Picture a scene in which a character is staring at her hands as she kneels next to a body she’s just found in her kitchen. Your character can zoom in to a clue and see it close up, while doing a mental Pull Back upon realizing this clue has just solved the crime. This is the place the writer pulls plot elements together, giving a wider scope of understanding of the overall story being told. But Pull Backs are where the realization and understanding are shown. Yes, Close-ups can reveal important details and provide aha moments. Novelists wanting to use a figurative exclamation mark in a scene will do well to consider using this camera shot. Remember, Pull Backs are all about revelation and emotional reveal. Instead of just saying he gave up in frustration, LeCarré uses a Pull Back from the intimacy of the desk to show Woodrow moving along the shelves and with those last two words, leaves us knowing just how his character feels. In this short narrative we get the sense of all the insignificant things Woodrow encounters in his frantic search. Woodrow sidled swiftly along the last shelves, flipping open books at random, opening trinket boxes, acknowledging defeat. But no small single sheet of HM stationery Office blue, ending with the triumphant scrawl: “I love you, and I love you and I love you, Sandy.” A twist of ribbon, a wine cork, a bunch of diplomats’ calling cards held together with a bulldog clip. Others, more emphatically marked “never.” Old get-well card from Ghita Pearson, portraying Indian birds. Old invitations cards marked with a cross for “no” in Tessa’s hand.
We see him here rummaging through Justin’s office drawers. After Tessa’s death, Woodrow is desperate to find a letter he had sent her, fearful that Justin might stumble upon it. This scene shows Sandy Woodrow, a man who works with the protagonist Justin Quayle and who had secretly been hopelessly, secretly in love with Justin’s wife. Pull Backs are all about revelation and emotional punch. Here’s a brief example from The Constant Gardener-a scene beginning with a Close-Up, then pulling back briefly to make an emotional statement. Now see what you didn’t see before.” But Pull Backs do even more.
But whether you use it for just one or both purposes, A Pull Back always grabs the reader’s attention. What makes a Pull Back exceptionally powerful in a novel is the way it can work on two levels at the same time-literally and figuratively. When we pull our attention away from something particular or specific to something with a broader scope or a wider perspective, we in a sense do the same thing. When the camera pulls back and shows a wider scope in a scene, more is revealed. In continuation of last week’s post on using Pull Back shots in your novel, we’re going to look at a couple more facets to this very powerful and versatile shot.
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