The image was taken in New York in 1929, and it shows the panicking crowds of Wall Street during the market crash that led the United States to Great Depression. Adjusted to the camera resolution, the shot can be applied as the establishing scene for a drama about the financial crisis’s influence on personal lives. The frame reveals place – New York, time – the first half of the twentieth century, tone – the moving people mixed with the cars would make it worrying. There is no clear identification of the protagonist or any relationships, however, the establishing scene shows that many people are affected by the event that develops the plot.
The photograph is taken as the full high angle shot, and in the movie, it can be filmed as the camera zooms to the building’s entrance, where the story will begin, and the main character will appear in the crowd. The upside corner perspective can highlight New York City’s setting: huge buildings and the streets’ dynamic. The moment when people burst from various places to that part of Wall Street would also reflect the drama and make the crowd wider than it seems as the angle of a building is in the center of the given shot.
Although the photo is black and white, the light can become a crucial descriptive detail in a movie’s establishing shot. The ambient sunlight can be shown at the beginning of the scene, and then it slowly disappears behind the building, making the setting rather dark. Such an appliance of light can evoke anxiety and prepare the audience for the drama. The sound is another element to enforce the tensions in the establishing scene. The volume of the noise in the crowded street and the automobiles can be increased within the zooming, and phrases like “we all are broke,” “our money value nothing” might be recognized. There is no need for the background music in the establishing shot because Wall Street’s ambient sounds are enough to reflect the movie’s mood.