5 W's & a H

For the task this week, I headed to my stash of DVD's and picked out one of my favourites, Lords of Dogtown, to analyse the way in which different shots are used to tell the story. It's a great film and highly recommend it to any of you reading this...

The close up answers the 'who':
This shot was used whenever one of the lead characters were delivering dialogue. Close ups are continuously used on the character of Skip Engblom while he talks to the skaters so that the attention is only on him and his words.

The mid shot tells the 'what':
The first mid shot I noticed was used on the character of Stacy Peralta while he puts new poly urethane wheels on his skateboard. This shot was used to show the action being performed.

The long shot reveals the 'where':
This shot is used particularly at the start of the movie when the boys are skating down the street and surfing at the beach. This is to highlight the location of the story, which takes place in Venice Beach, California.

The close up and wide shots answer to the 'when':
At the beginning of the film, a close up on the rising sun is used to show the audience that the following scene takes place at dawn. Later on in the movie, wide shots are used to reveal the time period in which the story takes place (the 1970s).

The big close up shot reveals 'why':
This particular shot was used on the character of Jay towards the end of the film. It revealed his true thoughts and feelings on the changes in his life since becoming a professional skateboarder.

The medium close up shows the 'how':
This shot is used throughout the middle of the film while the boys make attempts to break into the skateboarding scene as professional skaters. It is also used to show off their skating skills and tricks.

Below is the trailer, however I still recommend to you to watch the film in its entirety...