Seither Shawshank Analysis

In this image from The Shawshank Redemption, directed by Frank Darabont, Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) has just arrived at Shawshank Prison to serve out a life sentence for a crime that he did not commit. The dominant in this scene is Dufresne. He is the dominant because he is in the center of the frame in the middle of the only other prisoners in the frame. His central placement calls the viewers attention to him, thus making him the dominant. The lighting key is natural. There do not seem to be any filters or effects that were used to produce the lighting for the scene. The camera proxemics straddle the boundary between personal and social, and they give the viewer the sense that the characters are somewhat "separate." The character proxemics are personal, if not almost intimate. The characters' proximity to each other is caused by the reality that they are handcuffed to each other, but it also serves another purpose. The characters closeness to each other portrays them as being together in the hardships they will undoubtedly face once inside Shawshank. During the remaining duration of this scene, the "veteran" inmates place bets on which one of the "newfish" will breakdown during their first night in the prison. The shot pictured here illuminates the larger scene by bringing the viewers attention to Dufresne, who is the person that Red (Morgan Freeman), who is the narrator, picks to breakdown first. The camera and character proxemics also illuminate the larger scene by portraying Dufresne and the rest of the new inmates as separate from the general population of the prison.