Cinematography – the methodical, technical choices of art and design behind motion-picture films – is the most interesting way that film directors are able to create distinction between their own work and the work of others. Using the different themes and aspects that are covered in this chapter, many famous directors (such as our very own Wes Anderson and Alfred Hitchcock) have set groundbreaking precedents in the universe of film.
Known as the ‘master of suspense’, Alfred Hitchcock employed a multitude of techniques to keep his audience immobile during Rear Window in particular. This above shot of Lars Thorwald finally looking back at L.B. Jeffries stuns the viewer because it’s not Jeffries that Hitchcock intended Thorwald to look at, it’s us. Thorwald is in perfect focus through Jeffries’ binoculars compared to the sparse background, where even the framed photo is totally blurred. His face is positioned directly in the center of light and the rims of his glasses are shining in an almost blinding way, and Hitchcock likely did this to intensify the shot.
Another part of Rear Window that’s important to Hitchcock’s stylized cinematography are the minutes leading from Thorwald entering Jeffries’ apartment to the end of the film, where the speed of motion was marginally increased for a slightly comedic yet action-packed effect. As it was mentioned in Film Art – “…if a film is exposed at fewer frames per second than the projection rate (say, 16 or 18 frames), the screen action will look speeded up” (Bordwell, et al., 2024) – Hitchcock did this to give the scene a skittish yet mildly serious effect.
Moving on from Rear Window, one of the most vital takeaways from this chapter was how influential cinematography can be in shaping our perception of a film. If The Grand Budapest Hotel was shot entirely in one aspect ratio instead of three, the audience wouldn’t really have felt the film passing through so many years. By shooting TGBH in three different aspect ratios (1.33, 1.85, and 2.35), Wes Anderson turned 100 minutes into a tale that was scattered over fifty years. When coupled with mise-en-scène, it’s cinematography that guides our idea of time, space, and mood in a film through hundreds of techniques.
-Ria