I couldn't decide which movie I would call my favorite if my life depended on it. One of the most unusual additions to my list of many favorites is Monster's University. The 2013 addition to Pixar's Monsters Inc. is one of those feel good movies that's enjoyable regardless of age. It does include elements to cinematic form that are both easily appreciated and interesting.
The story portrays the introduction of Mike Wazowski, And James "Sully" Sullivan two rival monsters with dreams of becoming scarers in a world fueled by the screams of children. After both being failed out of the scaring program at Monsters University, their only way of pursuing their dreams is through proving themselves in a scaring competition. After assembling a team of unlikely monsters, the group have to prove themselves to be scariest monsters around and return to their program.
This 3D animated comedy uses cinematic language similar to that you would find in many other styles of films, yet still is unique and intriguing. In this scene, early into the movie, the two main characters first meeting resulting from the rival team's mascot pig escaping. Sully and Mike are required to work together to recapture it. This "meet cute" scene, combines action and dialogue seamlessly through a variety of shot styles transitions. In the first shot of the clip, Mike and Sully are both shown on screen as a two shot, framing for the following scene. Most of the following shots used in the scene are focused on the main character involved with the action. For example, early in the scene, Mike is pushed under the bed to grab the pig. This is shown through a quick shot centered on Mike's face where he moves closer to the "camera" before it returns to the previous framing shot, showing Sully and more of the room. This shot gives us a better glimpse at the surprise on Mike's face, helping to characterize through emotion. It additionally is from an angle that is better enabled through animated movies, as the confined space and cuts on action would be difficult to achieve via camera.
It continues with a shot showing Sully lifting up the bed as Mike wrestles the pig, yelling, as he says, "Careful, he's a biter!". We can see his lack of concern for Mike, a stranger, caring only to capture the pig. Shortly after, Mike gets pulled out from beneath the bed by the pig in his grasp, presented through a sweeping shot, and thrown against the other bedpost. Through this whole series of events, the audience can hear the pig's squeals pulling us into the moment, as we root for the characters to capture the pig. The pig jumps up on Sully and a framing shot shows his attempts to catch the pig in a juggling appearance, building our excitement in the scene. The camera jumps to a shot of the pig climbing a bookcase, and then Sully follows, climbing to reach the pig. The bookshelf starts to fall and in a hidden match on action, expands into a wider shot showing all the characters. Sully is crushed under the bookshelf with only his arms visible sticking out from under it, as Mike looks in awe from the side. Finally, the scene reaches a moment of momentary relax from the action as Sully lifts the bookshelf up off of himself. He says to Mike, “That was awesome!” relieving the tension of the scene and transitioning to a dialogue. The important things to notice from these shots is that they correspond to what we regularly see in most movies. Cutting on action, sweeping shots, and the other shots employed are commonly understood by audiences but are unique in the order and variation they are portrayed.
The final portion of the scene is the part where the two are first introduced, and includes shots more typical with those involved with conveying dialogue. It begins with a hidden match on action as Sully spins around to shake Mike’s hand, saying, “What am I doing? James P. Sullivan”. The two shake hands, Mike by the appearance of his face, wanting the encounter to end and Sully to leave him in peace. He gets up and as he walks toward the door to open it, there is another match on action, Mike moves out of frame, face forward, on one shot and appears center shot of the next facing away from “camera”. Opening the door Mike says to Sully, “but if you don’t mind I have to study my scarring”, his hands ushering him out. This moment is presented in a wider shot with Sully’s shoulder in the foreground, appearing as a mixture between a over-the-shoulder shot with more showing than normal. With Sully’s reply the shot changes to be a single shot on Sully’s face. It quickly goes back to a sweeping shot keeping Mike in scene as he moves around the room, with Sully remaining relatively center shot. It then transitions quickly into a shot showing Mike again in an over-the-shoulder shot, as we hear his response. Also in scene is the pig who appears in the center but behind the characters, who grabs Mike’s hat off the desk. Finally with two quick match on action shots, we see as the pig scurries through the room and jumps hat in mouth out the window.
It can be equally useful in observing how the director decided the scene should play out as it is in looking at what common shots they chose to leave out. In this scene the most interesting is the lack of obvious point of view shots. It could just be the style the director likes of looks good, or removing this normal type of shot could be to make the movies cinematography different. In any event, shots and the way they are used to show the action of a scene, affect how the movie plays, and are thusly important in the study of cinema.
Works Cited
Works Cited
Monsters University. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, 2013.
