Shot analysis

In this assignment, I was required to analyze a 20 second video clip of an animated sequence, I was to select 6 shots of varying camera shots, and determine why those particular shots and angles were used. I selected a powerful moment in the Naruto: Shippuden series. This scene is the opening sequence to episode 163, immediately following the destruction of the Hidden Leaf village, the protagonist's home. I have recreated the shots to the best of my ability within the time allowed, and will explain them:



The first shot is of Sakura, who has just survived a massive attack that has completely demolished her village. She is surveying the damage, and is in shock at just how powerful the attack was, and how devastating the damage is. This is a close up and allows us to see the trembling and tears building up.



The next shot is of Sakura crying. She is so overwhelmed by the strength of the enemy, and loses control of her emotions. In this shot, she begins quietly calling out for her friend, Naruto, who is the most powerful person she knows, to come and save them. This angle is called a cut-in, and lets us focus on non-facial expressions to accentuate the emotions in the scene.

Sakura's quiet pleading turns into a giant release of all of her fear, anger, and frustration,and she screams out for Naruto. This mid-shot serves to make Sakura smaller, adding to the helplessness she is feeling.



This is an extreme wide-angle shot, from a high angle. While typical high angle shots serve to diminish the power of the subject, the subject isn't visible in an extreme-wide angle shot. The high angle in this scene serves to accentuate the scale of the damage, and the scale of the cloud explosion,which signals the arrival of the protagonist.



Here we have a low angle, cut-in shot, which establishes the importance and power of the subject. By looking at his back, the audience is given more sense of the strength of the character.



In this final shot, we have an extreme close-up where the audience is directed to the eyes and mouth of the character. By focusing on the eyes and mouth, we can see his determination.