A Master Shot Analysis

Shot 1: Dissolve into a master shot and long shot of a man and a woman inside a bedroom of the women’s home. The man dries off his face while the women groans and complains of a nagging toothache. The shot slowly dollies in as the door closes and then subsequently opens a few seconds later. When the door opens, the camera tracks in to a medium shot where the man and woman share a short dialogue. There is an almost tranquil but somber music playing in the background. We can tell the scene is set in a bedroom because there is a dresser in the background and a cabinet, and we assume that the women, revealed to be Susan Alexander, takes a seat on a bed.
Shot 2: We cut into a view where the camera is directed at a mirror, so in this medium-long shot, we see Susan Alexander and Charles Kane in a reflected perspective. We can visibly see that Susan Alexander is seated on a bed and Charles stands beside it, conversing with her. In the foreground, we see a messy desk with a photo of a young girl on it, presumed to be Susan herself. There are also a few more framed photos hung on the wall. In the last few seconds of the shot, Susan looks up at Charles, explaining her pain.
Shot 3: The next shot cuts to a medium- close up of Charles Kane, as he is presumably looking down at Susan Alexander. This is an eye line match, as the camera starts off …show more content…
They were seldom filmed together in the same shot, thus further exemplifying their restrictions and separations from each other. This may even suggest that the two had their own expectations of their shared partnership, but clearly, their desires were met with complete despondency. The repeated framing of this, seen later in the movie as well, is a transparent indication that Kane and Susan were never meant to be together. Their relationship was characterized by loneliness and susceptibility to ambiguous