Free Video Lessons for Descriptive Writing
Recommended structure for Cinematic Descriptions
This is a structure you can use to help you shape your cinematic structure for descriptions.
- Zoom out – long shot: describe the whole scene in detail and mention something that you will return to at the end of your description.
- Zoom in: pick one detail, make it symbolic, and describe it in depth. This could be a good opportunity for an extended metaphor.
- Change perspective: imagine the scene through the eyes of somebody who is there – what are they feeling?
- Zoom in again: pick another symbolic detail to describe in depth. Pick something contrasting to your earlier symbol.
- Emotional ending: finally circle back to something mentioned in your opening paragraph, highlighting the emotional atmosphere.
A* model description with a cinematic structure for IGCSE English
In this description, the writer critiques the vast inequality in wealth and lifestyle in New York City.
The View from the Other Side
Lights up on dazzling New York City, the Big Apple, the City that Never Sleeps, where Fat Cats prowl and ingénues seek fame, glory or money – whichever comes first. Pan out and see skyscrapers climbing into the heavens, their facades adorned with glimmering glass and steel, like modern-day castles touching the clouds. Each one vies for attention, a dazzling display of architectural prowess, creating a mesmerizing urban landscape that ignites the imagination. And perhaps if we can zoom in close enough, we might see a solitary face peering out from the top of the tallest skyscraper, looking down, casting judgement or rolling his eyes with an apathetic sigh. For what happens below is nothing to be proud of.
In a dizzying spin, we freefall from the lofty heights of those privileged few and come to a sharp halt on the gum-spattered ground. Quick – load in a new reel of film. And action! Pan across the street, through the toned legs sporting Manolo Blahniks and leather suitcases, and there! Do you see? Huddled into a doorway sits a beggar – is that acceptable to say anymore? Oh, homeless. And – retake. Huddled into a doorway sits a homeless man, burrowed deep into his green overcoat on this brisk day in January. Weariness is etched into every line of his face, deep crags and gullies. Each wrinkle aches with struggle and hardship. And there – that’s it! Freeze frame: the man’s hand outstretched, trembling, weathered and calloused. Out of focus is a sea of bustling bodies, smooth skin, and purpose, whilst the man is the very picture of uncertainty – a question. Can you help me? Will you help me? Can you see me?
And now a jump cut to a point-of-view shot. Yes, get down, get close. To his eye level. Oh, stop moaning; this is cinema, darling. Can you see what he sees? Luxury cars zooming by, their owners carelessly talking on the phone, their eyes unfocused; the sticky hands of a seven-year-old girl gripping an iPhone; and his own rumpled reflection peering back at him from the window of a pristine and sparkling shopfront. He averts his eyes. He does not want to see himself. And so he instead fixes his eyes upon the sky. Earlier on, it had been bitterly cold but bright, dry (the most important word to someone in his position). But now thick, rolling clouds, like chariots of darkness, were barreling in from the west, their brooding presence casting a heavy shadow over the city, threatening to unleash a torrent at any moment. Perhaps he’s thinking of those dry and safe in their Teslas, little seven-year-old girls with homes to shelter in tonight, shop windows that will soon be pummeled by rain unleashed from menacing clouds above. Or perhaps he thinks nothing at all… I don’t know. We can add his thoughts during post-production.
Pan out to a long shot and in the midground, encircled by blackening clouds, the Statue of Liberty stands steadfast. Move to a medium shot. Perfect. Her torch seems to flicker as dark clouds gather overhead, challenging the tempest and the turmoil that looms on the horizon. Her noble face, once a beacon of hope and compassion, bears a sombre expression, as if she mourns the deepening disparities plaguing the city she watches. (Perhaps now is a good time to cue some incidental music?) As the storm strengthens, the Statue of Liberty becomes a solitary figure amidst the tempest, a lone sentinel watching over a city that teeters on indifferent to its moral precipice.
The clouds are like coal when the first fat raindrops fall upon the ground, soaking the homeless man from crown to toe. Others scatter, but he stays; he has nowhere else to go. Credits roll as the scene fades to black: the man at the top of the skyscraper shuts his blinds, disgusted by the view outside; the Tesla speeds away; the little girl is dragged into a taxi by her father; Manolo Blanik-clad women rush into cocktail bars to pay 15 dollars a drink while they wait out the storm; and our nameless, faceless man’s eyes meet the lens of our camera. A challenge, another question: do you like what you see?
Unpicking Cinematic Structure for Descriptions
Cinematic structure in IGCSE English descriptive writing
Cinematic structure, when applied to descriptive writing, refers to the organisation and presentation of descriptive elements in a manner that mimics the way scenes are composed and edited in films. It involves using vivid and sensory-rich language to create a mental image for the reader, much like a camera captures and frames scenes in a movie.
How does the exemplar use a cinematic structure?
- Establishing shot: The opening sentence sets the scene with the phrase “Lights up on dazzling New York City,” akin to an establishing shot in a film, providing an initial visual and atmospheric context to the description as a whole. The language of “lights up” similarly evokes the beginning of a performance on a film set. Initially, this may appear to be glamorous but as the description continues, the reader comes to see that New York is superficial, performative, and more concerned with wealth than individual wellbeing.
- Zooming in and panning across: The text zooms in and out of various aspects of the cityscape. It starts with a panoramic view of the skyscrapers, describing their grandeur. Then, it zooms in on a solitary face on top of a skyscraper before transitioning to street-level descriptions of a homeless man. Later, the description pans across to describe the variety of people seen on the streets of New York City. This creates a sense of dynamic movement, much like a film, as well as mirroring the hectic streets of the city itself.
- Film terminology: The text uses terms like “Pan out,” “Zoom in,” “Credits roll” and “Freeze frame” to call to mind techniques used in the film industry, almost placing the reader in the role of the director. This makes the final line (“Do you like what you see?”) all the more effective, as the reader begins to feel guilt for being complicit in the “production” of the text.
- Point of View (POV): The description shifts to a point-of-view shot when describing what the homeless man sees, inviting the reader to see through his eyes and experience his perspective. This allows the reader to see the vast disparity of the-haves and the-have-nots in New York City, as well as create empathy for the homeless man.
- Pacing and Timing: The pacing varies throughout the text, slowing down to capture details and emotions and speeding up during transitions, mimicking the rhythm of a film.
- Credits Roll: The concluding section subverts the reader’s expectations. Usually a film is concluded neatly, with the credits rolling signifying a sense of closure. In the final paragraph of this description, however, the reader is left unsettled. Nothing has been settled; the homeless man is still on the street in the rain; the director/narrator never intervenes; and with the homeless man’s eyes “meet[ing] the lens of our camera”, the reader is actively challenged about their role in society. This mimics a technique in film making, called breaking the fourth wall, in which an actor looks into the camera, directly at the viewer. The effect is much the same here: to make the reader feel uncomfortably seen.
More model exemplars for First Language English IGCSE
- Five-paragraph structure – a description of cherry blossom season in Japan
- Exemplar with an extended metaphor – a description of a British town after being bombed in WWII
Watch my free description video lesson, download the resources and take the quiz
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- 50 minute video lesson with subtitles
- A* exemplar for descriptive writing, looking at cherry blossom season in Japan
- Inspiration videos and pictures for your own writing
- Worksheet with a planning sheet
- PowerPoint
- Revision quizzes for descriptions and vocabulary
