Shot Composition of a scene in "Into the Wild"

Analysis of a scene in the movie "Into the Wild" by Sean Penn regarding the different shots:

00:16:20

The scene starts with a medium shot (mid shot), showing the parents of the lead character sitting in a restaurant. The camera looks through the restaurant window and some cars mirror in the glass, so the viewer knows, he is still outside. We can see how the lead character and his sister get out of the car.

00:16:23

The next shot shows the lead character and his sister as they walk around the car, the camera is now pointing at them.

00:16:27

The scene now jumps inside. A mid shot reveals tables, which are nicely set for dining, several people sitting at the tables, and a waiter in the background. The viewer knows the scene takes place in a restaurant. The table of the lead character’s parents is in the centre of the shot, we can see his mother getting up and walking closer to the camera (probably towards the entrance of the restaurant).

00:16:31

Mid shot of the mother at the restaurant entry, which becomes clear through a welcome sign and a woman who seems to be working for the restaurant, awaiting customers to greet and seat them. Both women are shown from behind.

00:16:33

The camera jumps to the front of them, showing their faces in a mid shot. The mother greets her sun and gives him a hug at the centre of the frame, the sister is coming in from the right and the woman from the restaurant is now in the background, smiling politely.

The camera moves closer to mother and son, a close up makes the audience focus on them and their conversation now. They move through the restaurant back to their table where the father is waiting. The camera follows the characters still in close up. The father shakes his son’s hand, although we only see the father’s face and the hair of the lead character.

00:16:46

The camera jumps to the lead’s characters face to reveal his emotions. He is smiling. We also see his mother looking at him proudly. They all sit down at the table. As the shot is still in close up, the father’s back is nearly covering the whole frame for a second.

00:16:52

Several shots from the family at the table are following. First, only the lead character and his parents are shown in a mid shot, as a viewer you feel like that you are sitting at the table right beside them. We can see part of his profile and the parents’ faces. Only when the father addresses his sister, the camera jumps to the girl’s face. She sits next to her brother, whose face is in the right side of the frame. Some following shots put the focus on the characters, showing one after the other, thus revealing the father’s strict look at her and the mother’s emotions (she feels uncomfortable and strokes her forehead with her fingertips as if to calm her down).

00:17:00

The camera jumps back into a mid shot, so we can see the whole family again and a waiter in the background, serving another table. The lead character sits with his back to the frame.

00:17:06

Their conversation gets cut off by a group of baseball fans entering the restaurant. We first hear the noises they make (yelling, cheering), before the camera jumps to them, showing several men running in, wearing baseball caps and a scarf with a team name on it is hold up in the air. The mid shot is only 2 seconds long, but those few icons or symbols (cheering, caps and scarf) are enough to know what is going on.

00:17:08

The camera is on the family again, first on the lead character who smiles slightly and looks maybe a bit jealous, then a close up on the father who looks concerned or angry. The cheering continues so we cannot hear anything else but mumbles. The waitress comes to the table; she is shown in a short close up.

00:17:16

The camera then jumps back into a short mid shot to show the whole family and the waitress while she gives them the menu.

00:17:19

A close up of the mother who is assumingly looking at the cheering crowd, she then turns to her family and starts talking. She has a forced smile on her face, obviously trying to save the situation. The next shot, though, reveals that the father is still unhappy. He is addressing the waitress to make sure that the baseball fans are staying at the bar.

00:17:22

The scene ends with a few mid shots as well as close ups of what is going on in the bar: mid shot of the fans cheering and drinking (“Shot! Shot! Shot!”), close up of a sizzling and flames spitting frying pan in the kitchen, mid shot of the open kitchen with busy chefs inside… The background noises of the crowd continue until the scene ends.

00:17:30

The next scene begins: the background noises fade out and we can see an extreme close up of the mother’s eyes which are looking down on the table and then slowly moving up, looking at something. It is very quiet now.