The "escape from work" scene of The Matrix incorporates several key filmic elements to convey the emotion and importance of the scene. The camera begins by panning low across a cubicle wall to reveal Neo, working at his desk. This not only reveals the protagonist, but establishes the walls and surroundings. If the camera had been placed higher, the meaning of the shot would be greatly lessened, as the walls would not seem as confining. In effect, this pan is the manifestation of Neo's "imprisonment" by the cubicle (and the Matrix). When the camera comes to the end of its pan, a man (all that is visible is his hands and mid body), appears in the right portion of the frame, and addresses Neo. In response, the camera cuts to a slightly closer shot, following the rule of thirds and framing Neo in a way that matches his turn to face the camera. The camera is placed slightly below Neo's line of sight, which establishes Neo as an influential character. The camera remains fluid, and the man from the previous shot walks in front of the lens (at this point an "EXC" of his midsection) to hand Neo a clipboard to sign. This framing, planned in advance, therefore not only establishes Neo, it also is set up to emphasize the transaction between the man and Neo. The next scene shows the end of the transaction between the two, a handoff of a FedEx envelope. Always, the camera relies on the rule of thirds to frame the characters. As the delivery man walks out from the cubicle, the camera changes to a MS shot of Neo, holding the letter. The camera pans slightly to the right to compensate for the departure of the delivery man, then falls back to the generic model of rule of thirds (FIG 1). The shot remains this way until the envelope is opened. At that time, the camera changes from an entirely objective point of view to Neo's subjective perspective. The moment the phone begins to ring, the camera switches again, this time to an objective view. The camera frames the phone in focus and Neo's face out of focus, and the shot is taken from beneath both the phone and Neo's face. This is a very powerful shot, as it introduces the phone, and it also introduces new shot composition for the remainder of the sequence.
FIG 1
Until this point, the shots had remained fluid, and were actually very lengthy, from 5-7 seconds in duration. This serves a purpose of establishing the character and doing so in a nonchalant way. Upon the appearance of the phone, this dynamic changes, with more fast-paced cuts and more close-ups of Neo. In the shot following Neo's answering of the phone, the camera begins to be entirely responsive to the character's actions. The slight dip or raise of the head is accented by the motion of the camera that matches that action. When Neo lowers his head to speak to the man on the phone, (crouching beneath the desk) the camera follows him to that position, eventually (again) framing him according to the rules of thirds. Ok, I lied, this shot is very long, as Morpheus explains that "they are coming for you" but this rhythm will change quickly. The tactic of maintaining the shot for this long could be to attribute a sense of emotional connection between Neo and the audience. The audience is steeped in anticipation due to the long shot, and
FIG 2
Morpheus's audio cues are recognized instead of any other potential visual cues. This bond between Neo and the viewer continues when he raises his head to confirm what Morpheus warned. In this shot, the camera perspective becomes subjective, taking Neo's POV and focusing on Mr. Anderson. Then, a very quick reaction shot from Neo, and a fast cut to the original cubicle shot, except this time the camera is much less fluid. As Mr. Anderson walks down the hall, the shot is maintained from a low perspective, which lends a feeling of power and supremacy to Mr. Anderson's demeanor. This is contrasted to the next shot of Neo, taken from a higher angle, which makes Neo seems small, vulnerable, and insignificant. When Neo scurries from one cubicle to the next, the camera is placed at his level, but since he is crouched down, when Mr. Anderson appears Neo still seems small. This use of camera placement (FIG 2) is used in several of the following scenes: always to make Mr. Anderson seem powerful. Several of the following scenes continue in this pattern, emphasizing Neo's crouched position until he gets to the office and sees the scaffold. The camera then follows Neo in a very fluid, long shot. The camera continues to pan and keep Neo in a tight CU.
FIG 3
When Neo steps out from the building, the camera follows him fluidly and maintains a CU with his face, until Neo looks down. The shot does not change here, apart from panning downwards to reveal the edge of the building FIG 3. When Neo drops the phone, it continues to be his from his subjective POV, linking his despair for the loss of the phone to a similar emotion in the audience. Then, the camera cuts, revealing Neo in the custody of Mr. Anderson. He has failed to go home early.
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