Editing Analysis

The Descent Car Crash SceneCaleb Knowles

The Conversation

This conversation sequence is shown within a slow-moving and calm setting with a normal conversation between Sarah, Annabelle and Paul to make us feel somewhat relaxed and “safe” and unaware of what is about to happen.

The conversation itself contains a variety of cuts between the three characters within the car, to show that all of them play a part in this sequence. The cuts keep occurring whenever there is a new conversation being spawned between Sarah and either Annabelle and Paul.

At the end of the conversation sequence, the camera cuts again to an over-the-shoulder shot of Sarah and Paul to let us see the van approaching. Right after Paul’s ironic “I’m fine”, the car begins to veer right towards the van and we immediately know something bad is about to happen which makes us naturally increase our heart rate and we feel uneasy.

The Crash

From a slow-moving and calm setting, the pace of the entire chapter switches (as Paul says his ironic line; “I’m fine”) to a fast-paced shocking scene as Paul is impaled through his face. Again, during this scene there are a variety of camera cuts that are only a second or two long each to keep us, as an audience, in horror as we first see the crash itself, and then the metallic poles that fly out from the roof of the van heading towards the driver’s seat, where Paul is currently positioned.

Within seconds, three major cuts occur that give us the largest shock effect of this scene as we first watch the metal poles shoot straight through the window, and then we cut to the backseat of the car as we see the pole heading straight towards Paul, and then we cut again directly behind Paul’s seat to see the once-clean metal pole covered in blood and chunks of a human head sticking out where Paul’s head was once positioned.

The crash scene as a whole is horrifying and shocking but these three cuts are definitely have the most impact on an audience, mainly due to the thought of having a metallic pole fly through one’s face makes our imagination wander which would only increase the true horrifying effect of this scene. As Paul’s impalement, the camera cuts again almost instantly to reveal an aerial shot of the crash scene, and we see a second pole that went straight through the middle of the car, in the exact position where Annabelle was sitting, which only makes matters worse as we then begin to wonder: “Is she ok?” which is to be revealed in the next scene where Sarah wakes up in the hospital. This scene then ends with the aerial shot zooming out and then fading to black, announcing the sudden end of this scene.

CGI Analysis

Explain the blood on poles, car etc.