Film study and appreciation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Film study and appreciation - Essay Example In literal terms of, cinematography is means lighting in movement. This involves all the manipulations on the film strip by the camera during the shooting phase of a film. The processes that occur in the production laboratory after shooting also contribute significantly to the cinematography of a film. The director of photography plays a leading role in determining how the film will be shot. Cinematography is critical in deciding the eventual â€Å"look† of a film and this generally contributes significantly to the realization of the goals of a film. Ocean’s Eleven is a heist film that is with an element of comedy crime. The film is a remake of the 1960 Rat Pack film. The characters of the film include con artists and a group of former prison inmates. This movie was produced in 2001 and was directed by Steven Soderbergh. It features high a high profile cast of Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia and Julia Roberts. The plot of the film revolve s on a plan by ex convict Daniel Ocean (George Clooney) to conduct a high profile theft. The robbery is to be carried out on a high security vault that is shared by three casinos in Las Vegas. Daniel Ocean assembles a rag tag group to conduct the heist. It turns out that the real reason that motivates Daniel Ocean to coordinate the heist is to win back his wife and bankrupt the owner of the casinos who happens to have married Ocean’s wife. Camera angles are critical aspect of cinematography. The use of camera angles can play a significant role in highlighting the desired features so as to resonate well with the audience. A film can employ several camera angles such as high, low, straight-on and bird’s eye view to portray various themes (Brown 76). In the movie Ocean’s Eleven, the element of low angle is utilized to suggest power and influence. This is evident in most scenes where the main character, Daniel Ocean, is often portrayed from a low angle. This imperat ively communicates that he has power and skills to coordinate what is considerably an unprecedented heist. On the other hand, some of the con artists who make up the team are portrayed from high angles. This implies their dependence on the leadership of the main characters in order to succeed. The con artists’ skills are not of significance without the coordination of Daniel Ocean to conduct the heist. The angle of projection in the scene between Daniel Ocean and the casino owner is straight on. This shows that Daniel Ocean considers himself to be equal even not better than the man who took his lover. In some instances, camera angles are used to purely to create striking visual compositions. Scenes in the casinos are shot from bird’s eye view. This helps the audience to appreciate the features of the interior of the casinos such the playing tables and the general settings. Camera distances are also an important aspect of film cinematography. The filming scale can influ ence the perception of relationships between the various characters in a given film. Camera distances can be used to either foster intimacy with the characters of a film or divert the attention from the character to the environment (Brown 74). Hence, shot scale can be exploited to influence the narration and impression created by the various scenes in a film. In the film Ocean’s Eleven, extreme long shot is used to establish a given