Groundhog Day Assignment

Here is a listing of the morning shots in Groundhog Day, showing the clock change from 5:59 to 6:am and showing Phil's first few waking movements.

time shot effect
7m30s Standard third-screen shot of clock, slowly pans left and back to Phil in bed, pans right to follow Phil out of bed and to bathroom. ~60s. By spending time on this shot, viewers get time to notice all the recurring themes. Also, a leisurely take like this won't alert the viewers that something unusual is going on.
18m15s Same shot as 7m30s, very slightly closer in. ~60s. By using the same camera work, the fact that this morning is the same as the previous one is stressed. Each detail gets to be relived.
25m20s Clock numbers fill the screen; not even the white plastic casing shows. ~2s. Cut to Phil jerking upright in bed, unhappy, with no pan to the bathroom. ~20s. The stage is set and everyone knows that Phil is trapped. Close-up on the clock not only provides a more interesting cut from Phil's previous night in bed, but sets up the possibility for more variation in the morning scenes.
34m30s No clock at all! Shot of headstand of bed, which a waking Phil pops his head into. ~5s. Cut to Phil strutting to bathroom, panning right. ~12s. The pattern is set well enough that the clock is unneccessary.
38m40s Clock takes up 3/4 of screen height and extends out of frame horizontally. ~2s. Cut to Phil waking up. ~1s. Background music is not the usual music, but instead is the music that plays during the following scenes. Again, the pattern has been set to a point that the routine is unneccessary. At this point, Phil is having enough fun with his days that his dull morning routine is not worth showing. After this quick bit, the next few days are relived without even showing the morning scene.
57m25s Gigantic clock, fills screen, shot obliquely and from underneath in slow-motion. ~8s. Rising shot of Phil in bed. ~15s. No radio music, but just amplified sounds of the clock and Phil speaking. This shot makes Phil's routine seem incredibly oppressive. The return to showing the clock each morning also signals a change of mood from the earlier playfulness.
59m15s A series of morning shots:
Clock on desk filmed obliquely, knocked off table by Phil. ~5s.
Closer picture of clock numbers. ~3s. Clock on desk, same shot as the previous day but a bit wider, as Phil smashes it to bits. ~7s.
Even closer picture of clock numbers, so close that the digits are vertically cropped. ~2s. Shot of left half of clock on desk and Phil wakes and destroys clock. ~5s.
By repeatedly showing the same part of several days in a row, with each one getting successively more improbably violent, the morning routine becomes comic.
64m25s Slow fade-in to clock, so close that digits are cropped vertically. ~7s. Standard (initial) shot of Phil sitting up in bed. ~8s. The digits are plain and monolithic as they fade in over the most expensive and exciting stunt in the movie; it shows that Phil is utterly trapped.
74m50s Camera starts to the right of the clock and slowly pans left across it to Phil's face in bed, roughly level to his head (instead of being above it, as in the first two mornings), and then pans right at the usual rate to follow Phil to the bathroom. ~30s. This shot is almost an exact reverse of a shot from the previous evening, when Phil and Rita are in Phil's bedroom at 3:am. By repeating the camera movements, it builds an expectation that Rita will stay in the room, freeing Phil from his trap. This shot also focuses on Phil's sad face.
94m40s Fade-in from snowy scene to the plastic clock. ~6s. Cut to scene of room, filmed at same height and speed as the previous morning scene, which looks almost identical for the first eighteen seconds, and then Rita's arm reaches into the sceen. ~20s. Music is slightly different, but not so much that it is immediately obvious. By repeating the camera movements from the last time it was expected that Rita was in the room, the audience expects to see Phil sadly alone again. Suddenly, we see that Rita is in the bed! Setup and payoff!

time	shot	effect
7m30s	Standard third-screen shot of clock, slowly pans left and back to Phil in bed, pans right to follow Phil out of bed and to bathroom. ~60s.	By spending time on this shot, viewers get time to notice all the recurring themes. Also, a leisurely take like this won't alert the viewers that something unusual is going on.
18m15s	Same shot as 7m30s, very slightly closer in. ~60s.	By using the same camera work, the fact that this morning is the same as the previous one is stressed. Each detail gets to be relived.
25m20s	Clock numbers fill the screen; not even the white plastic casing shows. ~2s. Cut to Phil jerking upright in bed, unhappy, with no pan to the bathroom. ~20s.	The stage is set and everyone knows that Phil is trapped. Close-up on the clock not only provides a more interesting cut from Phil's previous night in bed, but sets up the possibility for more variation in the morning scenes.
34m30s	No clock at all! Shot of headstand of bed, which a waking Phil pops his head into. ~5s. Cut to Phil strutting to bathroom, panning right. ~12s.	The pattern is set well enough that the clock is unneccessary.
38m40s	Clock takes up 3/4 of screen height and extends out of frame horizontally. ~2s. Cut to Phil waking up. ~1s. Background music is not the usual music, but instead is the music that plays during the following scenes.	Again, the pattern has been set to a point that the routine is unneccessary. At this point, Phil is having enough fun with his days that his dull morning routine is not worth showing. After this quick bit, the next few days are relived without even showing the morning scene.
57m25s	Gigantic clock, fills screen, shot obliquely and from underneath in slow-motion. ~8s. Rising shot of Phil in bed. ~15s. No radio music, but just amplified sounds of the clock and Phil speaking.	This shot makes Phil's routine seem incredibly oppressive. The return to showing the clock each morning also signals a change of mood from the earlier playfulness.
59m15s	A series of morning shots: Clock on desk filmed obliquely, knocked off table by Phil. ~5s. Closer picture of clock numbers. ~3s. Clock on desk, same shot as the previous day but a bit wider, as Phil smashes it to bits. ~7s. Even closer picture of clock numbers, so close that the digits are vertically cropped. ~2s. Shot of left half of clock on desk and Phil wakes and destroys clock. ~5s.	By repeatedly showing the same part of several days in a row, with each one getting successively more improbably violent, the morning routine becomes comic.
64m25s	Slow fade-in to clock, so close that digits are cropped vertically. ~7s. Standard (initial) shot of Phil sitting up in bed. ~8s.	The digits are plain and monolithic as they fade in over the most expensive and exciting stunt in the movie; it shows that Phil is utterly trapped.
74m50s	Camera starts to the right of the clock and slowly pans left across it to Phil's face in bed, roughly level to his head (instead of being above it, as in the first two mornings), and then pans right at the usual rate to follow Phil to the bathroom. ~30s.	This shot is almost an exact reverse of a shot from the previous evening, when Phil and Rita are in Phil's bedroom at 3:am. By repeating the camera movements, it builds an expectation that Rita will stay in the room, freeing Phil from his trap. This shot also focuses on Phil's sad face.
94m40s	Fade-in from snowy scene to the plastic clock. ~6s. Cut to scene of room, filmed at same height and speed as the previous morning scene, which looks almost identical for the first eighteen seconds, and then Rita's arm reaches into the sceen. ~20s. Music is slightly different, but not so much that it is immediately obvious.	By repeating the camera movements from the last time it was expected that Rita was in the room, the audience expects to see Phil sadly alone again. Suddenly, we see that Rita is in the bed! Setup and payoff!

Brian Tivol (tivol@mit.edu)