Hello, everyone! For this blog post, I will be framing and analyzing the iconic Avengers circle-up scene.
The 2012 Avengers movie is one of the biggest and most iconic superhero movies of all time, and for good reason. The cinemetography, the character interaction, the well-paced writing that kicks off the beginning of an incredible story arc, and the action all makes this a movie that is enjoyable on every single rewatch.
Shots and references: We start with Bruce Banner arriving in the middle of the Battle of New York, establishing all but one of the core Avengers in a wider shot as the conversation begins, before closing in on the heroes to get more details.
Long shot, behind, wide angle
Medium shots, over the shoulder style-ish?
Medium close up shot, frontal
We then cut away to an almost direct perspective shot of Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, as he prepares to bring Bruce a Chitauri Leviathan to fight. We’re then brought back to the grounded heroes, to remind us of the aerial capabilities of this beast as they are all looking up and out off camera to watch it approach.
Close up shot, frontal view
Long shot (to capture the scale of the Leviathan), frontal
Medium shot, zoom, over Bruce’s shoulder
Medium, zoom, frontal shot
Medium close up, zoom, frontal
Long shot, frontal
Medium shot (to help capture the size of the creature, behind
We then get to watch both the heroes and the enemy approach to capture both the scale of the city and feel the intensity of the battle that is about to tip towards the heroes’ scales, with the awakening of the Incredible Hulk.
Medium shot, behind Captain America, wide lens (to include the Leviathan)
Medium close-up, zoom, frontal shot
Medium shot, wide lens (to include the beast), behind Bruce
Close up shot, zoom (focused on Bruce, but you can still see the beast approaching)
Medium shot (watching the Hulk emerge as it grows), zoom, side shot
Long shot, wide lens (helps capture the size of the Leviathan and just how strong the Hulk is), behind Hulk
And with the Leviathan wounded, the Avengers manage to destroy the beast and officially begin the Battle of New York, with wide shots to show the army they still have to fight, as well as unique and never before seen shots in the entire movie.
Long shot, side view, wide lens (to help keep the Hulk in frame)
Extreme long shot, high, wide lens
Medium shot, zoom, frontal shot
Medium shot (chosen thanks to how much of Thor is in the shot, low angle (to help the viewer also feel the power of that explosion), zoom
Long shot? (It’s full body but I didn’t know if it was zoomed in enough to qualify as medium), high angle (to show him hiding behind the car)
Medium close-up shot, wide lens (to include more of the army), zoom to focus on the main grunt in front, frontal shot
Medium shot, wide lens (to include all of the Avengers), frontal shot
The continuity is held up remarkably well, as several of Hulk’s shots are quick cut shots to show the sequence from a different angle, yet they still feel realistic enough to help us see a better picture of what’s happening. And the narrative purpose of the scene, as said, serves as the turning point and the excitement that the entire movie has been building towards up to this point.
-Jeremy Sauter