Hello, class:
This opening scene from Shameless is both appropriately chaotic yet extremely well-structured and framed to create a sense of continuity. The framing of the scene creates a real sense of both urgency and normalcy, as if this is just a normal happenstance for this family during rent seasons. Visually it’s a family getting ready for the day, shown from many different perspectives and creating a sense of what the house layout is. The different edits around the table, in particular, help create the sense of family dynamics. Especially when they’re passing around the rent box and they’re pitching in their shares, it shows how much each kid makes and/or contributes, which could then directly correlate to how much effort they put into helping keep their family afloat.
I think throughout the opening scene, there are two visual anchors: the mother as she moves around, and the planted table in the dining room. The mother is almost constantly in frame, which makes sense, as she appears to be the main character we’re supposed to be following in the shot, and we help obtain her sense of urgency for the bill, yet care for her kids. The other anchor, the table, gives us a grounded piece halfway through the scene that helps the scene become structured. Chaos still ensues, simply because that’s the nature of a large family dynamic, but by using a large object like a table to center all the chaos around, it helps everything feel controlled and grounded while still giving off it’s own sense of excitement.
-Jeremy Sauter