CHAPTER 6: CINEMATOGRAPHY OF THE MOVIE THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
Screening Checklists
1.Determine whether or not the cinematographic aspects of the film -the qualities of the film stock,lighting,lenses,framing,angles,camera movement,and use of long takes-add up to an overall look.If so try to describe its qualities.
The blinking or flickering light and the in and out of focus of the camera during the early ten to twenty minutes give this movie a visual texture or tone that is extremely different from the other movies we have viewed in this class up to this point.The visual images are presented through the eye of the camera in an attempt to have the viewer understand the perspective of someone trapped in his own body due to a stroke.The photography and the images are extremely artful.In fact in some ways the images are ones that might be seen in a gallery.The camera angles and the framing are quite good in establishing what the protagonist is seeing from his perspective.
2.Take note of moments in the film in which the images are conveying information that is not reflected in the characters' action and dialogue.These moments are often crucial to the development of a movie's themes, narrative,and meaning.
The viewer is being shown what it is like to be a stroke victim trapped in your own body without being able to speak.The visual images help us feel this without necessarily relying on the the characters' actions or excessive dialogue at least early on in the movie.
3.Pay close attention to the length of shots in the film.Is there a recognizable pattern? Are long takes used?To what extent? For what purpose?
I do not see a lot of long takes used in the filming of this movie.In fact the first one-third is done with a lot of closeups and experimentation on the behalf of the director and d.p.as they have a lot of freedom as they movie objects in and out of frame as they present things through the eye of the camera or through the perspective of the protagonist.
4.Also keep track of camera angles other than eye -level shots.If there are high-or low angle shots determine whether they are a POV shots That is ,is the high or low angle meant to represent another characters' point of view.If so ,what does that say about that characters,state of mind? what does it say about the person or thing in the frame?
I see several instances of low angle camera use from the point of view of Jean -Dominique as he lay in his hospital bed and the people who come in and out of his hospital room and he sees parts of these people in the frame but not all them .this is again an attempt to show the viewer what it must be like to see the world from this perspective and point of view.
5.As you evaluate crucial scenes, pay attention to the composition of shots within the scene.Are the compositions in a way that conforms to the rule of thirds or are the elements within the frame arranged in a less "painterly" composition? In either case ,try to describe how the composition contributes to the scene overall.
The most crucial scenes at least early on do not adhere to the rule of thirds that we have spent a great deal of time studying.There are some scenes later on that do seem to follow the compositional rule such as during some of the flashback scenes but early on and for most of the first one-third of the movie a less "painterly" approach is taken with the artistic license and freedom to experiment with composition on the part of the director and the D.P.as they show us the point of view of the main character.
6.Pay attention to camera movement in the film.Sometimes camera movement is used solely to produce visual excitement or to demonstrate technological virtuosity on the part of the filmmaker.Other times it is playing an important role in the film's narrative.Be alert to these differences ,and take note of meaningful uses of camera movement.
The camera movement is not employed to produce visual excitement it is used as an important tool to lay out the narrative of this movie and again to show us the point of view of the main character.
7.Note when the cinematography calls attention to itself.Is this a mistake or misjudgment on the filmmakers' part,or is it it intentional? If intentional,what purpose is served by making the cinematography so noticeable?
I do not think the filmmaker does anything by mistake in this movie.The attention called to the cinematography is intentional and done with the purpose to help the audience understand what it might be like to see the world through one left eye or through the eye of the camera in this case.
Final Thought
I probably spent too much time writing about point of view in this blog but I just thought it was an extremely innovative way to bring this wonderful piece of artwork to an audience.
