Establishing Shot Techniques

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The establishing shot is a technique used frequently in film and is used readily in North by Northwest. These extreme long shots encompass the entire environment and are intended to provide the audience a wide view of the environment or location where the scene is taking place. It essentially allows the audience to see an informative context for where and how the main characters are interacting within the environment. The bird’s-eye views contribute to meaning and suspense in their own ways as well. Notable bird’s-eye shots are the sequences of the United Nations building and Mount Rushmore during the final chase where the vastness of the location is seen in perspective with the characters in question. Shortly after Roger Thornhill is caught with a murder weapon in his hand at the United Nations, he races out of the building and into Hitchcock’s beautiful aerial shot filmed from atop the U.N. (Hill, 2009). …show more content…
This shot was used heavily in the famous crop duster sequence to look through the eyes of Thornhill as he stands peering into the vast emptiness of an Indiana countryside. Establishing shots also create a continuity when used in concert with other shots in a scene. In the scene on Mount Rushmore, several establishing shots are used as the chase scene begins. Shots from far above showing the entire setting provide context and a sense of helplessness as Thornhill and Kendall are being chased by the villains across the face of the monument. These establishing shots intensify the chase by showing just how impossible the success of their escape seems when compared to the difficulty of their environment. (Camera Techniques,