Film: The King’s Speech (2010), Directed by Tom Hooper.

Quick Film Summary: Based on the true story of King George VI’s rapid rise to the ascension of the throne and the speech therapist who helped him overcome his speech impediment.

Chosen Scene: In this scene, the King has given up hope that his speech impediment can be overcome until he listens to the recording of his previous session with Lionel.

Shot List: This scene is shot in one continuous shot. While it seems as though it is hand-held, I’ll still refer to the movement as a ‘track’ even though a dolly may not have been used. The camera movements in order are:

1. The camera tracks left to right from behind the record player with the gramophone taking up most of the frame (in close-up).
2. The camera tracks forward and tilts down slightly, stopping on the King lying on the couch (wide shot).
3. The camera tilts up quickly as the King stands up and walks to get the record from the drawer (wide shot).
4. The camera pans from right to left as the King walks back to the record player and closer to the camera (mid-shot to medium close-up).
5. The camera tilts down to show the King’s hand changing the records (medium close-up).
6. The camera tilts up to the King with the gramophone in frame (medium close-up).
7. The camera pans right slightly, and tilts down to show the gramophone taking up most of the frame, similarly to the first frame of the scene (close-up).
8. The camera then tracks around the left side of the gramophone slowly to show the King sitting on the couch, listening to the record of his voice (mid-shot).
9. The camera continues to track but in a forward motion towards the King, with slight tilt down to capture him sitting on the couch to the right of frame as he listens to himself recite Shakespeare (close-up).
10. The camera tilts up and focuses on the Queen who is left of frame, and continues to tilt and track forward left to frame her in a mid-shot.

No. of Camera Set-Ups: 1

Analysis:

The first frame of the scene is of the large gramophone represented as a looming presence over the King. The camera tracks from right to left around the gramophone, and then in a forward motion towards the King who is lying on the couch. This first tracking movement is quite musical in nature in the sense that it is smooth and is paced in a way that it seems to match the tempo of the music being played on the record player.

It then stops to frame the King who is lying motionless on the couch. The camera stopping to frame him, gives the audience the expectation that he is about to do or say something. He satisfies this expectation by standing up and walking over to the chest of drawers. As he stands, the camera tilts up quickly and a bit shakily to match his quick jolting movement. This movement is quite jarring as the previous track and tilt was quite smooth, and gives the audience the impression that the King is feeling unbalanced. It marks a shift in the scene and makes the audience wonder what the King’s next action will be.

The camera then pans right to left as the King walks over to the record player with a record in his hand. The camera begins moving ahead of the King so that he remains in frame as he walks over. If the director had let the King lead the shot, he may have been lost out of the left side of the frame and the motion would’ve felt awkward and rushed. As the King has moved closer to the camera, he is now framed in a medium close-up and his appearance is quite dishevelled, further emphasizing his emotional instability.

The camera tilts down quite quickly and a bit shakily to show the King changing the record on the record player. Once again the camera leads the motion and moves ahead of the King to show his actions.

Once it has been clearly established that the King has changed the record over, the camera tilts up quickly again to frame him in a medium close-up, once again showing the King in his emotional distress.

The camera then mimics the King’s movement of sitting down on the couch as it tilts down behind the gramophone so it becomes large in the frame and the King can barely be seen. The movement is in time with the King’s movement as the tilt stops at the exact moment that the King sits. This frame is almost exactly the same as the first frame of the scene, with the gramophone being a threatening and looming presence over the King; something that he has failed to conquer thus far. However, the first frame of the scene is not focused on the gramophone, rather the King in the background, whereas in this frame the King is out of focus and the gramophone is in focus. This reflects that the sound from the first frame is not important, however the sound in this frame is very important. Using almost the exact frame suggests a second chance for the King as it is if the scene is beginning all over again, but this time with a different emotional outcome.

The camera tracks around the gramophone again, similarly to the first frame, however it moves at a slower pace. This emphasizes the importance of the sound heard, and the dawning on the King that his speech therapy session with Lionel was a success despite what he had previously thought. It mimics the  King’s slow realisation that his speech impediment can be overcome and emphasizes the emotions of the scene. The movement is quite smooth to demonstrate the smooth way in which the King delivers the speech.

The camera movement ends on a close-up of the King to demonstrate his emotion towards hearing himself recite Shakespeare. The camera frames the King to the right of screen, giving the audience the expectation that something or someone will appear on the left of screen. This expectation is satisfied when the Queen enters frame in the background. The camera then tilts up and focuses on her to show her reaction to what she is hearing. The camera then tracks around towards her slowly, almost as if it is mimicking the sound waves reaching her ears. The scene ends on the mid-shot of the Queen, surprised at the miracle she has just witnessed. The choice to use a close-up of the King compared to the mid-shot of the Queen, reflects the importance of the revelation to each of them. While her husband’s speech impediment effects her greatly, the prospect that it could be overcome is far more important to the King who lives with his problem everyday than it is to the Queen.

The camera movement in the entire scene could personify the sound moving around the room and reflecting how it is absorbed by the characters. In the beginning, the camera movement is quite smooth and matches the tempo of the music first heard in the scene. The movement becomes quite shaky and quick as the camera follows the King’s brash movements. It then returns to a smooth and even slower movement than before when the King’s Shakespearean speech is heard and reaches the characters in the scene.

The camera movement could also personify Lionel (the King’s speech therapist). While he is not in the scene, the King’s mind is on his session with him. It is almost as if Lionel’s presence is sneaking up on the King in the beginning and taunting him which then makes him take action. Lionel’s presence is then shaken when the King moves brashly to listen to the record and he hides behind the gramophone. His presence then peeks out slowly to see the King’s reaction to the record and then moves to see the Queen’s reaction. The first frame of the following scene shows the Queen and King sitting in Lionel’s office discussing the business terms.

Director, Tom Hooper employs quite a lot of camera movement throughout the entire film. He uses hand-held camera often, which becomes more shaky when the King is at his lowest and most emotional. The hand-held camera gives the audience the impression that they are witnessing first hand the historical moments in the film, and getting a personal insight into the King’s life. He also uses a lot of tracking shots to cover scenes to create a sense of grandiose and royalty that the historical drama requires. This scene is the only one in the whole film that is covered in one continuous shot.

Hooper’s other great film success has come from the 2012 film ‘Les Miserables’ which is a film adaptation of the musical theater production about the French Revolution. In this film, Hooper also uses hand-held quite a lot throughout to mimic the character’s movements and the tempo of the musical numbers. He rarely uses dolly/tracking shots in this film, perhaps due to the fact that the characters are not of royalty but rather lower class. The camera is rarely still throughout the film, and is only still during some of the more slower musical numbers. Much like ‘The King’s Speech’, the hand-held camera varies from smooth to shaky to reflect the character’s emotions, being more shaky during moments of emotional instability. He has not covered any of the scenes in this film in one continuous shot. As the dialogue is all sung, the camera is almost always constantly moving to match the tempo and emotion of the songs.