Jack Sadler's Textual Analysis of 'What Lies Beneath'

This essay will examine the use of camera work and editing in the opening two minutes of the thriller movie “What Lies Beneath” directed by Robert Zemekcis. It will provide detailed explanations of how these factors create a certain mood and also, how they help hook the audience.


First I will discuss the ways in which the director has used camera work to help establish the situation and establish the characters. The first few shots are focused around a black space. This gives us the impression that the scene is taking place at night. This immediately causes a negative and possibly frightening feeling to the scene, making the audience scared. After a few seconds, we see some mist go past and it appears that the scene is taking place in a wooded area as there appears to be trees on the sides of the frame. The camera is zooming in, making it feel like the audience is moving through the woods and are actually part of the film. Suddenly, out of nowhere a close up shot of a young woman’s face appears. Her facial expressions look shocked and slightly frightened. The next shot cuts to an eye level shot of the lady in the bath tub from a side on angle. Again there is a slow zoom in to add to the tension. Next, it cuts once again to the next shot. This sequence of shots is the one where she has a hairdryer. First, the camera uses the technique called crane to follow the hairdryer around. When the hairdryer stops working, the camera uses a slight pan movement to show the woman’s reaction. Then it cuts to an image of the plug socket. The shot is an eye level shot, meaning that we can see what the character sees. Then it pans to the left and we see the lady using the hairdryer on the mirror. My first reaction to this was, why is she doing that to the mirror. So it added some enigma to the story. This makes me feel that maybe the character is slightly mad. Once again the next shot involves a zoom in. this gives the impression that maybe someone is sneaking up on her. Throughout these first two minutes I was on the edge of my seat, expecting something to happen to her. The last shot is when the woman is walking through her house just about to make her daughter some waffles. Another pan is used when she walks past the camera, this establishes the setting of the scene and provides more information to the audience.


Now I will discuss and examine how the director has used editing to help establish the situation, and characters. In the first shot, the one in the wooded area, the mist on the edges of the screen has been placed there or added in by the editor. This gives the impression of a spooky atmosphere and ties in with the rest of the setting, a dark wooded area. A graphic match is placed at the end of the shot when a face comes out of the woods. The graphic match takes place when the antagonists face turns into the protagonists face. This is not the only type of editing, as a Foley artist can also add sound effects. He or she will add sound effects like a man walking through the woods or the drop of a pin. They will also add background music. The example in this extract is the soundtrack you can hear in the background. It is a sort of spooky music which may add to the scariness of the dark woods. This establishes a situation of mystery and you are always aware that something scary may happen. When we see the lady in the bath tub, another example of a Foley artists work is revealed as we hear the water dripping off her and falling into the water. Once again the Foley artist would have added the effects of the hairdryer switch going on and off. When the plug socket bursts, the sparks would have been added in after shooting. This gives the impression that the sparks are realistic and dangerous. Not much editing is used in these first two minutes.


To conclude, there are many ways in which camera work and editing can be used efficiently, productively and effectively to help produce and establish the situation of a film, and also to help perceive character representation. Including, a variety of shot angles and sizes, which provide different effects, for example a shock effect. Camera work techniques such as a crane, and a variety of editing techniques. Such as Foley artists adding in sound effects after shooting, and the editor merging shots together in the graphic match.