MDA1700 - First Assignment - Shot Type/Length Sequence Analysis

The first assessment for MDA1700 has been an analysis of a short sequence in relation to shot type and length. The scene I have chosen is the infamous scene from Jane Campion's 'The Piano' in which Alistair chops off Ada's finger due to her infidelity. The scene can be found here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLJQwpIrt2c
(3 minutes 43 seconds to 6 minutes 28 seconds)

and here is my analysis of the sequence:

‘The Piano’ (Jane Campion, 1993) – Sequence Analysis

                In the sequence I have analysed, the character Alistair, upon finding out his mute wife Ada has been having an affair, cuts off her finger, disabling her from playing the piano (which is the only way she expresses herself). 

                In the 3 minute extract there are 35 shots. The first 5 are between 3 and 6 seconds and the first two are a side tracking Long and Mid Shot of Alistair and Ada’s daughter, Flora as they are running through the forest. These longer, wider shots coupled with the dark, rainy setting and the camera movement establish the grim setting and the events which are to transpire; the unsteady camera movement signifies Alistair’s violent nature. One of the side-tracking shots is a 3 second close up of the axe, foreshadowing the climax. 

                Once he reaches Ada, there are Close Up and Medium close up shots, of 1-1.5 seconds of Alistair smashing the piano with the axe, emphasising the violence. A longer shot of 17 seconds, to build tension, then shows Ada being dragged outside. As Alistair swings the axe down there are 5 MCU and CU shots of the axe and the characters. The MCU’s emphasise character emotions, and as the axe cuts off her finger, the CU of Ada’s face amplifies her pain. The next shot is a MCU of Flora, covered in Ada’s blood. These shots, showing the effects of but not the actual injury makes the scene horrific, as the absence of explicit imagery leads the audience’s imaginations astray. 

                An 11 second MCU of Ada is the next shot; the longer shot emphasising her pain,  then a 4 second CU of Ada’s hands with her wedding ring over the injury, signifying how her marriage has led to this awful event and allowing audiences to take in the gruesomeness. The final shot is 49 seconds, of Ada walking away from the camera (and her husband) and collapsing, signifying how she is now distanced from those around her; unable to express herself through piano playing and sign language. This shot is powerful as it signifies Ada’s suffering through her expressions and movement. Her collapse could also represent the struggle of her marriage, and the suffering caused.