Shots, Progressions &Angles in Donnie Darko

Film shots and progressions add to films by showing how characters are connected to others, their surroundings and their personal moods and feelings towards others. In the film Donnie Darko, the director uses a variety of shots and angles to show how Donnie interacts with other characters and his internal notions.
In the opening scene, the long shot or “orientation shot” pans the scenery and introduces the main character, Donnie, alone on a dirt road looking confused and portrays his isolation from the world. It also uses a “general to specific” approach by going from a long to a medium shot and finally a close up.



In another scene, the director uses a couple of ongoing medium shots to show interactions of Donnie and fellow schoolmates. It informs the audience of surroundings and introduces us to the other characters and relationships they have with one another.



There are many close ups of the main character Donnie, displaying his attitudes and feelings towards the outside world. These close ups show a variety of thoughts and emotions from madness to loneliness and insane curiosity.





Also, this extreme close up explains the key element of the film which helps us to understand the point of the plot. It displays Donnie Darko’s arm marked with the days, hours, seconds and minutes until the destruction of the universe.