Shot Image Dura Shot Scale/ Camera Camera Comment on

# tion Angle / Setting / Movement Editing

Characters / Props
1 14s Shot Scale: Long Shot Stationary Skip and cut to
Camera Angle: Slightly the part of Maria
low angle getting up from
Setting: In the corridor, in bed and walking
the morning. to the corridor,
Characters: Housemaid makes the shot
Maria. less trivial.
Props: Maria’s robe,
adding a dark shade to her
as she walk across the
corridor with (bright)
white dress.
2 11s Shot Scale: Medium Long Pan In this shot she
Shot->Medium Shot enters with an
Camera Angle: Straight editing, cutting
on to door opening,
Setting: Inside the kitchen she entering
Characters: Housemaid from the right of
Maria. the frame just as
Props: Kitchen door, as she’s to the right
interaction to get her in of the frame in
this scene from the shot the previous
before. Kitchen stuff, adds shot.
a sense of real life.
2 25s Shot Scale: Medium Long Pan
(still Shot->Medium Shot
the Camera Angle: Straight
secon on
d Setting: Inside the
shot) kitchen, stove.
Characters: Housemaid
Maria.
Props: Scratch on wall,
match, stove, gas valve.
She tried to make fire
however forgot to open gas
valve.
3 8s Shot Scale: Medium Long Pan/Push in The cut of her
Shot->Medium Shot heading up
Camera Angle: Straight looking at the
on windows
Setting: Inside the smoothly
kitchen, near wooden followed by her
window. walking to the
Characters: Housemaid window. Very
Maria. natural editing.
Props: Laundry or mops
outside the window.
4 3s Shot Scale: No human Stationary Cut following
presented in scene, might Maria walking to
be long shot. the window and
Camera Angle: Straight gaze out of it,
on letting audience
Setting: Neighboring area, see what she’s
rooftop. seeing from her
Characters: Cat stroll on perspective/
rooftop angle.
Props: Cat
5 10s Shot Scale: Medium Shot- Pan
>Medium Long Shot
Camera Angle: Straight
on (Slightly high angle)
Setting: Inside the
kitchen, near window.
Characters: Housemaid
Maria
Props: /

6 54s Shot Scale: Medium Long Pan This is a one

Shot->Medium Shot take, following
Camera Angle: Straight Maria walking
on from the middle
Setting: Inside the of the kitchen, to
kitchen, door->table->tap- the right side,
>stove later the back
Characters: Housemaid side of the
Maria kitchen, then to
Props: Kettle, rubber the left side of
hose, paper and pen on the kitchen as
table. she did all the
kitchen work
from getting
water, dislodging
ants on wall,
drinking tap
water, cleaning
table, putting
away stuff and
finally heating
water on the
stove. This long
take followed by
camera panning,
following her
around the
kitchen as she
did all this and
created a motion.
 7 21s Shot Scale:Medium Shot Push In, to Cut from the
Camera Angle: Straight Maria’s belly, side angle from
on showing her the previous one
Setting: Near stove. worries about the take, to Maria’s
Characters: Housemaid pregnancy. front, letting
Maria audience focus
Props: / on her more.

8 7s Shot Scale: Medium Shot Pan

Camera Angle: Straight
on
Setting: Kitchen
Characters: Housemaid
Maria
Props: Coffee grinder!
wooden chair

9 24s Shot Scale: Medium Shot Tilt, from her to This Maria
Camera Angle: Straight her feet. tearing up shot
on followed by the
Setting: Kitchen shot when she
Characters: Housemaid not facing us,
Maria created a
Props: Coffee grinder! discontinuity.
wooden chair, foot, door.

10 1s Shot Scale: Medium Shot Stationary Quick cut from

Camera Angle: (Slightly) her foot to her
Higher angle slithering down.
Setting: Kitchen This is
Characters: Housemaid something the
Maria neo-realism
Props: Coffee grinder! support.
wooden chair.

11 3s Shot Scale: Close up Stationary Cut from her to

Camera Angle: (Slightly) her foot, to
Higher angle emphasize the
Setting: Kitchen act of her closing
Characters: Housemaid the door with
Maria foot.
Props: Foot, door.
 12 19s Shot Scale: Medium Shot Stationary Another long
Camera Angle: Straight take of her doing
On kitchen work,
Setting: Kitchen the length of
Characters: Housemaid time of this shot
Maria forms a contrast
Props: Coffee grinder! with the
wooden chair, tears. previous foot
closing door
short take.
13 4s Shot Scale: Medium Close Stationary
Up->Medium Shot
Camera Angle: Over The
Shoulder->Straight On
Setting: Corridor
Characters: Housemaid
Maria
Props: Door.

Sequence Analysis

This sequence is selected from the film Umberto D (De Sica, 1952). In the sequence, the

morning routine of Maria, the housemaid was shown, with several slightly alteration added to her

normal routine. The entire sequence had Maria as the only presenting character, despite the film’s

protagonist was Umberto D. The entire sequence gave out a lonely, nihilist vibe withe Maria

alone doing robotic, repetitive, trivial chores.

The sequence started with a long shot, as Maira got out of her bed in a shiny white sleep

robe that contrasts with the gloomy corridor. This shot being the only shot of shooting her from a

lower angle in the sequence, as if indicating she’s the main character for this period of the film.

From the moment she put on that grayish coat that covered her brightness and entered the

kitchen, her identity as a distinctive, independent individuality disappeared, coming along with

the shooting angle changing from lower angle to straight on and slightly higher angle, she no

longer is a lively human being but rather a puppet being well programmed. This is the first time
to notice how the society eats up peoples’ characteristics, through the change of color of the

character, and through the change in angle.

In the following scenes, the audiences were almost forced to follow Maria around and

watch her do all sorts of boring chores as the sequence mainly focused on, which is a trait of

neorealism. However, with the constant change of shooting scale, camera angle, camera

movement and well editing afterwards, the kitchen scene wasn’t as monotonous as a regular

chore scene would be. The first alternative is the adding of trivial matters. After Maria light up

the stove, she was suddenly caught attention to something outside the window, as the camera

followed her, shifting from an perspective that’s inside the kitchen, to a perspective that’s gazing

upon her from the outside of the kitchen window. This change in positioning of camera certainly

added a unique sense of motion, provided the audience to see the scene from a whole new

perspective, but these wooden frames also made her look like as if she’s stuck in the kitchen, not

able to get out. Nonetheless, as the camera shifted again to the outside world, where she sees a

freely running stray cat on the roof-top, this sense of restriction and illiberality was further

strengthened.

The second alternative is when she was standing near the stove, gazing down at her belly.

This scene reminded us audiences that she’s currently worrisome over this unborn children. On

the push-in shot we see her facial expression. To my surprise, I didn’t see sadness, anger, but

only numb and emptiness, ended with several blinks which made me worried about this apathy.

As the shot cuts, she turned around and reached out to the coffee grinder, her facial expression

was blocked by her back. There was a moment we as audiences got disconnected with Maria’s

face, but we later got revealed that she war actually tearing up, unexpectedly after these
seemingly apathetic actings. This discontinuous editing skill brings an unexpectedness to the

audiences.

What’s more, the repetitive behaviors that appeared throughout the film is also adding up

to this depressive vibe after the second world war. First is the scratch on the walls. These light

color scratches are so striking on the dark wall, showing she has been doing this boring chores

for a rather long period of day, for walls don’t fade in a day. Second is her habit of using rubber

hose to ward off the ants on the wall. In the earlier and later part of the film, she has been

evicting ants with different techniques, including burning newspaper and rubber hose but never

seemed to work. Ants even appeared on Umberto’s bed. This repetitively act doing things that

does no change to the current situation also gave a hopeless sense that things aren’t going to get

well, just as Umberto tried every possible way to pay back the landlord lady. A deep sense of

nihilism and vain not only showed on Maria, Umberto, and also many other citizens during that

period of time.

In all, the sequence just like the rest of the film, was seeped with helplessness, however

through depicting the world of a housemaid lady. The use of shot scale, camera angle, changes in

camera movement and the use of editing techniques all together created this result.