Hi welcome to Film Fix and a look at how
the visual style of Blade Runner 2049
plays a part in building a feeling of
mystery and discovery.
As always spoilers ahead. In this video,
we're going to analyze the movement that
Roger Deakins adopts in his
cinematography to help realize director
Danny Villeneuve's vision and how this helps
to control the mood and tension of the
audience in a film where mystery is
important. By the way, we should take a
moment to appreciate Roger Deakins'
Academy Awards success in 2018 for his
photography on Blade Runner 2049. He's
regarded by many as one of the greatest
cinematographers working today and I
think, given his body of work, it's fair
that he receives such recognition. There
are a few things that we see in Blade
Runner 2049 that are typical Roger
Deakins... wide lenses bringing the camera
closer to the subject, beautiful,
considered framing and a mix of lighting
styles. We could talk about all these
aspects individually in detail for hours
I'm sure, but the thing I wanted to talk
about in this video is the movement of
the camera and how subtlety can be so
effective when trying to build on a
theme of mystery, and therefore a control
of mood and tension. Firstly, it's
important to note that Roger Deakins and
Denis Villeneuve are not afraid to
hold the frame. There's no need for rapid
cuts or elaborate tricks. But when these
techniques are used, they're used in a
considered manner. The framing is
beautiful... we are confident in what we
are being shown and feel that we're in
good hands.
Deakins and Villeneuve like to move
the camera only when necessary, that is
when the characters move forward in
their journey... in their world... or to
follow blocking, where characters are
moving in the scene... to keep us grounded
in the geography and engaged with the
character or moment. in Blade Runner
2049, Deakins and Villeneuve move the camera
when we, or the on-screen characters,
predominantly K, look to discover
something. Which makes sense when we
understand that the Blade Runner series
is essentially film noir. We have to play
detective to solve a mystery and the
director wants us to come along for the
ride, and importantly wants us to be a
part of solving the mystery. That means
that we, the audience, don't see something
that'll give the game away before the
protagonist sees it. This is reflected in
the way that the camera moves. Often, the
character sees his path or discovery
before we do... serving to heighten the
suspense and intrigue. Of course in the
final film, this is achieved in the
editing - in fact take nothing away from
the craft and talent of editors but
Deakins
also helps to achieve this through his
camera work. Anytime K is looking at
something that helps his journey to
solving a mystery, we push in as if to
also make the discovery with him.
Otherwise
we just sit still or frame for the
character's geography. We are patiently
waiting with K and move only when he
does. So let's look at an example of this
movement through discovery. Here's a
moment when K is trying to get
information about an orphan from a
sweatshop. K is strong-arming the
operation's mastermind into revealing
what he knows. We're seeing an office
from the outside... holding still as the
guy begins to look through his ledger...
and therefore there's information to be
learned. We push forward we keep moving
until he stops turning pages. When he
stops, we stop moving.
We are now still. A few moments later, we
are framed on the back of K holding
still. Nothing new to learn. Until K
notices something... then we move. Only when
we fully understand what K has seen do
we stop moving. These few moments are
enough for us to get a sense of how
Roger Deakins and Denis villeneuve
approached this film. It's about control
of mood and tension... including us in the
mystery. Part of the reason why the
cinematography in Blade Runner 2049 was
so successful is because it works in
harmony with everything else in the film...
and that you could argue is the secret
behind great visuals, everything shines,
together pulling in the same direction,
towards the same goal. That's it for a
look at how to control mood and tension
through cinematography on Blade Runner
2049. Thanks for watching.
Are there any other examples you can
think of where we've seen cinematography
being used to support narrative? Be sure
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