"The truth is that every experience, every feeling, every film you see, becomes part of the sensibilities you apply to making a movie." - Conrad Hall
Ci-ne-ma-to-graphy. Yeah. That's
a mouthful... I used to watch the Oscars as a kid and couldn't figure
out why they were celebrating a bunch of scientists at the same time
as my favourite movie stars. When I finally figured out that making a
career out of something that ends in "phy" doesn't
automatically qualify you as a scientist I still got hung up on what it is they actually did. Well, if you were anything like me, it might help to
know that cinematography is "the art of motion picture
photography" and no, this isn't who they're celebrating when
they hand out "Best Picture" awards either (I thought that too) Really though, that isn't a bad
way to think of it. The way I like to see it the
cinematographer and the director differ, for instance, in that the director "calls the shots" and the cinematographer "makes
the shots"; that is, he sets out to make art with the visual
aspect of the film. Being that a motion picture is literally a series
of unique frames connected to create motion for the viewing audience,
you could say that a movie is really just a "collection of
photos". So, when compared to the literary medium, the
cinematographer is really a "photographic author". The
author makes his visual art with the "collection of words", and the
cinematographer with the "collection of photos". With that said, in this
blog post I attempt to take a closer look at the aspects of cinematography
that contribute to the successful adaptation of Ian McEwan's
Atonement to the motion picture.
Example 1:
The first photo from the film that struck me was actually the
opening shot of the doll house in Briony's room. Having analyzed the
themes of the novel thoroughly already, I immediately interpreted
this as a symbolic demonstration of the playfully imaginative mind of
Briony. Besides that though, it really just looks gorgeous.. That lighting,
the bland colouring, symmetry - it all just works in establishing
this theme of Briony's need for creativity in a world all too lifeless without much human contact.
The prop (and cinematographic focus) immediately becomes more symbolically relevant because we are showed soon after that the doll house is a perfect replica of the mansion she lives in. It seems quite blatant that there was a concerted effort for the shots to be almost identical when comparing the two which implies that the director wishes for the viewer to make some sort of a connection. This is almost to say that, like Briony's doll house, this world that her 77-year-old self creates in her novel is her own playground as well; the setting is the dollhouse of the author.
Example 2:
As the camera pans down, you start to think
of just how wealthy and spacious the entire estate must be until it
hits you: there they are, perfectly symmetrical in the frame are the two sisters who lay there on the emerald lawn - Cecelia on her stomach
reading a book, and Briony lost in her thoughts as she watches the
clouds. Between the two, the more striking of course being how bright Briony
appears in her white dress, especially when placed beside her sister for comparison. I touch on the importance of this as you continue reading.With the wealth of breathtaking shots in this movie, it didn't take me very long to be taken aback by the cinematography again. Actually, it came just seconds after the shot I just finished discussing when the camera scrolls down to reveal Cecelia and Briony laying innocently on the lawn.
What I find most interesting about this shot though is how it seems to comment on the personalities of the characters
in much the same way the last pictures did:
For Cecelia it seems to suggest an air of apathy - on
her stomach; as if to doze off - too disinterested to pay
attention to Briony that she decides to place her thoughts elsewhere by reading.
For Briony though, her artistic mind is
most definitely content watching the clouds move across the sky, a
hobby she must have become accustomed to in her years of solidarity. To quote
Wordsworth: "I wandered lonely as a cloud". Maybe she can
relate? Either way, "do notice her please", the
photographer seems to say with this shot. How can you not when she stands out
"continuous as the stars that shine" (Wordsworth)?
I'll stop right there, though. Only three minutes into the movie and a wealth of
character development is felt without ever having to hear a sound. With that said, I think I've stumbled onto a perfect segueway for the next post I have lined up where I've decided to investigate how this
sonic aspect of the movie compliments these visuals so well in a way
only a movie can accomplish. I encourage you to explore these collections of photos - this scrapbook we may call Atonement - after
you finish reading. There really is so much more to be seen. For me,
I feel I can only quote Wordsworth again to sum up the experiences I've gained through this analysis when
I say "What wealth the show to me had brought."
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