Christian- Fenwick, Closer

Natalie Portman was the strongest actor in Closer. It was a tough decision between her and Clive Owen, but I think she had more of an arc as a character and more emotional turmoil which made the character a challenge to play, more so than Clive Owen's (though it is worthy of mentioning that he has played both male parts to much acclaim).

Alice, Natalie Portman's character, opens and closes the film. I will be analyzing the first shot from the final scene.

Dominant: Alice is the in the center of the frame and so she is the first thing that the viewer looks at. Also, in a scene before that she tells Dan is going to disappear.
Lighting Key:The lighting is natural lighting. The shot is outside in a city (New York) and so it is a natural city lighting.
Shot and camera proxemics:The shot is distant. It is as if we are looking at her from far away and she stands out in the crowd.
Angle: The angle is straight on as if we, as the viewers, were at eye level.
Lens/Filter/Stock:A standard lens is used with no apparent filter.
Subsidiary Contrasts: The rest of the crowd is the subsidiary contrasts. She is walking through this crowd, but is standing out in it. They allow the focus on her to be more intense.
Density:There is a high degree of density. The shot is full of levels of people. There is a crowd in the foreground and in the background. With the colors of the peoples' clothing in the crowd, it allows for an interesting visual.
Composition: Alice is in the dead center of the shot splitting the frame as well. The shot mirrors the opening scene.
Form: The form is open. It creates the feeling of being in a city and on a crowded street, but without it being uncomfortable.
Framing:The frame is loose. The viewer is allowed to see a wider shot with lots of people and images within it.
Depth:The Image is divided into the foreground, middle-ground, and background. The middle-ground is the focus of the shot because Alice is in it. The other two act as scenery.
Character Placement: Alice is dead center and the other people are spread around her but allowing her to be the center of the frame.
Staging Positions: Alice is straight forward in the shot, directly at the camera. This is a dominant and powerful position. She is not hiding anything.
Character Proxemics: The other characters (the people in the crowd) are blurred out and are around her, but she has no apparent relationship with any of them. She is walking through them.