Ok, so I was looking through Mickās last scene in 12.17 but I got distracted by the blocking... and Homeward Bound. I also still have to rewatch 12.18 again to finish that post, but @obsessionisaperfume talked about 9.06 and it intrigued me to have a look again since it does heavily remind me of the current arc with Cas. Itās also on Netflix so yay not dealing with ads. I had used this lens before but actually writing it down showed some interesting patterns. Have 3 scenes from 9.06 with Cas and Dean annotated with editing.
As before, bold text doesnāt necessarily mean important, it just means coverage. Not in coverage is a reaction shot. Iāll note inserts of other things but Ā there really arenāt many. These scenes are all pretty focused.
Some notes about these scenes: There is a lot of OTS (over the shoulder). This shot is often used to show connection and closeness. Having a character in 2D space OTS minimizes the space between the characters in the shot. It also builds a connection and sense of space. Some of these shots could be considered a 2 shot, but they sort of osculate between 2 shot and OTS.
Both denote connection, the 2 shot says that whatās happening from both characters is important.(unless the focus is the environment or space. You can usually tell which is being used when in practice) In western film, if the shot is close, the subject is important, if the subject is far, the environment or space is important. People generally take a more individualistic approach in western cinema, so if someone is in the shot with another character, it probably means something. It could mean that whatever is happening affects both of them, or it could mean that they are the only couple in the crowd. It depends on the narrative.
Scenes below with notes:
1) [2 shot mid, profile] CASTIEL
Good day, ma'am.
[mid-close OTS] (CASTIEL gives her an emphatic thumbs-up, and says very intensely:)
And good luck!
[Technically 2 shot, focus shifts from customer to Dean]
[Quick insert of mid-close Cas for reaction]
DEAN
I'll have some beef jerky and a pack of menthols.
[Camera lingers on Dean]
[Mid close]CASTIEL
...What are you doing here?
[OTS mid close] DEAN
Gee, it's nice to see you, too, Cas.
[OTS mid close]CASTIEL
It's ā¦ Steve now. (gesturing towards his employee name tag) And... uh, you surprised me.
[OTS mid close]DEAN
Well, the feeling is mutual. I mean, I knew you had to lay low from the angel threat, but, uh, wow. This is some cover.
[OTS mid close on Cas, he crosses behind the register. The camera settles in an OTS pos]
[OTS mid on Dean, cuts to OTS mid close on Casā coverage. Casā profile can be seen during Deanās coverage.]
CASTIEL
My Grace is gone. What did you expect? Do you have any idea how hard it was? When I fell to earth, I didn't just lose my powers. [cuts to OTS mid close on Dean] I ā
Ā [cuts back to OTS mid close on Cas] I had nothing. Now... I'm a sales associate.
[OTS mid] DEAN
A sales associate?
The beer delivery guy hands "Steve" a clipboard from out of frame. Cas reaches for before Dean can continue.
[Hand into frame] DELIVERY GUY
Hey, Steve. Sign here?
[Mid 2 shot of Dean and Cas across from each other in profile with the counter between them. Delivery guy partially obstructs our sightline of Dean. Dean is not pleased with his blocking being blocked.
CASTIEL takes the clipboard and signs it, continuing to speak to DEAN.
[OTS close mid] CASTIEL
I'm responsible for inventory, sales, customer service. I keep this place ā (he hands the clip board to the delivery guy, who says "Thank you" and leaves) ā Thank YOU (to the delivery guy) ā clean and presentable. And when my manager's busy, I even prepare the food.
[OTS close mid] DEAN
Wow. So you went from fighting ā¦ heavenly battles to nuking taquitos?
[OTS close mid] CASTIEL (nodding)
Nachos too.
Scene.
^Notes about the scene above:
The shots make the characters seem a lot closer to each other except when it pulls back to the master and a couple of high angle OTS shots.
Dean and Cas being interrupted by the delivery guy is interesting. It kind of shows a sudden amount of space between them from what was a series of very close shots in 2D space.
The dialogue thatās given importance when itās on coverage is generally regarding Casā job and humanity. Off coverage is reaction shots mostly. This editor seems to mostly cut around dialogue, or cut like mad. Check this out:
CAS: What are you doing here?
DEAN: Gee, it's nice to see you, too, Cas.
CAS: It's ā¦ Steve now. you surprised me.
DEAN: low from the angel threat, but, uh, wow. This is some cover.
CAS: how hard it was? When I fell to earth, I didn't just lose my powers. I had nothing. Now... I'm a sales associate.
DEAN: A sales associate?
CAS: I keep this place ā Thank YOU ā clean. I even prepare the food.
DEAN: Wow. So you went from - Ā to nuking taquitos?
CAS: Nachos too.
----Interesting. Next!
2) Cas walks out of the Gas n Sip storage room [Master tracking mid 2 shot, follows Cas], Cas is annoyed.
DEAN: This is not you man, you are above this. Cāmon!
CASTIEL: No Dean, Iām not.
[Ots Close] CASTIEL (cont.) I failed at being an angel... everything I ever attempted came out wrong. But here, at least I have a shot of getting things right.
[OTS close 2 shot, Dean in focus] Castiel (cont.) I guess you canāt see it, but... thereās a real [back to Casā ots close] dignity in what I do. A human dignity.
[OS to 3 shot mid wide] NORA: I hate to interrupt you guys but Steve, a customer had an accident in the menās room.
[OTS mid 2 shot of Dean and Cas] CASTIEL: Iām on it.
[CAS OTS mid] NORA: Oh, and tonight. 7 at my place work for you?
[Back to the Dean/Cas OTS mid 2 shot] CASTIEL: Great.
[Close mid] NORA: Youāre the best.
[Mop OTS mid 2 shot] DEAN: Thatās what this i-[cuts to OTS close when he looks to Cas] -s about.
(Agh, the way Dean looks during this part of the scene is really similar to how he looks in the diner in 12.12 during his āsupportā there too)
[OTS mid close] CASTIEL: What?
[OTS mid close] DEAN: A girl.
[OTS mid close] CASTIEL: No, Dean. Itās not. Nora... Sheās a very nice woman. [shot cuts to include more of Cas and a closer shot of Dean] Iām pretty sure sheās not a reaper intent on killing me... and sheās asked me out. Going on dates is something humans do right?
[CU Deanās focus with Cas in profile] DEAN: Yeah, I mean my dates usually end when I run out of singles but yeah.. itās something that.. humans do.
(Deanās phone starts to ring)
[Master tracking mid 2 shot, follows Dean] DEAN: This is agent Lee Ermey. Iāll be right there.
[2 shot, Deanās focus, Close mid CAS] DEAN: Thereās another kill. Up at the highschool. You coming?
[OTS Close mid] I wouldnāt be much use, and I donāt have my powers.
[Deanās focus mid close with close Casā profile] DEAN: So? Iāve never had powers.
[OTS mid close] CASTIEL: You are a hunter.
[Deanās focus mid close with close Casā profile] DEAN: Youāre a hunter in training, remember?
CASTIEL: Yeah, I remember. [cut to OTS mid close] you said I sucked.
[2 shot mid Deanās focus, mid close Cas] DEAN: I didnāt say that. I said that there was uh, uh... you know, room for improvement. Come on!
[Master OTS 2 shot mid Cas focus] CASTIEL: *sigh* alright, my shifts over in 5 mins and my dateās not until later so..
[OTS mid close] DEAN: That a boy. Iāll go get the car. (pats Cas on the arm)
CASTIEL: Not just yet.
[OTS mid close] CASTIEL: I have to clean the bathroom.
Scene.
Some notes: Again, coverage dialogue involves stuff regarding humans and dignity.
This sceneās closest shots are of Dean when he decides Nora is the reason for Casā dignity. Dean is not pleased about it. It really reminded me of the diner scene in 12.12. Seriously, watch those scenes back to back, itās freaky.
The mop gets a OTS mid wide 2 shot... Cas has a connection to the mop... Damnit director.
Cas and Dean sort of have their own space throughout the scene. We enter their āspaceā by following Casā track. We exit it briefly following Deanās track when he gets the call. He goes back and we end the scene in the space but Cas exits it.
-----Onward!
3) [Wide of the Impala] DEAN: Cas.
[OTS mid. Most of Dean can be seen with Cas. Cas focus] DEAN: Wait.
[OTS close] DEAN: I canāt let you do this.
[OTS mid close] CASTIEL: What?
[OTS close] DEAN: Youāre gonna wear that on a date?
[OTS mid close] CASTIEL: This is all I have, Dean.
[OTS mid. Most of Cas can be seen with Dean focus] DEAN: Okay. Uh.. lose the vest.
[Mid close, 2 shot, Cas focus] CASTIEL: Ā What are you-?
[Focus shifts to Dean at the end of his line] DEAN: Lose the vest. Come on.
[Mid close on Cas. Heās taking the vest off] DEAN: Thatās a little better. Alright.
[OTS close] DEAN: And now your buttons. Why donāt you unbutton it?
Insert Mid of Cas undoing the buttons.
[OTS close] DEAN: Okay. That- thatās far enough, Tony Manero.
[OTS close] DEAN: Uh.. Yeah. Good. All right. Listen to me.
[OTS mid close] DEAN: Always open the door for her, okay?
[OTS mid with Casā profile] DEAN: Ask a lot of questions. They like that. And uh.. oh, if she says sheās happy to go Dutch? Sheās lying.
[OTS mid close] DEAN: All right?
[OTS mid with Casā profile] Go get āem, Tiger.
The focus shifts from Dean to Cas and back to Dean. We can see Dean watching Cas leave.
Cas steps out of the Impala with Dean still watching. Dean watches the rest of the scene play out and gives Cas encouragement.
Cas approaches the house intercut with Deanās PoV. We get a close shot of Dean watching him.
Heh, Dean tries to leave after being waved off but a truck with the brown and cream motif Casā current truck has, blocks him.
Scene.
^Ok, that scene there. Serious 11.23 vibes. Like, I had them before but man. I just watched the scene 4 times and agh. Dean even handles it more or less the same way. He leads in, and then backtracks. That was a long ass pause, and yeah, it may have been a joke, but there are only so many close shots you wanna doll out in a scene. These are the only close shots. All of them have coverage dialogue except the last one:
[OTS close] DEAN: I canāt let you do this.
[OTS close] Youāre gonna wear that on a date?
[OTS close] DEAN: And now your buttons. Why donāt you unbutton-
[OTS close] DEAN: Uh.. Yeah. Good. All right. Listen to me.
[OTS close] DEAN: Tony Manero.
Close of Dean watching Cas approach the house.
By the way, that last one? It probably wouldnāt exist if it didnāt mean something. If there wasnāt some reason to show that close up, they probably wouldnāt have. They likely have tons of footage from different setups of that scene. They chose that shot. Why?
Actually, this entire episode feels that way. Especially that scene. Scenes are supposed to go through a -/+ emotional change or a +/- change. So.. what changed in the scene emotionally? What purpose did it serve in the ep overall? In the arc overall? What purpose did this ep serve?
Obviously, I canāt really know about the intent for any of this, but it really seems like Dean has a thing for Cas and vise versa by the editing. Not only that, but this ep is just saturated with romance film tropes.
Some of s12 really feels like an exploration of some of the concepts of this ep. Not sure if intentional, but itās sure there.
Oh, and @obsessionisaperfume, if you wanted different scenes, just let me know.
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