GODZILLA:

A Scene Analysis 

By Charles Perry 

Here is a Link to the Scene in Question: https://vimeo.com/82226103

I  will Provide Screenshots (or you could just follow along using different windows)

Also the Clip is in the S-Drive or Right here in this post!

This entire scene as a whole is a shot like a conversation in a sense. There is a shot, followed by a reaction shot. However, one should replace the words with bullets (or guns being readied) and the two people speaking with a giant radioactive lizard and an army. This blog post will be covering the first minute of this scene which shows the appearance of Godzilla rising out of the water and bringing destruction with him. 

Shot 1: The Radio

Our scene opens with a zoom in on a radio warning the civilians of Godzilla's impending attack. One can assume that this is in a house close to where Godzilla is heading, and that the residents have abandoned the house since in every shot we see of this interior we don't see any people. 

Shot 2: Birds

The film then cuts to this shot of these two birds trapped in a cage. This shot does not last for very long on screen before the film cuts away to a bunch of soldiers prepping for the showdown against Godzilla. However, this shot is very symbolic. It is emblematic of what is happening to Tokyo (the city Godzilla is heading towards). The Japanese military is using the vast network of electrical lines to create an electrical cage to try to either fry or keep out Godzilla. Much like the birds in the cage, the citizens of Tokyo are withing a flimsy metal structure  which with any force could break. 

Shot 3 The Soldiers

Following the bird cage, we see the men who are guarding the "cage" around Tokyo.  These men look rightfully worried since they are up against a threat no military force has dealt with. They are looking over the ocean with spotlights, scanning the horizon for any possible sign of Godzilla's emergence. The partial lighting and the lack of any music during this shot heavily increases the tension and dread. Once the soldiers light up the spot light, the film then cuts to the ocean as it shows the lights searching for Godzilla. 

Quick little aside: 

For most of this scene I actually had a hard time telling what exactly was happening during each shot. Everything is in black and white, which in  my opinion makes night time shots (or shots with limited light) hard to distinguish. Maybe this could have also been due to the actual quality of the clip I found online. 

Shot 4: The Calm Ocean

The lights scour the frame in the hopes of trying to spot the monster before he comes ashore. The frame for the most part is empty except for the lights shining across the waves. The still water looks eerily still, as if this was the calm before the storm. More than likely, this stillness came about because this is a pool (like the ones in people's backyards) on a sound stage. I say this because when Godzilla does pop out, he is way to animated and detailed to be a model. Instead I assume it has to be the man in the suit in the water. However, this fact does not undercut the tension of this scene. Its just something which sprung into my mind after multiple screening of this scene.  

Shot 5: Tanks

After the still water, we then cut to a platoon of Tanks driving around the city. They are clearly moving into an advantageous position in the hopes of bringing down Godzilla. We do not see any people panicking in the streets, or running to safe locations. This also comes down to the special effects and models Toho is famous for using in their Kaiju films.In terms of the quality of the models, they are top notch and are very detailed. Even the city streets and buildings were all made as scale models. I'd even go as far to say that due to the careful lighting, sometimes these models feel real.  When the film cuts to the next shot, however, this is where I really noticed the "train-set" like feel the tanks had.

Shot 6: The Tanks are Still on the move.

I assume the reason why I noticed this is because of the angle of the camera. The camera is getting a profile shot of the tank. This allows for an astute viewer to notice the subtle movements of something jostling along a track. The film then cuts to the appearance of its title character: Godzilla.

Shot 7: Godzilla Appears!

The Appropriate reaction shot  to seeing Godzilla appear

The way Godzilla emerges from the depths is very iconic. We see this slow lumbering beast of destruction scream as he rises from the deep. With each step he takes, his body slowly rises. I can only imagine the terror of one of the men guarding Tokyo from this beast.   Following this shot we have a quick back and forth between Godzilla coming out of the ocean, and various guns being readied and aimed at the monster. These shots are all very quick cuts, as the film jumps back and forth between Godzilla's presence and the Human's actions. 

Shot 7: Godzilla Makes landfall

While this might not be the exact frame following the scenes of G&G (guns and Godzilla), it is the most clear image of Godzilla I was able to grab. In this shot we see the edge of the metaphorical "bird cage" from earlier. This is the army's only plan to stop Godzilla, the oxygen destroyer was not yet revealed to the public at this point. The G&G does continue, as Godzilla is shown moving closer to the electrical wires. If anyone has scene this movie, or any Godzilla film for that matter, this plan does not work. Godzilla charges through the wires and shrugs off all the gun fire being unleashed upon him. The cage has been cracked wide open, and now the hungry cat can feast upon the helpless birds.