Cinematic influences

Cinematic influences

I also had multiple cinematic influences which inspired me to use certain visual techniques to help me to create deeper meaning within my film.

The Gunfighter

The cinematographer uses a shallow depth of field to highlight the isolation of the character and to show how he is alone/ unwelcome in the environment. I would like to implement this technique into my own short film to highlight similar meaning. As the main character does not know where he is, using a shallow depth of field would highlight the isolation. A shallow depth of field makes the subject stand out against the background, which can be used to highlight the importance of a character or an object. The cinematographer uses tracking shots to  follow the main character, he includes foreground interest in his shot to show the busyness of the scene and to highlight what kind of environment he is in. This would be perfect to implement into my own work to show how the environment has changed in a creative way, and the tracking shot highlights how the subject gets from location to location.

La Jettee

A voiceover is used to provide background context and to give the audience a brief understanding of what is going on in the film. Originally, i had the idea of implementing something similar into my own film as not only is the storyline complex, but the structure of the film is as well.  A voiceover would help to provide some context and information, which could make it easier to watch and understand. But I thought against it because I would rather leave the meaning of the film to the imagination of the audience. Rather than imposing a message they may oppose anyway. Although it uses still images, the use of low key lighting is effective for conveying mood and making the scene seem dramatic. Also, recxor

Elephant

The film elephant uses extremely long takes captured by a steadycam. The use of a steadycam throughout the whole of the film gives the film an extremely regimented style/aesthetic which matches with what the film is portraying. However, using the same shot for an entire film can feel extremely repetitive and boring for an audience. So i will use a wide range of shots to keep the film exciting and different. I would like to implement long takes into my own film to set the scene, and to highlight the importance of a character or object. By showing them in a shot for 20+ seconds. However, because my film will be much shorter, filling it with long takes will result in an extremely boring and slow film which is not the effect i want to have. I may use a long take once or twice when the main character does something important, and i may also use long establishing shots.

About a girl

The cinematographer in the opening shot uses a silhouette to hide the identity of the main character. They do this by exposing for the sky which causes the foreground to be underexposed, thus creating a silhouette. I think this would work in my own film, as I may want to leave the identity of the main character hidden in some parts. Not only is a silhouette extremely cinematic, It is also effective at hiding the identity of the subject in a creative and not so exaggerated way.