This scene from All the President's Men is meant to show the importance of what the woman is about to tell the reporters. It does this through its editing patterns, lenses and the clever use of sound and dialogue. .
As the scene opens there is a stationary camera located at the top of the stairs of the porch where the women is sitting. As the two men walk into the frame from the left, they are shot at a level that is slightly over their head. This camera level gives the viewer a perception like that of the woman on the porch that is looking at the men approach her house. The scene switches from a shot/reverse shot of them talking, as each of them say their lines. Both the men and the lady are shot with a medium lens. As the men walk up the steps the camera is positioned on the lady and it stays there until the men sit down. This allows the viewer to see the reaction on the lady's face as the men help themselves to a seat on the railing. As the men sit down, the camera pans to the right and reframes the two men so they are the only one in the frame. The men begin to talk and she responds, there is an eye line match between the men and the woman sitting at her table. Even though she is out of the frame, they are looking in the direction where the viewer knows the woman is sitting off screen. .
The director cuts several times back and forth between the two men and the woman as they each say their particular dialogue. As the woman says, "They will see you- the lens is a medium shot. It is only after they get down to business and the woman says, "A joke they are making down at finance- that the lens is changed to a medium close up. This change in camera lens makes the viewer focus on the woman and men more because what they are saying is of significance to what they are investigating and not just her worrying about whether they have been seen or not. .
The sound in the background of the scene consists of birds chirping and cars riding by the house.
