Thriller Sub Genre, Some Editing Techniques – Shawshank Redemption

Shawshank Redemption Subgenre

Shawshank Redemption can come under the subgenre of a drama thriller. This is because it is not a typical thriller in the sense of the word, but is very dramatic in terms of the characters and how they act around/towards each other. It also qualifies for a legal thriller as Andy is imprisoned, for a crime he did not commit. Although we do not know this straight away, as to create an enigma to the audience. The film however is mainly a drama thriller, as it plays more on the emotions and struggles of the humans being, rather than the physical struggles people usually go through in thriller. It is more psychological as we the audiences see how Andy copes with prison life as an innocent man and a man that clearly isn’t suited to the type of person that occupies a prison.

 

Editing Techniques

At the opening titles of the film non-diagetic sound is present as a song, which then turns into diagetic as a shot comes on screen and pans to Andy’s radio. This shows where the song is playing from as diagetic sound. The shot before this however, the first shot after the titles, is a long shot of a dark night with a house on screen and a car. This is to establish the mise en scene. Then it cuts to a point of view shot after the shot of the radio, that looks down to the glove box, showing Andy pulling out an object wrapped in a piece of clothe. The shot then pans to the side turning from a point of view shot into a close up of the object Andy is holding in his hands. He unwraps the cloth to reveal a revolver gun with several bullets. The transition from a point of view shot to a close up high angle shot occurs while Andy reveals the gun through a pan action. This is filmed as one continuous shot as to keep constant focus from the audience on the object Andy hold in his hands. Andy then grabs a bottle of whiskey from off screen and brings it into shot with a spare hand and starts to unscrew the lid.

 

There is then a match-cut to Andy’s face as a close-up shot to show Andy as he takes a drink looking dishevelled and slightly drunk. An L-cut is then used as the voice of a lawyer in a courtroom sounds as the shot remains with Andy. This then cuts to another close-up shot of Andy in the courtroom with the same lawyers voice sounding. This shot transition shows the juxtaposition in the mise en scene and Andy’s appearance. The previous shot of his in his car drinking shows Andy scruffy, tie loose, hair a mess and generally untidy. But the previous shot to this creates an enigma over Andy’s character, whether he is a protagonist or an antagonist, as the story being given by the lawyer suits everything being seen on screen. This then cuts to a shot of him very tidy and clean cut. His suit sharp, his tie tightly around his neck and his hair perfectly arranged, clearly signifying a man that takes pride in his formal appearance.

 

It then cuts from Andy to the lawyer who is still talking, walking towards the camera slowly, as Andy’s point of view, getting closer and more intimidating, along with the words he is saying, about the crime he has supposedly committed. This shot shows the isolation Andy is in, being probed by the lawyer and frowned upon by the audience that clearly have guilty until proven innocent attitude to the situation. The shot then cuts to a flashback of the narrative, what the lawyer is describing not Andy’s own memory, of his wife and her lover kissing passionately before they were murdered. This is parallel editing, showing one image with the sound of another. It then cuts to the court again as the lawyer continues to talk. The shot then cuts back to the gun Andy was holding in his car as the lawyer speaks of it; this is mirroring as this same shot has been seen before. It cuts back to the courtroom once more, showing a panning shot of people in court watching, showing their reactions to what they are hearing at mid-shot. This shows the isolation of Andy once more as the audience in front of him are supporting the lawyer and believing his story, and are all against Andy.

 

This then cuts back to the lawyer as his finishes he segments on the crime Andy supposedly committed. The shot then cuts to the judge talking to Andy of his opinion on him. This is a low angle shot zooming out slowly, it shot a point of view shot from Andy and also shows the authority of the man who decides Andy’s fate. This then cuts to a high angle shot of Andy slowly zooming in, while the judge is still speaking and finally delivers Andy’s extreme sentence, showing Andy’s isolation again with the audience behind him and his little power the alter the situation at hand. His expression also tells the audience everything about his opinion of the sentence given, complete shock and disbelief. The shot stops zooming at this point, ending as a close up shot of Andy’s reaction as the judge hits his hammer, proving Andy guilty and sentencing him to two back to back life sentences, for each of his victims.