from Susan to Roberta who is in the back trying to keep up with Susan. It’s almost as if Roberta pops in to the scene and the focus of the camera is put on her. It is done several times switching from Susan to Roberta trying to keep up behind.