Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Over my Feburary break, I watched the movie “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”.   The movie uses a good amount of film techniques that we have learned about in class.  A lot of them can be seen during the infamous ’79 Camaro crash scene.  During the scene, Jeff Spicoli is driving the star football player’s , Charles Jefferson, ’79 Camaro with Jefferson’s younger brother.  A song called “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” by Sammy Hagar is playing in the background during the scene.  Right before Spicoli crashes the Camaro, a lyric is sung that says “…my friend just got busted”, helping to foreshadowing that something bad was just about to happen.  Right before Spicoli crashes the car, a match cut is used when Spicoli almost hits a car.  The match cut shows the car that he is just about to hit and Spicoli’s face.  This helps to make the viewer feel that they are actually the one that is driving.  When the car crashes into the construction side to the side of the road, the scene is slowed down a bit to help build intensity.   Panning is also used and another match cut is used. This time using Spicoli’s face and what he is seeing during the crash.