Concetta Anemone English 190 Filmmaking Techniques in Flash Dance

This is an example of a low angle shot. It shows Alex at the beginning of the movie riding her bike across a bridge.

This is an example of an establishing shot. It is shown at the beginning of the film, and shows the viewers that Alex lives in a big city.

This is a shot of Richie frying burgers next to his boss Jake. This shot is an example of a medium shot, also known as a two-shot.

This is a shot of the performers backstage putting makeup on. The framing of this shot is very tight- this scene was shot in closed form.

This is a closeup of Nick as he introduces himself to Alex. In this case, the technique cuts out the unnecessary information (everything that all the other welders are doing around them).

This is an example of an over-the-shoulder shot. This depicts Alex as she talks to Nick on the day they first meet.

In the film, this shot directly follows a shot of Alex watching ballerina's on TV. This is a close up of Alex's foot as she wraps it up in tape, showing that she is determined and willing to work to become a great dancer like the ones she sees on TV.

This is a closeup of a dancer's feet next to Alex's feet. In this case, the closeup represents the ways in which Alex is not a typical dancer.

This is a high-angle long shot of Alex as she runs out of the dance academy (she is intimidated by the other dancers). The fact that this is a high angle shot makes Alex seem all the more vulnerable.

A couple times throughout the movie, Alex goes to confess her sins to a priest, and each time she does it is during a crazy moment in her life. This particular shot shows her confessing that she told Hanna she did not apply to the academy because she did not have time, when in reality it was because she was afraid to apply. The closeness of the shot (resulting in the tight framing), along with the fact that the director chose to shoot her through the bars, both portray how trapped and confined she feels.

This is an example of low-key lighting. This shot shows Alex and her two friends on their way to go work out.

This is a shot of Johnny sitting in his car waiting for Alex (he is going to harass her when she passes his car). The low key lighting is reminiscent of those used often in thriller films, in that it gives the audience an uneasy feeling about Johnny.

This is a shot of Cecil right before he punches Richie in the face. The low angle of the shot makes Cecil look bigger and more intimidating.

This is Jeannie's competitor at the Ice show. This shot is an example of the effects of backlighting. Backlighting can create a silhouette / halo around the subject.

This is a shot of Jeannie as she skates at the Ice Show. The low angle makes it speeds up Jeannie's motions and makes it look as though she is racing across the ice.

This is a closeup shot of Alex watching dancers perform at the ballet. The closeup portrays her emotions as she watches, and consequentially, her love of dance.

This is an example of loose framing. It is also important to note that Alex is standing off to the side of the frame, rather than directly in the middle. This “unbalanced” feeling reflects the instability that she faces in her life at the moment (she thinks her boyfriend cheated on her, her radiator just broke, and her friend Richie just told her he is moving to California).

This is a re-establishing shot that is shown to the viewers after Alex and Nick get into an argument because he called the arts council. This is a long-shot, which allows the viewers to regain their bearings of where the film is taking place.

screencapture -i ~/Desktop/dvd27.png This is a shot of Alex walking into Hanna's house, just before she finds out Hanna is dead. The filmmaker makes use of the stairs and the walls to confine Alex into a tiny little portion of the screen. This is an example of tight framing.

This is a closeup shot of Alex holding Hanna's ballet shoes just after learning that she has died. This closeup shot shows that the shoes are symbolic of two things: the connection that she and Hanna had through dance, and Alex's desire to make Hanna proud (leading to her ultimate decision to go through with the audition at the dance academy.

This is a shot of the judges watching Alex as she dances. She is auditioning to go to the dance academy. This is a slightly low angle shot. It makes the judges seem more intimidating. Also, the use of color is very monotone, making the judges seem stuffy.