first of all he is hungry.

Second he seems to be very sad, as if the skeleton is someone close to him

Finally he seems disappointing in himself when looking in the mirror as if he doesn’t think he is what he wants to be e.g not manly enough, not handsome enough, not rich enough etc.

in conclusion even though the face is the same, the contrast between his face and the image help us interpret his emotions

There are two types of depth of field – Deep focus and shallow focus

shallow focus focuses on just the foreground and usually blurs out the background.

deep focus focuses on both the foreground and the background therefore giving a very deep filed of view – showing many layers.

Here is an example of shallow focus from The Social Network (David Fincher, 2010)

Fincher has chosen to focus on the character in the foreground and blur out the characters in the background, this focuses the audiences attention on the character in focus.

This is an example of Deep focus from 12 Angry Men (Sidney Lumet, 1957) and it helps the audience to focus on all the characters in the scene, this is because there isn’t a increase in power or status from any of them – they are equal and therefore are viewed from the same angle.

Symmetry was used continuously throughout The Shining (Stanley Kubrik, 1980). One particular part of this is using symmetry to connect Jack Nicholson to the hotel staff. By using similar movements to the staff, Nicholson is seen as one of the staff workers them self, as if the hotel is slowly absorbing him – this is further reinforced right at the end when we see Nicholson in the photo in the hotel as if he is ad always has been part of the hotel.

In this particular example, both the hotel staff and Nicholson are seen to be in red clothes and are situated in the middle of the frame, this creates the symmetry that links Nicholson to the hotel and makes him a part of it.

Additionally the use of symmetry creates a sense of duality. This is especially seen through the use of mirrors. There are mirrors everywhere in the movie. This reveals to the audience the ameliorative and the pejorative sides of Nicholson. It is giving Nicholson two different personas: the loving father and husband who is taking care of the hotel, and the malicious,crazy murderer.

Furthermore the use of symmetry is evidenced along with mirrors to show Danny’s ghost/imaginary friend “Tony” who speaks through Danny and takes the form of his wiggling finger. Here we have a shot where Danny is being reflected into the mirror showing Danny and “Tony”. Once again this is showing Danny’s alternate persona – Tony. We do not know of Tony’s intents however Danny relies on him for help in certain situations so therefore they seem to have different personalities and do seem to be separate people in one body.

Finally the famous scene of the two girls at the end of the blue hallway standing in near perfect symmetry is significant because it creates a sense of disquietude and uneasiness. Nature is not naturally very symmetrical and this paired with the uncomfortable, unexplained appearance of the girls furthermore creates a sense of nervousness.

Use of “Steadicam” in “The Shining”

The Shining (Stanley Kubrik, 1980) uses the steadicam in many scenes, however one scene that really stood out to me was the scene in which Danny is riding his tricycle through the corridors. This gives the scene a very smooth flow and the camera imitates the movement of Danny on his tricycle as if Kubrik wants the audience to feel similar to Danny when he is scared by the girls. The camera is quite low and makes the audience feel vulnerable since everything is towering over them.

This is not the only use of Steadicam in the film, in-fact, it is also used in the final chase scene in the snowy maze. Once again, since the Steadicam is filmed from a child’s height, when following Nicholson it makes the audience feel smaller and more vulnerable. It also creates a sense of verisimilitude when first person perspective is used as it makes the audience experience the distress and impatience that Nicholson is feeling as he is desperately looking for Danny.

Use of eye level angle : Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese, 2013) the eye level shot is a very neutral shot and causes a very neutral effect on the audience. The only effect it creates on the audience is a sense of verisimilitude and inclusion. This is quite specific to the wolf of wall street and the effect is created when the fourth wall is broken. Since the actors are at eye level it makes the audience feel similar or connected to the actor as if there is no difference in social status or power. D.O.P’s will use this to make the audience feel more included in a movie.

Birds eye view : Avengers assemble (Joss Whedon, 2012). There is a particular scene in this film where a Birds eye view is used to look down upon Chris Hemsworth’s “Thor” and Chris Evan’s “Captain America”. The D.O.P has chosen to use this shot because it causes the audience to believe that , in this case, Thor and Captain America are vulnerable or at least weaker than what is looking down on them. It feels like the camera angle is actually what is looking down on them as if the audience is the “monster” towering over Thor and Captain America (a hypothetical example) this makes the audience feel dominant.

Canted angle shot :Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010) uses the canted shot very well. Generally, the canted shot is used when a character is sick or drunk or when something abnormal is happening. In this case it is the most latter of the three. In inception canted angles are often used to exaggerate the abnormality of the scene. It really makes it obvious to the audience that something is off and not right.

Use of extreme closeup : The Blair Witch Project (1999, Eduardo Sanchez) this scene uses an extreme closeup of roughly a quarter of one of the character’s faces. This shot was used to help the audience focus on  he emotions displayed in the scene with great detail.

Use of medium shot : Zodiac (David Fincher, 2007) The medium shot  is very commonly used for dialogues. It causes the audience to focus on a small group of people, so one can be focused on a single person or multiple whenever they choose. This is helpful when the speaker changes but a shot change may be unnecessary, at this distance the other speaker may well be in the frame and so the audience can divert their gaze to the new speaker without needing a shot change

Long shot : Pirates Of The Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest (Gore Verbinski, 2006) uses a long shot in the scene when Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is running away from a tribe of cannibals. The D.O.P has specifically chosen this shot so that the audience can focus on both the foreground and the background at the same time. This quickly and easily gives context to the situation. For example here it lets the audience know what he is running away from, however this time it is all in one long shot that we can see this rather than two more focused shots.

Use of extreme long shot : Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Alfonso Cuaron, 2004) uses an extreme long shot of a bridge to show off the surrounding area. This creates a sense of awe and romanticism as one can see how small one is when compared to a huge bridge or a mountain etc.

“Saving Private Ryan” (Steven Spielberg,1998) uses diegetic gaze well because it helps the audience to focus on the characters in the closeup rather than the background. The background has been blurred out and therefore one can only focus on the actor in the foreground. Due to this, the audience can really feel the emotion and the audience gets a very good idea of what is actually happening to the character specifically rather than just seeing the development of the narrative.

Cloverfield (Matt Reeves, 2008) Uses intra-diegetic gaze throughout the whole film. It is taken from the perspective of one of the survivors and often we can see that the camera is very shaky since it is meant to represent someone walking. This causes the audience to feel vulnerable and empathetic towards the characters in the film.

“the Good, the Bad and the Ugly” (1966, Sergio Leone) uses extra diegetic close-up shots very well. Generally, they are used to show the raw emotion that the actor is displaying. A close up on an angry face will make the audience feel their rage, a close up on a scared person will make them feel their anxiety. extra diegetic close-up shots are very good at making the audience feel empathetic towards the actors as the emotions are so powerful, it is as if the audience are feeling it themselves.

What is cinematography?

“Cinematography” is the art of photography and camerawork in film-making.

What is a “Cinematographer”?

A director of photography, shortened to D.O.P. Also the chief of the camera and lighting.

How is a cinematographer’s job different to that of a director?

a director is in charge of conveying how they want the narrative to be played. A cinematographer takes that idea and transfers it into a scene.