I am currently taking a film class while in college, and one of our assignments was to analyze the types of shots that a director uses to explain a deeper meaning about the film. So I wrote about 2000 words about the Nicolas Winding Refn film Drive. Hope you enjoy.
The 2011 Nicolas Winding Refn film Drive is noteworthy for
its attention to its action sequences and brutal violence. Although the move is
called Drive, the titular action ironically does not often occur. But this does
not stop the chase sequences from being enthralling. The limited amount of time
behind the wheel gives a sense of realism to the action.
There are two main car chase sequences in the film. Both
scenes follow a constructive editing technique. No establishing shot gives the
exact location, forcing the viewer to remain an active participant. The urban
environment of the opening scene makes the driver get creative within his
environment. Staying within the car makes long shots more difficult and are
seen only from the driver’s point of view. The second scene is primarily long
shots, yet always keeps the cars within those shots. Both of the scenes give
the viewer less to work with, making him or her work harder to fully comprehend
what is happening.
The opening shot of the movie is a close-up of the main
character’s face, known simply as the Driver. He is on the right third of the
screen, with half of his face in the dark and half of his face in the light. The
opening lighting shows the internal battle between the good and evil sides
within the driver. The next shot is a medium shot showing the car’s interior
with its passenger. The camera then cuts to a long shot from the driver’s
point-of-view of a man running out of an electronics store. The ensuing chase
intercuts between the driver’s face close-up, medium shots of the backseat, and
long shots of the road from the driver’s point-of-view. The close-ups are used
to show how the driver’s face never changes despite the long shots showing
perilous situations. The robbers who are his passengers are shown in medium
reaction shots. While the driver remains stoic even with the cops closing in,
the robbers’ reaction shows that things may not be going exactly as they had
hoped. The long shots of the urban environment are shot from both the front and
back of the car to give an immersive experience into what the characters themselves
are actually seeing. The camera never leaves the inside of the car. Staying
within the car makes the entire sequence more immersive than a more standard
chase. We are left with the point-of-view of the driver as he must navigate through
the streets intercut with reaction shots as different obstacles are presented
to him. The chase ends with a medium close-up showing the driver as he exits
the car. It tracks him through a parking garage and into the streets. Even
though he has this criminal side to him, he is able to blend in with a crowd
and escape into the night.
A car chase that occurs following a mix-up sees the driver
the new owner of close to one million dollars, although he is unaware of the
real amount. The scene begins in a similar manner as the first, focusing on the
driver. As he looks out the window, the viewer is given a point-of-view shot showing
Standard exit a building. It holds on him as someone shoots, startling the
always in control driver. A reaction shot reveals that the driver was not ready
for this sequence of events. A medium shot sees the driver get out of the car
to try and give assistance to Standard, who is then shot in the chest. This
sequence immediately gives the impression the driver has lost control of the
situation. By beginning the scene in the same way as the first scene, the
viewer is given the impression the driver is still in control. But as soon as
things are out of his hands, he leaves the place of control, the inside of the
car.
This sets off the second car chase. This sequence differs from the first
because it does not remain inside the car with the driver. Having the camera
outside of the car gives the impression the driver is less in control and has
less precision than the first chase. The average shot length lasts for around
three seconds. This allows the action to flow naturally and show that the
driving stunts are real, not on a sound stage or green screen. Although he is
less in control, close-up reaction shots show the driver is still focused on
the job at hand. Medium shots from the interior of the car have Blanche
reacting in a much different way, giving the viewer someone whom they can
relate to. The scene ends on a close-up of the other driver’s tire after he
crashes, showing the driver was successful in evading from the capture. As this
shot fades away, a high-angle close-up shows a stack of money. This helps to
clear up any confusion over the motivation of the car chase because of how
abrupt the chase began.
Because of the driver’s ability to maneuver around other
cars, he does not experience much violence on the road. But when presented with
a threat to his love, Irene, he does not shy away from doing whatever is
necessary to protect her. This is shown in a scene taking place within an
elevator and within a strip club. These areas are not normally associated with
violence, yet the most brutal scenes of the film are staged within these
confines.
The brutality within the elevator is accentuated by the
romance preceding it. The elevator scene begins with a medium shot showing
three characters, Irene, the driver, and an antagonist known simply as ‘Tan
Suit’, as the elevator doors close. It then cuts to a low angle shot of Tan
Suit. The low angle gives him a sense of power. It immediately follows with a
shot from the same angle of the driver. Both shots have Irene in the
foreground, but not in focus. The next shot starts with a close-up of Tan
Suit’s face, and it pans down his body remaining with a close-up as it reveals
a gun at his waist. It then cuts back to the same low angle shot of the driver
before cutting to a medium shot of the driver and Irene, as he pulls her behind
him and turns around to look at her. The screen is then filled with a medium
shot of the driver and Irene’s body and then pans up to a medium shot from the
shoulders up of Irene and the driver. This shot lasts for forty seconds as the
two passionately kiss. The medium shot lasts in total for sixty-two seconds. The
kiss lasts for so long because it is the first time the two are able to
physically act on their emotional impulses.
But the romantics are quickly replaced by brutal violence. The
next shot is three-shot that follows the rule of thirds. Irene is on the right
third and Tan Suit on the left third. All three characters’ heads are on the
upper third. Irene moves forward in the frame but remains on her third. By
following the rule of thirds, Refn is able to make the small space feel larger.
A close-up of the two fighting follows. It then cuts to a reaction shot of
Irene as she sees the violence taking place. It cuts back to a close-up of the
two fighting and the camera pans down with Tan Suit as the driver pushes him to
the floor. It then cuts back to a medium reaction shot of Irene. The camera
cuts back to Irene during this sequence because it is her introduction to this
side of the driver’s life. It then cuts to a canted shot of Tan Suit as he lays
on the floor and gets kicked in the head. The canted shot shows the confusion
of Tan Suit because of his inability to fight back. Next, an over the shoulder
shot shows the driver begin to stomp. It then cuts to an extreme low angle shot
of the driver as he angrily stomps. The different angle of the shots shows the
shifts in position of power. The first low angle shot is of Tan Suit, who we
assume to be in control of the situation. But at the end of the scene, the
victorious driver is given the same angle treatment. A quick POV shot shows the
aftermath of his outburst.
It then cuts back to a reaction shot of Irene, revealing the
horror she has from uncovering this side of the driver. The camera goes back to
a low angle shot of the driver. Then
back to a reaction shot of Irene as she slowly backs out of the elevator. Irene
is unable to act because of the brutality she just witnessed. The shot ends
with her completely out of the frame. The next shot is from Irene’s POV and is
a medium shot of the driver’s back as he turns around. The next shot is a plain
Americana of Irene as she looks on in horror. It then cuts back to a medium
shot of the driver. Then back to the plain Americana of Irene. This shot lasts
slightly longer and sees the elevator doors close between the two. The closing
of the elevator door signifies the barrier the violence has put between the
two. The scene ends with a close-up of the back of the driver’s jacket.
An outburst of violence also occurs in a strip club, as the
driver must get the names of the men he must eliminate to secure safety for
himself and Irene. The scene starts with a long shot of the interior of a
staircase inside the back of the club. The camera moves towards the driver as
the driver walks towards the camera. He stops at a medium shot before turning
down a hallway. The camera pans with the driver and then stops as he walks down
the hallway. It then turns into a medium shot from the driver’s chest to his
knees, revealing he is holding a hammer. This reveal of the hammer shows the
intentions of the driver within the strip club. It cuts to a long shot of a
green room with multiple half naked women and their Chris, one of Nino’s
associates.
The driver enters from the left side of the screen, moving right.
The next cut is a high angle shot over the driver confronting Chris with a
hammer. It then cuts to a plan américain of the driver as he stands over
Chris. It then is another high angle shot from behind the driver. It then cuts
to a close-up of the driver holding the hammer directly against Chris’s head. It
then cuts to a canted, close-up of the driver’s face. The next shot is of a
high angle over the driver’s shoulder. It is followed by a long shot of the
driver kneeling over Chris surrounded by the women. Despite Chris being the
boss of the women, none of them feel inclined to help him. It then cuts to a
low angle close-up of the driver’s face. It then intercuts high angle shots of Chris
with low angle shots of the driver. The angled shots mirror the previously
mentioned scene. They once again show who holds the power and the helplessness
of the victim of the driver’s actions. The driver gets what he wants, a phone
call with Nino, which ends this series of shots. The next shot is of a plan américain
the driver stands over Chris and talks on the phone with Nino. This signifies
the power of the driver and how he got what he wanted out of Chris.
