Table 1.1: As the World Turns Scene Découpage

On the 1 February 2008 As the World Turns episode, a 91-second scene between Katie (Terri Colombino) and Brad (Austin Peck) begins the fourth act, at approximately 30 minutes into the broadcast. It contains 20 shots, with an average shot length of 4.55 seconds and a median shot length of 3 seconds. The setting is Al’s Diner, where Brad is attempting to propose to Katie.

Shot Number, Scale & Length Figure Dialogue Action/Camera movement
1
long shot
3 secs.
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Figure 1.1
Katie: The backdoor’s locked, too. We’re trapped. Fade in (from the commercial break). Camera zooms back to a long shot as Katie enters the diner.
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Figure 1.2
   
2
medium close-up
3 secs.
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Figure 1.3
Brad: Maybe it’s a sign that this was meant to be.
Katie: No, it’s a sign...
 
3
longshot
3 secs.
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Figure 1.4
Katie: ...that my friends are out to get me.  
4
medium close-up
5 secs.
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Figure 1.5
Brad: Our dinner may have been ruined, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have dessert.  
5
medium close-up
3 secs.
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Figure 1.6
Katie: I’m not really in the mood.  
6
medium close-up
1 sec.
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Figure 1.7
Brad: It’s your favorite.  
7
medium close-up
3 secs.
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Figure 1.8
Katie: Oh, that’s not fair. [Music begins.] Promotional announcement chromakeyed over the lower fifth of the frame: “You’re watching AS THE WORLD TURNS. CSI:NY WEDNESDAY 10/9C.” Continues over shots 8-11.
8
medium close-up
2 secs.
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Figure 1.9
Brad: Strawberry cheesecake.  
9
medium close-up
3 secs.
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Figure 1.10
Katie: Oh, no, no, no... The good one, with the little chopped up strawberries?
Brad: Oh, yeah...
 
10
medium close-up
2 secs.
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Figure 1.11
Brad: ...yeah, just the way you like it.  
11
medium close-up
5 secs.
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Figure 1.12
Katie: Okay. We’re stuck here. We might as well enjoy ourselves.  
12
long shot
10 secs.
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Figure 1.13
Brad: Sit. Close your eyes. Katie walks off frame left. The camera zooms in to a medium shot of Brad. [reestablishing shot]
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Figure 1.14
   
13
medium shot
6 secs.
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Figure 1.15
Katie: Why? It’s not exactly a surprise.
Brad: Oh, yes, it is. Close your eyes. [Only full line spoken off camera.]
 
14
medium shot
11 secs.
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Figure 1.16
   
15
extreme close-up
4 secs.
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Figure 1.17
   
16
medium shot
14 secs.
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Figure 1.18
Brad: Okay. Brad hobbles out from behind the counter, because his foot is in a cast. Camera follows Brad.
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Figure 1.19
   
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Figure 1.20
   
17
medium shot
3 secs.
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Figure 1.21
Brad: Ta-da! Brad begins to sit.
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Figure 1.22
   
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Figure 1.23
   
18
long shot
2 secs.
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Figure 1.24
  Brad continues to sit.
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Figure 1.25
Katie: Ooh, that... Camera zooms out to reframe the two of them.
19
extreme close-up
5 secs.
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Figure 1.26
Katie: ... looks delicious. [Sighs] Camera starts on a tight shot of her fork, follows it up to a close-up of her face.
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Figure 1.27
   
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Figure 1.28
   
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Figure 1.29
   
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Figure 1.30
   
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Figure 1.31
   
20
medium close-up
4 secs.
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Figure 1.32
  [Cut to the first shot of the following scene.]
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Figure 1.33
   

THE AUTHOR

Jeremy Butler has written about television style for over thirty years, publishing in ScreenCinema JournalThe Journal of Popular Film and Video, and Jump Cut. His textbook, Television, contains the most comprehensive overview of style in television studies. He has taught television, film, and new media at the University of Alabama since 1980.

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Jeremy Butler
Professor Emeritus of TV and Film Studies
The University of Alabama
jgbutler@gmail.com
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