This is a good example of an extreme close-up, from ‘Dawn of the planet of the apes’ (2014, by Matt Reeves). This shows the detailed and highly profiled facial features of the ape which uses an interesting array of colours and textures to make the audience feel slightly intimidated by the character. I think that this shot is so significant and effective because of how realistic the ape looks, knowing that this is CGI rather than makeup or prosthetics makes this shot look so much more interesting because of how realistic and life-like that the ape looks. This particular style of shot adds greatly to the idea of verisimilitude within the film because it enforces realism within the apes because of the high levels of detail shown. I think that this is a clever technique in intriguing the audience, especially since this shot was used for some editions of the movie poster, because it draws the audience into wanting to watch the movie because of how realistic the apes look which makes the movie seem more appealing straight away

A popular example of a close-up is from ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (1966, by Sergio Leonne). This shot is significant because it emphasises the significance of ‘Blondie’ as the main character within the film. By blurring out the background, we are forced to focus on him, which suggests what he is an important character. Using the object of a cigar represents his causal and sometimes informal behaviour. The audience could be interested by this shot because we are learning more about the character, which makes us like him more but also begin to understand his decisions and traits

Medium close-ups can be used more frequently but I personally think that they are more difficult to get right because they can struggle to portray the characters facial expressions or the background at once. I particularly like this example from ‘The dark knight’ (2008, by Christopher Nolan) Heath Ledger, who played the joker, was praised for his good acting within this movie despite being the antagonist rather than necessarily the main character. I really like this shot because his eccentric personality is displayed very well here. Capturing his hair, facial expression and unconventional outfit shows how bizarre yet interesting he is. The colour contrast of the dull and slightly withered green against the stark red and dapper purple, adds to this unique perception of the character. By showing all of these different aspects within the shot, the character of the Joker is widely developed because more aspects of his personality are visually displayed. This makes the character more likeable because we understand him more and are learning more about him