Essay Shot Breakdown

Touch of Evil
Scene: Opening Tracking Shot

1. Close up of a man’s hands setting off a ticker attached to a bomb. This can be seen as a symbol as if the tracking shot is being timed.

2. The camera follows the man as he proceeds to run to a nearby car to plant the bomb into the trunk.

3. The man runs off and the camera drifts upwards.

4. Overhead shot of a couple approaching the car and entering, unaware of the bomb being planted.

5. The car is started and the crane follows the direction of the car but a building blocks our vision of the car for a few seconds building suspense.

6. The car reappears on screen and turns and stops at an intersection where a police officer is directing traffic. As this happens the camera pans backwards leaving the car in a further distance from the camera.

7. The car starts to move towards the camera until it stops at the next intersection.

8. A couple walking together cross at this intersection and the car drives out of the shot and we now focus on the couple walking.

9. We continue to follow the couple as the car reappears driving behind them. Festive Mexican music is heard in the background.

10. Many vendors with their carts run across the couple numerous times scurrying around, showing it is a busy street.

11. The couple walks side by side with the car as they approach the U.S/Mexican border. The couple shows the border officers their identification, the man in the couple, Vargas, is recognized by the police. They joke around with him but he claims he is having an innocent night out with his wife.

12. They are cleared and the officer approaches the other couple in the car who seems impatient and wants to get through. The women in the passenger seat, who doesn’t sound intelligent complains she has a “ticking noise” in her head but the officers pay no attention and send them off wishing them a good night.

13. The camera shifts towards the couple who stop walking to kiss and as soon as this happens the car explodes in the distance alerting them.

All of this is done in one continuous tracking shot and is known as one of the best and most famous mobile shots because it manages to contain all this movement and action in one flawless take. Within the first minute of the film Orson Welles is able to get the viewer on the edge of their seats.

I Am Cuba
Scene: Rooftop

1. A party environment is built right on the top as we get a close up of a band playing their instruments and dancing around on an upper level of a building roof top in what appears to be a hot and sunny day in Cuba.

2. The camera rotates around the rooftop to reveal beautiful young ladies strutting around in their bathing suits, also adding to this party feel.

3. It is then revealed that these women are contestants as they are holding heart signs with numbers on them and a man in a suit tell the audience the choice is theirs.

4. The host encourages the audience to get louder and louder, he sits atop the upper level on the rooftop, as this is said the camera starts to pan down and we get a landscape view of the city outline showing its beauty.

5. After this the camera slowly pans down onto a level down where we see people applauding looking up at the upper level, having smokes and drinks and just relaxing.

6. The camera continues to lower and we finally get to ground level of the roof where there are more people at this party also applauding signaling everyone is having a good time.

7. The camera now moves east, table to table, as a waiter drops off drinks to the people.

8. As the camera continues to past various guests playing cards, drinking, or enjoying the weather it reaches one woman who gets off her chair takes off her robe, revealing her bathing suit and follows her into the pool.

9. Once in the pool the camera even goes under water showing bodies swimming, all in one continuous shot.

This is another legendary tracking shot that manages to create a party like environment because the camera acts as if you were at this party.

Tracking shots are hard enough as it is but in I Am Cuba, Kalatozov even goes under water in one shot.