Today I decided to comment on some of the technical elements of the show Breaking Bad and its use of different camera angles, shots, and sound. I will be looking at a couple episodes throughout the series that are some of the main events that happen in the story (spoilers). I chose Breaking bad since it is one of the best shows I have ever watched and I love crime and drama flicks.
In the first episode of the series, we see Walter White in a top down close-up shot of his face as he is getting full-body x-rayed to see why he fainted in the previous scene. This close-up allows us to see the discomfort and worry on his face as he is examined to find out what's wrong with him. While he is getting scanned we can hear the eerie/haunting sound of the machine which sort of blends with his out of focus mentality through the scene. The scene then cuts to introduce the next scene where the camera tilts up showing yet another close up of Walter whites face. In this second scene we can clearly see Walter white is out of it which is amplified by the white noise in the background and the sloshed words of his doctor. These two scenes show Walter's disbelief that this is happening to him and him not being able to focus on what is important.
In this next scene further in the show, most of this scene is shown over the shoulder of Walter White with the exception of a close up, showing him reassembling a broken plate. Throughout this scene it makes use of a handheld camera which shows his unease as he uncovers a cruel discovery. The over the shoulder shots allow us to see a close up of his hands solving the broken plate puzzle which gives the impression that this plate is important in some detrimental way. Not to mention, it reveals the point of view of Walter and how he is rapidly trying to fix the plate in a panic. Finally, after he is done a close up shot of his face reveals the surprise and fear of his discovery on his face.
In another scene, our main character attempts to establish a collaboration with a highly secretive and cautious drug lord, shown by a powerful over the shoulder shot. This directly shows what Mr. White sees as he is attempting to converse with the man. It shows the stern and menacing look on Gus Frings face, as if he is looking down on Walter White.
In this scene, we see an aerial shot of Walter white as it slowly zooms out making him look smaller and smaller. This is immediately after he finds out his wife used all of his money on his enemy Ted. As the shot makes Walter look smaller and smaller physically, it also makes him look smaller mentally, and makes him look he is trapped in a box with no way to escape. You can truly see the dread on his face as the reverse zoom makes him look inferior. Also, the background music in this scene increases the tension of the circumstance, truly showing his world falling apart.
In a similar scene (shotwise), which occurs at the end of the series, Walter White is seen dying on the floor in an aerial shot. We can see a bit of contentment in his face as the camera zooms out making him seem more and more insignificant within the chaotic scene as he begins to become a small part of the background. He accomplished what he wanted to do before he left the world and is content in how it ended.
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