This is one of the first scenes in Peter Weir’s classic film, the scene of the titular picnic. It’s shot beautifully and provides the basis for the rest of the film, to a large degree. It contains plenty of references to things that will happen later in the film, that may or may not be relevant to the mystery at the heart of story.

In this scene Weir captures the beauty and the scope of the Australian landscape, a theme which is central to the film. His shots consistently frame the characters against a vivid backdrop, and in more than one instance they appear to be entirely consumed by the landscape they’re in. A panning shot across a large group of schoolgirls is accentuated by shrubs and plants, out of focus, in the foreground. The sound of insects permeates the scene and becomes white noise of the bush.

A wide shot shows the schoolgirls and chaperones in the shadow against a large rock, with a beam of light shining straight down the middle of the group. This shot is juxtaposed with a short montage of extreme close ups of ants, similarly scaled in regard to their background – just as the college cohort are dwarfed by the landscape, the ants appear tiny against a cake. These close ups progress the ongoing motif of the power of nature, and serve as an interesting way to cover the scene.

Weir’s placement of character within the frame throughout the scene is interesting. The long, moving shot, which pans through all the girls, one or two at a time, establishes their positioning in a linear manner. A wide shot later in the scene, shows them as more spread out. Characters in the foreground and background are important. As Marion asks permission to journey to the rock, Miranda lingers in the foreground, listening. She remains in the frame after the others have exited it, and as such gains a sense of importance. After Mademoiselle waves goodbye to Miranda, and watches her walk away, the shot pans to include Ms. McCraw, whose stern countenance contrasts Mademoiselle’s wonder and adoration.

Since the scene does not take place indoors, the coverage becomes far more complex. Weir alternates between long shots, mid shots, and close ups throughout the scene. He often elects to switch to a close up to highlight the importance of a certain action, such as Miranda waving goodbye before following the others.

Towards the end of the scene, the score becomes more prominent as the girls disappear into the bush. The lower half of the frame is occupied by thick bush, so as the girls wander off, they become more and more obscured by the plants. This ominously concludes the scene, and epitomises its themes.