Creating Perspective in Film — Subjective Cinematography, Editing, and More

what's your problem every movie has a point of view I said what's your problem where a filmmaker places a camera and directs a scene is influenced in some way by their perspective on the world I was cured all right sometimes however a filmmaker wants to put the audience in the point of view of a movie's character why do films like the killer go to such lengths to put an audience inside a character's head and what tricks do filmmakers use to do it this is how to create [Music] subjectivity before we begin remember to subscribe to Studio binder and enable notifications to stay in the know on all our film making videos we will be spoiling the following movies let's get started we are all just waiting on you subjectivity can best be understood in relation to its opposite objectivity which is when a Viewpoint is divorc from a personal perspective whereas subjectivity is when personal feelings and opinions affect the point of view but being entirely objective is nearly impossible especially in film making as such subjectivity is a sliding scale some films rely heavily on a subjective Viewpoint While others are closer to objective and observational subjectivity can quickly get an audience inside a character psyche creating empathy in an audience for a character and their actions because we see the world through their eyes we can understand why they are the way they are what are you doing as Roger Ebert once noted movies are like a machine that generates [Music] empathy in movies a filmmaker can emulate the subjectivity of a character through writing cinematography and post-production choices today we'll be using David Fincher's Ultra subjective film The Killer to understand how the tool can be used effectively consider yourself lucky if our paths never cross except luck isn't real let's begin with subjectivity in writing to our suffering my dear there's not enough Scotch in the world for that screenwriters are typically encouraged to write objectively screenplays are filled with objective facts like the location who is talking when and what action is occurring in front of the [Music] camera but screenwriters often Bend this rule hinting at subjectivity through flourishes in their action lines to our male diners we now offer you the chance to Escape if they do cat Okay C to join me inside it's getting chilly after things have taken a turn in the menu writers Seth rice and will Tracy describe the interiority of the group noting that they experience a strange feeling this is fantastic they then focus on Tyler's perspective this tells director Mark milod which point of view he should inhabit when part's over writers can also explicitly note that a scene is from a specific character's perspective in Pirates of the Caribbean the Curse of the Black Pearl Ted Elliot and Terry rossio note that the opening scene comes from Elizabeth's head writing were the images we just saw a nightmare or a jumbled childhood memory in rare cases subjectivity can be established more overtly Gasper noi wrote the screenplay for Enter the Void in first person indicating the film will be shot entirely in point of view he explains in his director's note in order to transmit this cinematic bias the screenplay has been written in the first person as the use of I is better for describing the actions of the characters as perceived by Oscar thus The Spectator in the Killer subjectivity is established in the screenplay through voiceover stick to your plan which colors our perception of each scene anticipate don't improvise Fincher notes the appeal of the narration I read the comics and it had this voice over in it and it was very nihilistic and cynical and and of course very appealing I kind of honed in on this idea of how to transfer the notion of extreme subjectivity from a comic book to screen screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker also explicitly notes when a scene should shift to the Killer's perspective writing the Killer's POV in uppercase this happens routinely throughout the script indicating that the world of the film will largely be seen through the Killer's eyes the thing about real wealth the more you've got the harder it is to fade into the wallpaper vanity plates don't help to transfer this subjectivity from the page and onto the screen a filmmaker may need to employ subjective cinematography winter heat way bringing temperatures to the the most literal form of subjective cinematography is the point of view shot where the camera sees exactly what a character sees but cinematography can suggest a character's perspective in more subtle ways in the beginning of this scene from 12 Monkeys Cole is covered in tighter shots while the scientists are shot in wide group shots so we are closer to his perspective but as The Scene goes on the shots tighten on both sides of the conversation making the scientist's power over him clear we've had some misfortunes with unstable types for a man in your position an opportunity not to Vol could be a real mistake definitely a mistake subjectivity can also be indicated through camera angles Rashon hinges on subjective realities each character's perspective on what happened is different to emphasize their different perspectives Akira kurasawa often covers the incident from an angle closer to the character who currently narrating when the Bandit tells the story the camera is closer to him when the samurai tells his account the camera is closer to [Music] him camera movement too can underline subjectivity at first it felt like ginger ale on my skull in this scene from The Sopranos the camera swerves and tilts simulating the panic attack that is coming upon Tony his world is out of balance Len's Choice can also indicate a specific subjectivity in diving bell and the Butterfly cinematographer yanu Kaminsky uses a tilt shift lens its unique depth of field creates a murky image that simulates the feeling of the protagonist slowly coming into Consciousness and also allows for very narrow fields of Focus that indicate what he is focused on frame rate can also get us into a character's mind in the Royal Tenon bals shooting at a high frame rate creates slow motion which signifies how enamored Richie is with Margo in combination with the needle drop this sequence emulates Rich's feeling of romantic longing I don't do color too can indicate certain subjectivity in Big Fish scenes from Edward's stories are highly saturated emphasizing that he views the past with a magical Romanticism in they live meanwhile John Carpenter transitions to black and white whenever NADA puts on his glasses indicating that we're seeing what he's seeing and the DraStic shift between color and black and white suggests that what he's seeing is an entirely new reality the killer uses many of these techniques to get into its protagonists subjectivity much of the film's opening sequence is told through point of view shots which quickly establish that this movie will focus tightly on the killer and his perspective cinematographer Eric mmid explains we find the killer in his nest in his place of observation David wanted to explore the concept of subjectivity and part of the conversations that we had with him evolved around the idea that this is a character who never allows anyone in his personal space thus the non-pv shots heighten this isolation by showing how Barren his lair is Mash SMI elaborates we wanted to play with the rhythm of the audience seeing him him and then being inside his head and seeing exactly what he's looking at so we have this subjective camera position subjective concept and then the objective cam position and the objective concept to truly emulate the Killer's POV mesm filmed on a telephoto lens from the actual distance the killer would be from the apartment the cinematographer also used camera movement to further insert the audience in the character's head when the Killer is in control when he's confident when he's secure the camera is perfectly secure it's in lock step to his position we're not following him we are moving exactly with him the frames are rigid and structured like the character then when he's not and he becomes frantic and confused and he's surprised and he's failed the camera breaks free and the camera is no longer steady with him subjectivity can be created further through careful choices in post production camera 1 camera 2 camera one what is this this is a chemical bur through simple cutting techniques an editor can get an audience into the heads space of a character I tried not to think of the word serum or flesh stop it this is your pain this is your burning hand it's right here I'm going to my cave I'm going to my cave I'm going to find my power animal no more rapid cutting can make us feel a character's emotional distress like when Marian is stabbed in the shower or when Patrick can't find his wedding video you think I can't handle it please stop yelling cross dissolves and Fades can also conjure subjectivity in Apocalypse Now dissolves are used to show that Willard has never really left the wall in Pulp Fiction a fade in and out in Black indicates losing and regaining Consciousness oh my God he's dead an editor can also disorient an audience through subjectivity in The Exorcist 3 editors Peter Lee Thompson and Todd Ramsey cut between two different actors playing the same character it is unclear to both the audience and to kinderman who he's talking to you must get them to do that Lieutenant it's important the Gemini is dead no I am not I'm alive I go on I breathe look at me look at me and tell me what you see Michael Haner begins cache with an unexpected use of subjectivity the audience is led to assume that opening shot is from a relatively objective point of view this is subverting when we begin to hear voices and the film fast forwards we are in fact looking at a piece of footage the characters are looking at this disruption of subjectivity makes the viewer hyper aware of perspective throughout the rest of the film visual effects too can get us in the character's point of view in Midsummer arasta slowly introduces subtle distortions as he pushes in on Dany the push in signifies we are entering her subjectivity and the distortions are what she is hallucinating music is perhaps the quickest way to make the audience feel what a character's feeling in The Graduate playing The Sound of Silence over Ben's Montage encourages us to feel the listlessness he [Music] does creative sound design can also allow us to get into a character's head in Saving Private Ryan the sound cuts out to highlight how overwhelmed Miller is during the [Music] invasion in Little Miss Sunshine a honking horn subliminally adds stress to a viewer simulating the anxiety Dwayne is feeling you can't fly Jets if your color blind uh we've got a little bit of got okay got an emergency back here I think we just need to pull over man just pull in the killer subjective picture and sound editing work together to keep us in the headspace of the protagonist brand new editor Kirk Baxter uses cutting to show how comfortable the killer feels at any given moment Baxter explains his approach to the film's lengthy fight scene it was about the killer losing control when it's his process when it's the Killer's process it's exacting and when he is not in control of process we start jumping so as the contrast of what leads up to it which is the stretching as as he sort of works his way slowly into danger and then it exploding into violence and I'm slightly clipping actions just little tiny bits to sort of go this is spilling he does not have a handle on this yet sound two is crucial to the subjectivity of the [Music] scene the killer nor the audience can initially see the Target and therefore we have to rely on the sound design to hear where he is sound designer Ren kly explains as we're coming into this space we are identifying with the killer where is the brute this incredibly scary guy I guess he's in the shower and he's listening to a home and garden show Garden lover prepared me very excited because this is the film's numerous needle drops further situate us within the Killer's [Laughter] interiority the music is only heard when we cut into his PO and cuts out when we are not thus we are both in the Killer's head while also seeing how isolated he is he's in his own [Music] world if I'm effective it's because of one simple fact I don't give a fu subjectivity is a powerful tool for filmmakers there are few ways to make an audience understand a character more than placing them inside their heads we can do pretty much what we want to creating subjectivity can put a viewer in the shoes of a character they may have nothing in common with and experience stories in a way that no other medium can replicate what kind of bird are you I'm a raven what are some of your favorite scenes that capture subjectivity let us know in the comments creating subjectivity begins with creating a unique character with their own point of view start crafting your own characters with Studio binder screenwriting software your next project can be great at least that's our perspective

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Keywords: Subjectivity in art, movies that use perspective, subjectivity, subjective cinematography, subjective, subjectivity in film, objectivity, objectivity vs subjectivity in film, perspective in film, how to direct subjectivity in film, how to write subjectivity, point of view in film, how to create subjectivity, what is subjectivity, how to write subjectivity in a screenplay, how to direct subjectivity, how to write subjectivity in a script, subjective camera, studiobinder

Id: qtLy_RJcJgA

Length: 19min 50sec (1190 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 29 2024