The Scene in Cinema: Yesterday Descriptive & Analytical Writing

Jack, who overnight became the only person in the world who remembers the Beatles, took advantage of this situation and, using his own singing talents, is on his way to be the greatest music artist in the world. During his rise to fame, he loses the affection of his long-time partner. He decides to seek the advice of John Lennon, who is alive in this reality.

 

In the first segment where Jack visits John at his home, the drone shot which tracks the taxi guides our eyes along the road towards the house. The next shot, where the figure of Jack is obscured by the grass in the foreground cuts nicely with the shot prior. Both shots we follow a black object going from screen right to screen left. At this point in the film, the audience does not know who Jack is visiting, which is why the next shot throws the subject out of focus, eliciting intrigue as to whom this figure is. The paintbrushes and drawings on the table allude to a creative and artistic person. At the door entrance, our attention follows a focus pull to reveal that the figure is John Lennon. Interestingly, the dialogue exchange between the two did not follow the 180 degrees rule, as the closeup on Jack places him on screen left instead of screen right. The crossing of the line here was rather natural due to the wide shots from Lennon’s perspective. Although neither the camera nor the characters themselves move in this shot, we can understand from the wide shot where the characters are spatially.

 

The lighting during this exchange is assumed from the sunlight as it is during the day. Both Jack and John are lit by a warm tungsten light which comes from the same direction. The warm colour temperature of this lighting is made to simulate the golden hour in the afternoon, where this exchange takes place. 

 

In the following series of drone shots, we see the two walking along the waterfront, eventually sitting down on an upturned boat. The coverage of this dialogue scene is composed of a medium-long shot of the two characters as it slowly tracks forward. A similar shot which comes from the inside of the house frames the two of them inside the windowpane, it too tracks closer forwards as the conversation touches an intimate topic for Jack. We cut back to the characters, now at a medium closeup. This shot establishes a sort of mentor-like position for Lennon, as he leans in to speak while Jack attentively listens. The characters are back-lit at an angle from above, creating an outline around their clothing and head, and fill light in front of them allows their faces to have proper exposure. 

From Lennon’s over-the-shoulder shot, we can see that the lighting is again from the sun. This time, the sun is at a different angle. As the two stand up, we can see the light source is above the building. When the camera pans up, the shot becomes a medium shot and we lose the details in their clothing due to the sun. Instead, high contrast of the scene forms silhouettes of the two figures as well as an intense lens flare from above, producing angelic imagery. As the scene concludes, the camera is once again inside the house and tracks backwards for the first time, signifying a change in the character as the film enters its final act.

 

Ultimately, the John Lennon scene serves two main purposes. First, it is fanservice for the Beatles enthusiasts, seen in the slow reveal of said character. Structurally, it is used to create change in Jack to own up to his mistakes and to pursue the girl he loves.

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