Essay Writing: Scene Analysis: “The Shawshank Redemption” – The Murder of
Tommy Williams
1
Introductory Paragraph: Attention-Getter (short quote, startling idea, universal
application of theme statement):
Introduction
The scene “The Murder of Tommy Williams” is an important scene in the
film “The Shawshank Redemption”. The main character Andy was sent to
prison, but is actually innocent. Tommy Williams is the only person at the
time able to get Andy a new court trial. Andy pleads with Warder Norton
for help, which leads to this scene. The film techniques used in this scene
is aimed to highlighting the tenseness of the situation, and indicate that it
is an important scene in the film.
Topic Sentence: Choose film technique 1, and back up with evidence from the scene.
Body 1
The first film technique discussed is the lighting used in the scene. During
the whole scene, Tommy is covered in light. This indicates that his
character is pure, and good. Warden Norton on the other hand, walks out
of the shadows into the light, and is covered with shadows during the
entire conversation. This indicates that the Warden is an evil character,
and is about to do something horrible.
Topic Sentence: Choose film technique 2, and back up with evidence from the scene.
Body 2
The second film technique used to highlight the importance of this scene
is the music and sound effects. During the whole scene, there is no
background music. The quietness of the scene increases the tension and
seriousness of the situation. There are some sound effects in this scene as
well. For example, there are sounds of crickets chirping, and sound of the
cigarette lighter, Norton’s footsteps as he crushes the cigarette, and the
sound of gun shots. The sound effects when used with no music, combine
to promote a dark and horrible atmosphere.
Topic Sentence: Choose film technique 3, and back up with evidence from the scene.
Body 3
The last technique used in the scene is the camera angles. During the
conversation, the camera uses close up shots, which is used to show the
emotion in the scene, and the increase tension between the characters.
There is also a low angle shot when Tommy looks up to Hadley before
being shot , which shows that Hadley is powerful and dominant. The high
angle shot where Hadley looks down at Tommy before shooting him
shows that Tommy is the weaker or inferior character in the scene. And
lastly, the bird’s eye view of the final shot, where Norton walks away after
Tommy’s death. This shows that Norton has won in the scene, leaving
Tommy behind.
Concluding Paragraph: (restatement of main statement using new words and a summary
of your information)
Conclusion
As it can be seen by analysing the scene, the film techniques used were all
chosen to increase the amount of tension and to indicate that an evil act
was about to happen. The music and sound effects, lighting of the scene,
and the camera angles used combine into a powerful effect, thus leaving
the audience feeling powerful emotions after the murder of Tommy
Williams.