Children of Men Coffee Shop Scene

In “Children of Men” (2006) they use a subjective camera, we become an observer in the film. As the scene opens up, in a medium close-up (MCU), we see a group of people watching the breaking news of the death of the world’s youngest person. Theo doesn’t stop and watch, instead opting to buy his coffee and leave. As he leaves, the cameraman follows him out into the street with a hand-held camera, giving the viewers the feeling that it is realistic. It is as if we are actually a person within the coffee shop who is leaving. Theo pours hard liquor into his coffee; the camera goes past him, looking across the street, and then back towards Theo. The handheld camera gives the impression of someone walking. When the bomb goes off in the coffee shop, the camera moves unsteadily, once again, giving us a feel of a realistic reaction. The handheld camera then stumbles ahead, as if we are trying to see if anyone has lived through the explosion. I think the cinematographer made excellent choices to set the seriousness and hopelessness tone for the movie.

Barnhill, T. (2009). Placing the Viewer Within Children of Men. Associated Content from Yahoo. Retrieved from: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2204739/placing_the_viewer_within_children.html?cat=2

Children of Men. (2006). Café Bomb Blast. MovieClips, Inc. Retrieved from: http://movieclips.com/tivhP-children-of-men-movie-cafe-bomb-blast/0/98.545

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2011). Film: From Watching to Seeing. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. https://content.ashford.edu