Thirteen Shot Analysis

THIRTEEN

Written by Nikki Reed and Catherine Hardwicke

Directed by Catherine Hardwicke

Shot Analysis by Brianna Mancini

FVM 150 Fall 2012

Aspect Ratio 1:85:1

Duration: 1.8 seconds, 43 frames

Shot Size: Wide Shot

Sound: The only sound that can be heard within the shot is the practical sound of Tracy’s dialogue and Brady’s footsteps as he leaves the room. Tracy begins to say “Should we talk about how you get stoned every night with Rafa?” She is threatening her brother in an attempt to keep him from telling their mom about her own behavior. The silence both builds the suspense of the scene and adds to the reality and pace of the scene.

Contrast Dominant: The contrast dominant is the light of the lamp on the left side of the screen (Q1, Q3) against the shadowy silhouettes of Tracy, Mason, Birdie, and Brady. Our attention is directed to Tracy who seems to be a tall dark figure in the middle of a yellow-lit frame (the window).

Character Movement: The character movement in this shot consists of Tracy moving from right to left on the X axis, aggressively approaching the couch and stopping in front on Mason. While Brady, further in the background is walking out of the room. Tracy is in the dominant position as she is towering over both Mason and Birdie who are sitting on the couch below her. In the first frame Tracy’s body completely blocks Brady’s as he walks out of the room. They move almost in sync until Tracy stops in front of Mason. Tracy is blocking the audience from seeing Brady at all, taking any attention away from him. Once Tracy stops moving, Brady becomes clearer to the audience and walks out of the room with his head down. He is ignoring the situation and wants to put separation between himself and the kids.

Character Proxemics: Tracy, the main character and main focus of this shot, is standing directly in the center of the frame, facing left (Q1) at her brother. Mason is sitting lower than Tracy, on the couch in Q3, he is facing Tracy. A third character, Birdie is sitting on the couch close to Mason, almost lost in the shadows as she draws on his neck. Birdie is not a part of the conversation between Tracy and Mason but is invading their space as she does throughout most of the film. The siblings get no privacy and are used to the idea of people outside of the family being around to hear their problems. Tracy is towering above both of them at this point, she is not only asserting her