Spielberg has often spoken of his desire to include the audience in his films; it’s been one of his key goals ever since he felt let down by the unreality of watching The Greatest Show On Earth when he was a child.

The Alex Kintner death scene in Jaws is a very good example of Spielberg’s ability to draw the audience into his film by using carefully thought-out camera angles to place the audience in the same position as the helpless, onlooking Brody.

Another wonderful example can be seen in The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.

The chase for the Unicorn has taken Tintin, Haddock and Snowy to Bagghar, where the villanous Sakharine is enjoying a party thrown by Prince Omar Ben Salaad. Popular opera singer Bianca Castafiore is the entertainment.

Spielberg establishes early in the scene that the replica Unicorn ship Tintin and Sakharine are after is concealed in an unbreakable glass case. Sakharine will do anything to get the ship and the scroll concealed inside it, but what’s his plan?

Spielberg gives us an advantage over Tintin by letting us know: Sakharine means to destroy the case by having Castafiore sing a note so high it shatters the glass.

He lets us know by repeatedly referring to glass throughout the scene. We see the audience watching the show through binoculars and witness Castafiore reflected in both Sakharine and Salaad’s eye-glasses.

Tintin remains oblivious to what will happen and the tension builds. Will he work out what we’ve worked out? Will he stop Sakharine’s plan in time?

He doesn’t. Castafiore hits her high note, the glass shatters and Sakharine sends a trained bird across the courtyard to seize the scroll.

The audience is payed off for their patience with a spectacular 3D shot of the shattered glass and then a breathless chase through the streets of Bagghar.

This scene is a great example of how Spielberg uses subtle camers angles and clever signifiers to involve the audience and ultimately make their viewing experience more enjoyable.