Week 3-4 Q5

Reviewing some of the several different shots in the movie "The Pacifier" (2005)

Directed by Adam Shankman

For my assignment, I decided to write and comment on one of my favorite movies, The Pacifier. Although it doesn't have the best ratings or scores, it takes both comedy and action, mixing both genres to create a humorous, yet thrilling, movie. With actors such as Vin Diesel, Moran York, and Carol Kane, it's difficult to not laugh along with the slightly ridiculous characters.

The movie itself follows Shane Wolfe, specifically his search for a disk called the Ghost, that's able to scatter nuclear launch codes at the press of a button. To do this, he must take the place of a nanny to five children, while their mother is off trying to figure out what The Ghost is herself. Eventually, the entire situation is resolved, and the lovingly cliche movie comes to a close with various watery goodbyes.

The Cameo Shot

The movie began with a cameo shot of Wolfe ordering his team around, with a series of strange nicknames such as Red 1, Red 2, and Red 3. Despite the ridiculous nicknames, they still follow his every word flawlessly. The use of a cameo shot here forces you to look at Wolfe, and the placement of the shot allows you to eye to eye with him. This makes the subject appear as not higher up or lower, but still important to the movie. This works well with how he is portrayed in the movie, allowing the viewer to see Wolfe as a not so intimidating equal.

The Extreme Long Shot

In this shot, it shows a cruise ship, three boats on either side of it, and a helicopter in midair. This is the time in which the actual issue is introduced, and the very first problem made known. The use of an extreme long shot shows how barren the scene really is, and how devoid of other life the area is, other those already show. This added with the blank ocean background really makes you feel as if this is important, drawing your attention to nothing else but the ship. It capitalizes on the importance of the mission.

The Reaction Shot

The reaction shot is not as clear as the others, as during the scene, Wolfe is shot by an unknown attacker. He is knocked against the wall, and the screen goes black for a few of the following moments. The use of a Reaction shot really drew in my interest to what was happening. It allowed me to question what was happening, and who had caused it to happen, drawing me into the movie even more. Unfortunately, they never did reveal who had shot him.

The Cutaway Shot

In this scene, Wolfe is assigned to his new temporary residence, and knocks on the door. First, the camera cuts away to a little girl screaming once she seems him, and then goes back to Wolfe, only to go back to the door opening once more. I believe this added a bit of a humorous flair into the movie, the fast cuts forcing you to pay attention and listen to what was happening, while also allowing you some time to read the subjects' emotions. 

The Full Shot

The full shot somehow had the most emotion in it. During this scene, the mother is waving goodbye to her children as she goes off for business, leaving them all with Wolfe and Helga (The other nanny). Seeing them from a distance, where their faces were not clearly visible, added a sort of sadness to the scene. It made them seem rather lonely, as compared to previous shots where the camera was much closer.

The Point of View

In this scene, the future antagonist is looking through the bushes at Wolfe and the family he is protecting. This shot was surprisingly one of my favorites. It allowed me to look through the eyes of the antagonist and see the family from their view, where they weren't portrayed as children, or people, simply a subject to study. This also caused me to begin to wonder who was watching them, and how they could contribute to the plot, seeing as they were already dangerously close. It gave me almost a foreboding feeling of what was to come.