Goodfella's Tracking Shot
Dublin Core
Title
Goodfella's Tracking Shot
Subject
Motion
Description
This image is a still from the most famous scene in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas. This scene is when Henry Hill takes his date through the back of the Copacabana nightclub to their table, bypassing the long line in the front of the club. According to the film's producer, Irwin Winkler, the scene "was a way to have Henry Hill not only impress his date, Karen, but to show the audience why the world of Goodfellas was so attractive and glamorous."
I consider this scene to be a good example of motion because it is what's called a tracking shot. The scene was one long, continuous take that snaked through an entire night club as though you, too, were following Hill and his date. Scorsese could have broken up the shot, but he didn't to purposefully convey the allure of being mobbed up at that time. The Copa shot was neat because the audience was literally dropped in the middle of the action, and were expected to flow along.
I consider this scene to be a good example of motion because it is what's called a tracking shot. The scene was one long, continuous take that snaked through an entire night club as though you, too, were following Hill and his date. Scorsese could have broken up the shot, but he didn't to purposefully convey the allure of being mobbed up at that time. The Copa shot was neat because the audience was literally dropped in the middle of the action, and were expected to flow along.
Creator
Martin Scorsese
Publisher
Liz Risko
Date
02/09/20
Files
Collection
Citation
Martin Scorsese , “Goodfella's Tracking Shot,” COM/ENG 395, accessed January 19, 2025, https://com395.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/items/show/110.