Camera Shots in a Show

I am a lover of medical drama shows. One show that I watched this past year was The Good Doctor. It is about an autistic, savant surgeon who must face the prejudice and challenf=ges that come with being different in his field. As season 2 is coming soon, I decided it would be really nice to rewatch the pilot of the first season.

The opening scene depicts Shaun, the main character, leaving his house in Cheyenne, Wyoming to go to San Jose Bonaventure Hospital, where he will be taking up his residency. This Establishing Shot sets the scenery of which Shaun is leaving behind. You are able to see Shaun, the entire front of the house, and the mountains in the back, giving a clear view of the surroundings.

This shot of the bus leaving town is a High Angle Shot. By viewing the bus leaving through a birds-eye-view, you feel almost omniscient and continue to feel the ever-growing distance between yourself and the bus as it drives off farther and farther away.

This Over-the-Shoulder Shot creates a feeling of intimacy between the camera (the audience) and the action at hand. it is as if you the viewer are at the scene and you are a passerby curious as to what is occurring. This scene takes place at the airport where a major accident has occurred, therefore it feels very natural for the shot to take on the role of an onlooker.

 

This Choker Shot allows the viewer to clearly depict the mix o emotions on the woman's face. She is waiting in awe and utter worry as her son is being operated on, on the floor of the airport. By isolating the face, emotion becomes the center of attention and the viewer is much more likely to sympathize or even empathize with the character.

The Close-up of Shaun's gloved hands shows the audience clearly that despite the unconventional area in which Shaun has to operate, he still holds true to the safety precautions that surgeons and doctors take in order to operate. The concentration on the gloves also shows how gloves are a trademark symbol of a professional, especially a doctor. 

This clip of a Cutaway shot is integral in order to gain the perspectives of each character in the scene. The camera cuts away from the main action, which is the President of San Jose Bonaventure Hospital addressing the board, to the reactions of his constituents. It is more effective for the camera to cut away to each person or group of persons, rather than have the entirety of the board on display, where the attention of the audience is not central at a certain point in time.

I consider this an interesting take on an Extreme Close-up Shot. Although the camera is not completely focused on a very small aspect, the shot depicts what veins and arteries would look like under a person's arm. A camera would not be able to actually see the veins under a person's arm in real life, so the graphic serves to demonstrate the anatomy of the patient. This show visualizes the thoughts of Shaun, the autistic surgeon. He is able to recall the exact anatomy and diagnoses of patients with pain-staking precision by visualizing the physical features. It is an incredible asset to the show.