Romeo+JulietShot-by-Shot

20th Century Fox Film Corporation is a subsidiary of News Corporation, the media conglomerate owned by Rupert Murdoch.

20th Century Fox

• Formed as a result of a merger between Twentieth Century Pictures and Fox Film Corporation in 1935

• Wholly owned by News Corporation since 1984

News Corporation

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Not surprisingly, Romeo+Juliet begins with an example of the power of the media, with a television news report taking the place of the Chorus

Following the conventions of television news

The powerful block lettering of the titles is superimposed onto the faces of some of the main players. The sombre blue lighting here contrasts with...

...the warm, golden lighting used for Mercutio (and later Romeo)

This low-angle shot gives us the point of view of one of the Montague boys still in the car as Benvolio speaks to him.

The reverse (high) angle shot. This is not Benvolio’s P.O.V, but still holds a subtle cue as to the position of Benvolio relative to the action on screen.Note the use of bright primary colours and religious imagery. The Montague car is yellow.

A series of close-up shots is used to introduce Tybalt to the scene. The Capulet car is blue.

Tybalt’s boots carry the symbol of the cat. Tybalt (or Tibert, French) was a traditional name for a cat out of folklore.

Big Close Up (BCU) showing just part of his head and hand. Note Tybalt’s cat-like grace in daintily lighting his cigarillo. Note also the blue backdrop.

A Big Close-Up usually crops both chin and forehead. Tybalt is positioned on the left of the screen. Cool lighting (blue)

The corresponding reverse BCU shot of Benvolio positions him on the right of the screen, and uses warmer colours and lighting.

Extreme Close-Up (ECU) of Tybalt. ECUs are often used to indicate strong emotions, in this case hatred. Because Tybalt is looking directly into the camera, he seems confident and powerful.

The corresponding reverse ECU of Benvolio. Benvolio’s instinct is to avoid a fight, and he is not looking directly into the camera, showing his doubt and fear.

Extreme Close-Up (ECU) of Tybalt’s boot heels as “the cat” grinds out his match. These details of Tybalt’s clothing emphasise his vanity.

One of the storyboard frames from the scene.

One of the storyboard frames from the scene.

Establishing Shot. The giant statue of Jesus (matted into the shot of Mexico City), emphasises the power of religion within the state. The skyline is dominated by skyscrapers featuring the Montague and Capulet names. Interestingly, the colours used for the names here are opposite to those used in lighting scenes featuring the family. The helicopter is used to evoke the feeling that this is a war zone (helicopters in movies often mean war).

Capulet is looking up at the TV news story. But in cinematic terms, he is looking up at his lord and master, the Prince.

The corresponding low angle view of the Prince puts him in a superior position to Capulet and Montague.

Just like Tybalt earlier, Capulet is positioned on the left of the screen in this medium close-up....

... with Montague and Benvolio on the right

The camera looks up at these powerful men, who are accorded equal status in this symmetrical mid-shot.

The prince splits the difference. In this close-up (CU) head-and-shoulders shot, he is in the centre of the screen, with the symbol of power behind him.

Our first view of Romeo is a wide angle shot, lit with soft, golden lighting (earlier associated with Mercutio).

Medium Close-up of Romeo lit from behind. Like Tybalt, he is smoking, but he faces in the opposite direction.

Establishing shot of Sycamore Grove. Romeo sits centre stage in the traditional proscenium arch.

Reverse shot shows the connection between the beach and the violence back in the city. The wrecked car shows us that the beach is not immune to the violence.

In this close-up, Romeo is isolated against a blurred background. Looking directly at the camera, his isolation underlines his centrality in the story.

The drunken transaction taking place in the foreground shows that there is not much room for romantic love in Verona Beach.

Close-up of Romeo, still isolated as the romantic hero in the midst of all this hatred and destruction. The lighting is warm, the colours red/yellow

Two-shot of Romeo and Benvolio talking. Benvolio left, Romeo right. Again, the background is blurred.

In the reverse shot, Romeo occupies the same position on the screen relative to Benvolio, placing the audience on the same side of an invisible line.

Our first view of Juliet is a Big Close-up of her face under water. She looks like a drowned girl (like Ophelia in Hamlet, perhaps): this shot foreshadows both her first meeting with Romeo and her eventual death.

BCU of Juliet’s face emerging from the bathwater. Again, this is paired with a later shot of Romeo.

Mid-shot of Juliet as an angel, a foreshadowing of the balcony scene.

Romeo’s experience of the love drug is evoked with a series of ECU shots.

As Romeo attempts to wash the effects of the drug away, this BCU of his face underwater deliberately echoes the earlier shot of Juliet. They are a matched pair, with their deaths foreshadowed.

Romeo’s first sight of Juliet is through the fish tank: viewing her “under” water, just as we did earlier.

Cinematographer Donald McAlpine uses the lighting in this scene to show the divide between the lovers’ two families. Romeo’s warmer red/yellow hues evoke the Montagues, while Juliet is behind the cool blue/green tones of the Capulets.