Camerawork and editing: Minority Report analysis

Medium close-up

The medium close-up allows the audience to see the facial expression of the pre-crime officers and identify how they are after John (as just before this shot, there was a shot of Tom Cruise). The officer at the front seems serious about doing his job and following his orders but he also seems worried and the audience can infer this is because he has to arrest his own boss. This ties in with the next shot that juxtaposes this one- where John and the main officer have an eye-line match which warns the audience that the danger is only just beginning. The fact that there are so many officers trying to catch one man creates drama and builds tension. The audience will be curious to witness what will happen and anticipated to see the action of chasing him. 

Establishing shot

This is a long shot of an abandoned car in an alley way and we can see Tom Cruise running in the background. The long shot allows the audience to see where the action will be taking place. The audience can see how he is trying to run away despite the fact that he knows he has done (or will be doing in the future) something terrible. The alleyway is very dark which creates a sinister and unpleasant feel and foreshadows that something bad might happen in the next scene. Therefore this scene builds tension as the audience thinks he has no chance of escaping from that many officers. 

Close up

Slight high angle

This shot allows the audience to see the facial expression of the fugitive in order to sympathise with him. The slight high angle makes him look weak and vulnerable, as he seems he is at this point because there are so many police officers after him. This is contrasted with the future shots, where he is able to take down all the officers by himself. However he also seems determined to get away and the audience can see that he is thinking of a way to escape. The audience can infer this even further when in the next shot he repeats the phrase 'everyone runs away' many times in order to distract the police officers while he devises a plan.