Framing Techniques used in The Searchers

Essay by soc22laxUniversity, Master'sA+, April 2004

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Screening Report on The Searchers

John Ford did an excellent job at utilizing different framing techniques in his movie The Searchers. Ford used different framing techniques depending on the mood and location of the particular shot.

During the opening scene of the movie, Ethan rides across the dessert with mountains in the background. Ford uses natural surroundings extensively during the movie. During transitional scenes when the actors are moving from one place to another, the shot is usually from a distance. This technique shows the overall grandeur of the natural surroundings dwarfing the actors. During many of these shots, the actors themselves are indistinguishable while the mountains are clearly visible and distinct.

Ford also made extensive use of horizon shots during the movie. The horizon shots were usually used in conjunction with the use of the natural landscapes in the background. The horizon shots further illustrated the dominance of nature of the actors.

Sometimes the horizon shots were dark and other times the horizon shots were lighted clearly. This depended on the mood of the shot. During the scene where the men race back to Ethan's cabin, the horizon looks foreboding. However at the end of the movie, the horizon seems warm and friendly. In most of the horizon shots, the actors start off camera and ride into the frame and across the horizon as the camera pans to follow them. There are also scenes in which the actors ride off into the distant horizon. Usually the actors start in the foreground and ride off into the background while the camera remains focused on the actors in the foreground.

One of the most widely used techniques in the movie is the use of caves and door openings to provide a natural frame for the action. This technique is seen...