While it could be seen as slightly cliché, I decided to analyse a scene from Quentin Tarantino’s debut film, Reservoir Dogs (1992), specifically the “Professionals” scene.

The scene starts off with a medium two-shot with Mr White (Harvey Keitel) and Mr Pink (Steve Buscemi) having an argument. While the shot itself does not change during the argument, the camera itself is shaky, which would indicate that the camera is handheld.

When White attacks Pink, it moves to a medium-close up. The camera remains in this position while Pink pushes him back – leaving only Pink visible in the shot. White returns into view to punch Pink, who gets knocked down to the floor. As Pink falls, the camera moves to a low position to cover his fall.

The camera moves to a wide shot and tracks to cover the fighting, with short medium-close up shots of Pink being kicked, and White kicking. When the characters pull out guns, high and low point-of-view shots are used. The characters continue arguing, and the camera performs a slow dolly out.

The shot becomes an over-the shoulder behind a new character, Mr Blonde (Michael Madsen). He talks to the other characters during this shot, before cutting to a medium-wide shot of him casually drinking from a cup. It cuts to a wide point-of-view of the other characters recovering from the fight.

It then cuts a number of times between both of these shots – with the shot of Blonde being used during Pink’s line. It then cuts to a close-up of Blonde slowly removing his sunglasses. It cuts back and forth between the wide point-of-view and the close-up twice, before cutting to a medium-wide shot of Blonde when he speaks. It cuts between both shots during the dialogue, before cutting to a wide shot of Blonde leaning on a pole.

It then cuts to a wide pan of White and Pink walking towards the exit of the room, before cutting back to the wide shot of Blonde. It then cuts back to the two-shot, with White walking towards the camera, before cutting to a wide point of view looking at Blonde. White’s hand and gun are visible in the shot. As he lowers the gun, the camera returns to the two-shot.

Most of the shots used are fairly conventional, though they are used to great effect. The dim – mostly natural – lighting and shaky camera give the scene a gritty aesthetic. The use of wide tracking shots during fights give the viewer an almost voyeuristic perspective of the scene. Considering the number of times that shots became either point-of-views or over-the shoulders, I would assume that extensive blocking was done.

Reservoir Dogs 1992, DVD, Lionsgate, Santa Monica CA USA, Directed by Quentin Tarantino.