The Future of Hollywood

Say what you will about Michael Bay, the guy knows action and how to blow things up. We are going to examine, frame by frame, the below scene. I was going to do it all at once, but after spending 2 hours on 30 seconds I realized I’ll have to break this up.

 

We will start with the pre action sequence action sequence where Will Smith has been shot and Martin Lawrence and the woman (Blanking on her name right now) have to get him out.

Watch the scene here (Just the first 43 seconds)

 

Note: I say ‘we’ all the time because that’s how I tend to write. I was 14 when Bad Boys came out so, unfortunately, had nothing to do with its production.

 

In this 43 second scene we cut between Smith / smaller explosions in the hanger / Martin Lawrence / woman in the Porsche saying a variation of ‘get in the car’ .

Before we look at each cut, lets check out the two major camera setups. I can’t draw to save my life, but this gives an idea of whats going on.

 

This is the setup for when the car enters. There are 4 camera angles used, marked 1,2,3,4 in order of appearance. Note that at the end of the interior sequence (shots 23 and 24) cameras 4 and 3 are used again. 3 is used for when they drag Smith into the car, and camera 4 is used when the car reversed out. The same follow pan is used for the cars exit as was used for its entrance. 

 

This is the basic setup for the shots of Smith, Lawrence and the woman (S, L and W respectively. Yes that is an S and not a 5!) Note that there is one other shot, frame 18, that is a fourth setup not diagramed here. 
 

Shot 2

 

The rescue (soon to be chase) car rolls in, past fire. We know right away that this is a hostile environment.

This is a close up, static camera but the car moving toward camera so it becomes an extreme close up. This is camera 1 in the above diagram.

 

Shot 3

 

Then shot 3 jump cuts BACK so it almost seems like we are repeating that action of the car coming into the hanger. This is camera 2 in the above diagram.

 

Shot 4

 

We CUT on the flame to shot 4 which is a wide shot with a pan of the car entering. This is camera 3 in the diagram.

 It seems like the car is about to come to a stop then we cut to shot 5 where the car rolls a little bit longer before coming to a stop. This is the first time we see Smith.

 

Shot 5

Camera 4 in the diagram.

This is a very disorienting sequence with lots of seemingly sloppy jump cuts where actions are repeated (The car is about to stop, but then it’s back in motion and stops again). This disorienting style is used throughout this ‘rescue’ scene and the following race scene. Used in this manner it is not a mistake, but a way to visually disorient the viewer to heighten the action. Often this does work, but as we will see it doesn’t always. 

 

6

A small fire ball reinforces that this is not a great place to hang out. The explosions raise the stakes. If they don’t get Smith in that car and the crew out of that hanger they are all going to die

.
Shot:

Static camera, looking straight on down the pipe. The explosion builds towards us, hinting at what is to come (Bigger explosions). Note the explosion does not have a chance to reach it’s peak, in fact we only get the first half second. This is hinting and promising but not yet fulfilling which builds anticipation. 
7

We just saw it visually, now they tell us. Martin Lawrence opens the passenger door (Note the woman is in back) “Mike, lets go!”
Shot: 

Medium close up which start with Lawrence’s head framed by the rolled down window of the car. The frame is completed when he swings the door open, revealing his full face with the fire behind him. Static camera.

I won’t keep pointing these out, but this is the camera on L in the diagram. 

 

8

 

Smith rolling around on the floor engulfed in flame.

Shot:

Medium shot, waist up, static. What makes this frame is the flame in the immediate foreground and in the background, behind Smith. This adds to the hostility and danger of the scene.  It also makes the frame visually interesting.

 

8B

Backseat woman repeats that they need to get out of there “Shit Mike, just get in the car, get in the car”. In the background – FLAMES, confirming for the third time this is a dangerous environment. 

Shot: 

Medium close up of the woman. We see here a Bay signature of the slight camera move. Camera is most likely locked on sticks, but when she turns her head back to look at the danger the camera tilts down slightly. This small motion adds a discomfort and sense of urgency. It’s also motivated because she moves her head so it the tilt is not jarring. In fact unless you look for it you won’t notice. 
9

 

A barrel of gas rolls toward an open flame. The situation is getting worse, not better. 

Shot:

Medium shot, pan with the barrel as it rolls. Elements in the foreground add depth. 
10

The gas barrel explodes! This explosion significantly bigger than the fireball in shot 6.

In fact, this one is so big that it kills some guy…

 

11

Shot:

Medium wide shot that wastes no time in giving us a full explosion. The first frame of this shot already has a fair amount of orange since the explosion has started before we cut to it. Lots of debris flying. 

What really makes this frame is it’s conclusion – the guy falling down from top center. Freeze frame he is clearly wearing a burn suit but you can’t tell when he’s in motion. He is also on fire which distracts from the suit and adds visually to the scene. He does not complete the fall (land) so it keeps the energy moving to the next shot. The explosion does not complete before the cut either. The frame is almost entirely filled with orange flame – so much so that most of the scaffolding we could see when this frame was first introduced is now hidden.

Choosing a medium wide shot allows for this explosion to be a lot bigger than it is in reality since it fills out to both edges of the frame. Camera right frame is the most filled so we get the sense there is a lot more of this explosion. This is a standard trick to make it seem like you have more extras than you do in a scene, and works just as well at making an explosion seem bigger. 

 

12

 

Lawrence yelling at Smith to get in the car. Fire behind him.

 

Shot:

We are in the same frame as we had in shot 7. Shot 7 had a high visual impact because it had a beginning (door closed) and end (door open to reveal full face). What makes this frame work is A) The excitement from shot 11s explosion followed up with Lawrence waving at Smith to come in. His hand only covers a small part of frame which allows for the visual impact (motion in frame) without getting in the way.

Further adding to it is the slight tilt down, which, like in 8B, is motivated by Lawrence’s hand moving. It is very easy to miss this camera move. Without analysis there is something visually interesting but you can’t put your finger on it.  All it is is a simple camera move.

 
13

 

Smith rolling on the ground. The fire is worse now.

Shot:

 

Same frame as frame 8. Note this time we have a camera move ala frames 8B and 12, only this one goes up to the right and then over to the left, ending with more head space. There is also more fire in this frame than we had before – we are crescendoing up so each time a previous shot is used it has to be ‘bigger’ in some way. IE more fire, bigger explosion, camera move, etc.

It’s important to note that these slight camera moves are very intentinal. They are well choreographed events that heighten the action. It’s one small element that, combined with others, create actions scenes of this caliber. 

 

14

Another explosion – this one even bigger and outside – the fire is spreading and they will be trapped soon.

Shot:

 

We cut from frame 13 – Smith on the floor surrounded by flames, to an explosion coming camera right that is already half way to its peak. The explosion is allowed to complete it’s peak – the first time we have seen a that in this scene (Although it does not complete its dissipation) 

 
15

 

“Lets go, get in”

Shot:

 

The same frame we have been using on Lawrence for this sequence. Instead of a hand move, this time we have his head moving – he looks behind then back toward camera. Bay is not only using camera movement, but Actor movement to build excitement within each frame. The camera moves slightly up and to the right.

 

16

 

Smith tries to get up – the fires blaze behind him. – Woman VO ‘get in the car god damnit!”

Shot:

 

Same shot we’ve been using on Smith, but once again the flames are bigger than before. This time we have a very big flame right in front of the camera. The camera move is also the biggest we’ve seen from this shot. We start center framed, then move down so we can only see Smiths chin then back up to center frame.

 
17

 

GET in! This shit is gonna blow!

 

Shot:

 

Same Lawrence frame but this time Bay combines his last two tricks and so Lawrence goes from looking away, to toward camera (camera move up) then he also swats his hand toward camera (camera move left)

 

17B

 

Before she reaches down to grab Smith we start on a flame then move up to her, she reaches down then …

 

18

 

Woman reaches down and grabs Smith 

Shot:

 

Low angle up, her hand reaching toward camera and grabbing Smith – camera stays static. 

 

19

 

Dragged through the fire and into the car.

 

Shot:

 

Medium shot – half of the car framed, flames in the foreground. Slight camera moves up and down as Smith gets into the car. 

 

20

 

Another big explosion 

Shot:

 

Medium wide shot – again we start mid explosion but this time we pan with the explosion moving out. We cut before completion. 

 

21

The car screeches backwards while the door is still open.

Shot:

Same shot used in frame 18. Complete the composition by closing the door. Camera moves slightly to the right and down.

 

22

 

Close up of wheels spinning 

Shot:

 

This shot is slightly strange because we can not see the rims of the car in shot 21, so to cut to a close up of it is slightly jarring. Static camera and the car exits from camera right to camera left. Note that the frame completes with both rims (front and back) visible. 

 

23

The car racing backwards through the fire.

 

24

 

Shot:

Medium shot of the car racing backwards. Pan with it out the hanger, through the fire.

Note that shot 22 we ended with both wheels in frame, shot 23 we start where only the back wheels are shown. This is a jarring cut since we should be seeing both frames – gives the illusion of going back in time. This is jarring even on first watch but not until you review in this manner can you tell exactly why. 

Frame completes with a slight tilt up.

 

5 separate medium shots of things exploding  while we wonder – Did they get out? Will they make it?

 

25

 

Medium wide shot of the hanger, we can see an airplane and are excited for it to blow up.

The explosion is fairly small here. Slight left/right camera move. This is the beginning of an explosion sequence so we just get the start of what will be a huge fireball, camera right.

 

26

Back inside the hanger, medium shot. We enter a beat before it gets big but the frame is already filled with smoke. Then the explosion starts and completely fills the frame.

Note that the explosion is coming from camera left and exploding into the hanger. 

 
27

 

This shot is very similar to shot 25 only we are slightly closer, to the right and tilted up. The cuts are so quick we can’t tell so it makes it feel bigger than it is, when in reality its a second camera very close to the camera used on 25, but gives it the appearance we are covering the entire hanger when really its just the front. 

We start out with very little explosion (Slightly inconsistent from what we just saw in shot 26) but quickly go HUGE to completely fill the frame. Shot 25 did not fill the frame, but the explosion started. This shot picks up earlier than where 25 ended though, so it makes this sequence appear longer and bigger than it is. 

We use the same trick of over flowing the frame to make the explosion bigger as well. Note the explosion is going OUT not IN. 

 
28

New angle here but the explosion is once again just beginning, even though we have just cut from the explosion close to finishing its peak. Once again the frame is filled with the explosion. 

 

29

 

Same angle as 25 only zoomed in closer. The explosion shakes camera a bit. The explosion is allowed to finish its peak. 

 

30

 

With the hanger still exploding the Porsche emerges and whips past camera 

 

31

 

This is the money shot – the hero’s are fleeing as the building explodes in the background. The explosion has just barely started and the previous explosions are not present. We get close to the peak as the car races past us camera right. 

 

32

 

Wide shot of the destruction (Note the Porsche is not in frame) 

We start a beat before the completion of the peak and then hold as the flame grows some more. 
The hanger is framed in the middle, almost between to power lines. Lots of clouds, very little blue in the sky. For the completion of the explosion and this scene, this isn’t, compositionally, the most interesting shot. 

One major shot missing would be after 26 – having the car crashing through the hanger as the explosions continue. To complete this 23/24 should have been cut sooner (it’s a long take for this sequence). Perhaps it was to build suspense (are they going to escape) but that question is never entirely posed. We know once Smith gets into the car that they are safe – the tension was IF he’ll be able to get in. 

 

32 cuts in 42 seconds 

4 minor explosions while they try to get him in the car and out of the hanger. 

4 major explosions (even though in reality they probably only blew it up once) as we wonder what happened to the car.

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