Unit 22 - Camera Language in 'Law abiding citizen'

Camera language can differ from; camera shots, camera angles and camera movement. Primarily they're all significant in film making as they reflect moods, interpretations and emotions from an audience, as well as helping to portray a character or the representation of a character.

The camera language used in 'Law abiding citizen' is one which impresses me very much. To begin

the opening scenes show us an extreme long shot, in which we see a city, this is evident as there are tall sky liner buildings and an urban environment. The audience gain information from this shot as they now know what the location is, alternatively viewers may identify strictly with this as they too may live in a city.

Another, would be a camera (low) angle which we see during the prison cell scene where (Nick) is the police man and dominance and superiority over the defendant (Clyde) who is sitting hand-cuffed to his cell bed, lower than Nick. By placing the camera at a low angle it allows there to be a hierarchy and place difference between them in some sense. The audience use this feature as almost a lesson, to not commit crime, otherwise you'll be like Clyde- lower than others. In addition the audience can also feel respectful towards the police detectives as he holds authority therefore value.






Another camera shot type we see is a profile shot, which is a side view of a person in an action, this is seen in the court room scene. I think this shot is one which really helps you connect with the scene. This is because as the scene is shot using this shot, the audience gain the freedom of choice - the camera shows a profile from Clyde to the detective and back, as they both argue there way through. This allows the audience to play a picking game almost like a jury, the camera plays an interesting role. Also, this could be seen as equality between everyone collectively, nobody is superior than the other, also setting a scene like this in a court of justice, makes it more understandable. The director wants to show that in the legal system there is equality throughout. The audience gain pleasures such as excitement , as this is an intensive scene filled with mixed emotions.

Low angle's  play a massive role in camera language. This type of angle is effective in many ways, a low angle is used here where the gun is being pointed at Clyde. This immediately sets us thinking that he is in danger, we feel very empathetic towards him and the innocent situation he is in. Another way of looking at it is through his facial expression, he isn't even looking at his attacker but somewhere else, pulling a mysterious face, almost like he himself is so cold- blooded that he doesn't care if he gets a bullet to the head. He also looks like he is thinking quite deeply , as if he's planning on doing something , this makes his situation have some escapism to it, therefore as the the victim is escaping his situation then this is reflected on the audience. They too can escape the thought of seeing this character suffer, and imagine a more sunnier outcome.

Another low angle we see being used is the scene where one of Nick's colleagues has been buried alive, and Nick finally finds him... dead. The use of a low angle here is successful because again we're put in the victims position and forced to feel sympathetic to his situation. This shot in particularly interesting in terms of feelings and emotions, we are driven to feel this way not only because of the position of the camera but also by the other characters facial expressions. Where they portray a real life experience of a situation like this, as their faces genuinely look worried and helpless which adds to the whole panic and distress of the scene.



High angles are really good for establishing where a person is. It is often seen in most movies that a high angle can be used to show authority, however in this scene it is actually used to establish the seriousness of this meeting between the outlaw and the detective. You could almost say that it is used through the eyes of the law, to determine the right from wrong. Also the shot to the left shows the camera being behind the CCTV camera which again emphasizes on the law , this idea that the CCTV camera is part of the law because it helps people in authority watch over criminals. The fact that the camera is at this high angle behind the CCTV camera makes the audience feel as though they're behind the law- protecting it , watching over it. Unlike the criminal who is definitely not behind the law. The pleasures an audience watching this would get is that they will feel a sense of protection and calmness through them being put into
Also, camera movement is frequently used throughout the movie , we see a crane shot right at the end of the film, after Clyde has finally been beaten and left to burn to death. The detective walks away from the fire and the camera slowly moves upwards revealing to us to landscape. This is done in order to show the emptiness of a space, in this case it is used to show us how calm the city is now that this serial killer is dying, whilst he is burning the night sky is quite and we as an audience feel secure that he has died. This effects the audience because it comforts them as they now know what happens to dangerous people, and they're convinced of law and order.