I have been looking at the fact that a POV shot doesn’t have to be a character’s POV or even a logical point for the audience to be looking from, and that playing with this idea can in fact create a stimulating moment in a scene. When watching True Detective I found that this 30-second shot really drew me in and I found it allowed me to take a moment to have a break from the intense going on of the scene and on a wider note, the episode. So I decided to a deconstruction of the shot.
The shot is a close up shot of the broken taillight of a red Ute. The taillight is in the right third of the frame, the other two thirds taken up with the road, countryside and sky. The depth of death is deep and little country houses in the distance are noticeable, however the main point of focus is in the middle of the frame, the point which Rust is in, in line with the front door of the car which we see him get into. The taillight is slightly out of focus however it is highly noticeable that the taillight is in fact broken, a detail that through choice of shot the audience is clearly meant to note. After Rust steps into the car, we notice the car turn on through the light build exposed through the broken taillight turning on, and the shot beginning to shake, resembling the way that an old car shakes when it is turned on. As the car pulls on the road, we expect to stay with the still shot and see the car drive off into the distance. Instead we are taken off guard and leave with the car, the camera is attached to the car and as an audience we travel with Rust and his car, allowing us to remain a part of the story and goings on. Once the car is on the road there is a 10-second period of the car driving straight. And the audience follows the car in suspense waiting to see where it will go.
Although the lighting in this shot is the sun, the lighting does not come across as harsh lighting. There is not much shadowing from in the shot and the key lighting is coming from the right of the frame, this is noticeable because even though there is a lack of shadowing in the shot, Rust’s face is slighting more in shadow on the left side than the right. It is also noticeable that the car in parked up the road a bit is casting a slight shadow to the left as well.
This shot is not a typical POV shot as it does not show a character’s POV and is not in a typical ‘fly on the wall’ angle or height. The angle and height of the shot creates a feeling of secrecy and makes the audience feel as though they are spying on Rust and being quite sneaky by following him. It also created the feeling of being followed. This reflects the feelings Rust has in the show, that turn out to be correct. This POV shot opened my eyes to the millions of possibilities to be able to create certain feeling, meanings and situations, simply by looking at a shot in a slightly different way.