Trunk Shot

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
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Usually deployed in any movie which involves a character placing or retrieving something in the trunk (boot, if you're using British English) of a car. POV will usually be from within the trunk looking up at the character opening it.

Popularised by Creator/QuentinTarantino who has a Trunk Shot in all of his films.

See PunkInTheTrunk for one of the ways this shot can be used. Distant relative of the HuddleShot.

Examples of Trunk Shot include:

Animated Films

Live Action Films

Live Action TV

  • In Supernatural, the Winchesters keep their weapons in the trunk, and so it represents their "family business." The last shot of the pilot is a dramatic trunk shot with the trunk slamming shut serving as a cut to black. Also an example of Book Ends, as season 2 ends with the exact same shot, and line/theme ("We've got work to do.").
  • My Mad Fat Diary uses this trope in its first episode, when Karim is first introduced.
  • It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia uses this trope in "Paddy's Pub: The Worst Bar in Philadelphia" Given the AccidentalKidnapping context, it may be an additional shout-out to Tartatino's films in general
  • Life on Mars: Gene Hunt does this to Sam Tyler at least once.
  • Monk: In "Mr. Monk and the Other Detective," Monk and Marty Eels look at the store manager's car and the camera shooting them from inside the trunk.
  • Pilot episode of The Streets of San Francisco (1972) contains one near the end of an episode, when Stone, Keller and Malone find a chest with victim's belongings.
  • Breaking Bad: In the ColdOpen for the Season 5 Premier, this shot is used as Walt looks at the M60 in his trunk.
  • The Walking Dead: Rick and Shane argue about their prisoner in their car.
  • In "And His Watch is Ended" of Game Of Thrones, Varys shows Tyrion a trapped sorcerer that is kept in a large box, bound and gagged, Varys and Tyrion are shown watching him from this angle, with part of the lid and the box visible.
  • Faking It does it in the season 2 premiere when Shane kidnaps Lauren's boyfriend Tommy.

Music

  • The music video for the Dixie Chicks' "Goodbye Earl" uses the trunk shot when the girls take Earl for dumping. It uses a similar shot (not in a trunk) earlier when Earl's on the floor dying of poison.
  • The page picture for the Grindcore group Pig Destroyer.
  • NWA's Straight Outta Compton's album cover.

Video Games