Film Language of "The Glow"

Shot progression is crucial to understanding the art of film language. Films not only tell stories verbally but visually as well. The way a scene is shot affects how the viewer interprets the action being portrayed in the film. The usual progression goes from general to specific by using long shots, medium shots, and close up shots. A long shot is known as the orientation shot by providing the viewer with the setting. The medium shot is the information shot. It increases the amount of detail shown by often revealing certain relationships. The most specific shot is the close up. This shot focuses on the important details the director is trying to convey such as the emotions of the character. Let’s take a look at a 1980’s kung fu flick based in Harlem.


Click to enhance reading experience.



The Last Dragon is about a teenage African-American boy named Leroy Green who is on a quest to reach the “final level” of martial arts in which he will actually glow during battle. Of course, during his journey there are villains that he must conquer in order to reach his illuminate status as the dubbed “last dragon.” The scene I would like to introduce is the epic last fight sequence between Leroy and his arch nemesis Sho’nuff, who is the self proclaimed “shogun of Harlem.”





The scene begins with a long shot that is used to show the viewer the place where the two are duking it out. The shot shows a back alley connecting different factory warehouses together. Immediately we see the setting is dark and highly industrial. This shot creates an authentic urban feel that sets up the rest of the scene. As our attention is grabbed by the action we see Sho’nuff and Leroy in the she back of the shot.


The scene then progresses into a medium shot. We can now see the immediate relationship between Sho’nuff and Leroy. In just a moment’s notice we see Sho’nuff drowning Leroy. This shot is very informative as it reveals who is dominating the dual at this point. The medium shot is also used to show the dialogue between the two after Sho’nuff lifts Leroy’s head out of the water. This is crucial because the director chooses to use a medium shot to reveal the most important part of the film,, you guessed it, the glowing scene.



As Leroy’s whole body begins to glow he sways his arms in a manner that would even inspire Keanu Reeves as Neo, the shot zooms in on a close up of Sho’nuff. This shot focuses on the important details such as the characters emotion. We can feel the rage flowing from the eyes of Sho’nuff. His face has a very distinct evil grimace showing he is ready for the final showdown. May I add, it is also quite noticeable that the man’s hands are glowing red! Then the director does something interesting as we are given the viewpoint of Sho’nuff watching Leroy creep closer to us with a look of utter determination on his face.




The rest of the scene is composed of medium shots showing what happens when you fight a man whose whole body illuminates the color orange. Mental note 587, never fight a man who glows.