Nearly all camera movement occurs briefly in takes up to several minutes long. The few pans in this film generally sweep from one axis to another, from one familiar tableau to the next. Furthermore, in City of Sadness the camera position moves in the course of a shot only once: a slow lateral tracking shot when an old woman arrives at a meeting to mediate an dispute. The slow truck splits a long take into two distinct tableaux (a hallway and a meeting room, B 3:55-5:05). Finally, camera movement is motivated by the actions of characters, so that despite this constant reframing Hou's films contain an overwhelming sense of stillness. This stylistic effect greatly empowers Hou's thematic use of still photography, which we discuss elsewhere. In fact, the style of the film is actually identified with still photography. The only point of view shots in the film are connected to the look of Wen-ching's camera, for example when he shoots a going away photograph of a teacher and his students (A 11:18- 11:53).
