Detailed shot analysis of Citizen Kane in first 10 mins

At the beginning of film, it stopped in a big sign of no passing for seconds and pan up to barbed wire in a very slow speed. Then dissolved into another barbed wire, after that, it dissolved again into a cage with two monkeys.

Dissolved into water which is the mirror of the castles. It may giving the background to audiences.

Dissolved again into a scene that the lamp of the room closed suddenly, it may showing us the horror atmosphere.

Then cut to a scene which is looked like snowing outside the window, then a man appeared, the glass ball fell to the ground from his hand and broken. Then he said a word.

A lady come into the room and walked out of the camera, then changed to a close shot that the lady moving the man’s hand together and cover his face by the white duvet. The camera was panning to the direction that followed the duvet. The picture remained some space from the lady’s head to the right side. Then dip to black.

News on the March appeared, the film used words in white to introduce the basic info first, then dissolved many castles and buildings together so as to introducing the background of the year. And many establishing shots used in introducing the legends.

Using full shot to introduce the people were relaxing themselves on the loungers. Long shot to the desert and full shot to the worker’s working area and the what they were doing.

Using the medium shot to introduce the people were working on the street, factories, boats, etc.

Using the full shot to shoot the animals inside the wire, using the medium shot to shoot the elephant which was lifting up.

Giving a full shot to the big ground with pools, trees and people.

Changing the shots directly in introducing the pharaoh after a lot of dissolves then ended at a pond which was used as a mirror to shoot the inverted image of the buildings.

Using the full shot to shoot the castle that the people raising the cart out of the door. It seems like the giant funeral. Then changed directly to a close-up shot of the man’s portrait.

Then zoom out to the newspaper and stopped for seconds. And exchanged a lot of foreign newspaper with the same context, it may show that the news was widely spreaded to the world.

Introducing the beginning of setting up the company by shooting the old building in medium shot. Then changed to an animation that the signal was sending from points that means the newspaper was widely spreaded and controlled the whole America.

Changing the shots quickly that introducing the stages and process of Kane setting up the company.

Then gave a shot to the castle in full shot and changed into an indoor scene that many people having meeting together in medium shot then full shot.

Then changed to a man who is surrounded by others is reading a letter with nervous on his face in medium shot.

Shots changed to a long shot which is shooting the square with a lot of people attending the giant funeral.

The shot was panning from people to the man who was announcing. Than gave the close-up shot on the man.

Then inserted some shots about Kane was announcing about his words from full shot to mid shot.

The shots of cemetery, burning Karn’s name, etc. so as to introducing the background of the Karn’s era.

When talking about the newspaper, the shot was given to the factory was producing the amount of newspaper with moving shot.

From the black, the words told us it is the time to introduce the private life of Karn. Then changed directly to his wedding, he was walking with a bride, shooted in medium shot.