Balazs and the Language of Film: Camera "Shots"

We discussed this a little bit in class, but what I found fascinating about Balazs' writings was his focus on films as communicative devices. Over time our generation, having grown up with films and television as a matter of course, have naturally learned and acquired a sort of language of films that comes across in many unexpected ways.
A good way of outlining some elements of this language is by showcasing a few basic shots and trying to understand the message they try to get across. For instance, one of the most famous uses of perspective is in Citizen Kane. Much of the film is shot from a very low angle to portray Charles Foster Kane as an imposing figure, larger than life. Take a look:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReHAg29c-64

We've also spoken a lot about Ingmar Bergman's Persona, which utilizes many close-ups  and strange framing, but what really stands out to me among his works is the end of The Seventh Seal, shown here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzz9WuUdfQM&feature=player_detailpage#t=304s

We see what is known as an extreme long shot, showing the main characters upon a hill. It really speaks volumes about how we view the afterlife. They are so far away that they could never hear us. We can likewise never hear them, but they are together, holding hands like nowhere else in the film, united in death. All we have is this closing shot of what amounts to dancing silhouettes to remember them by, but it is a potent reminder of how final and all encompassing death is.

Finally, I want to showcase a bit of use of focal length.

As you can see here, lenses are differentiated based on focal length, which allows for wider shots in most cases, but can also be used to warp depth. As shown in the picture to the right, different lenses can show off elements of the background, but also communicate a sort of distance between two objects. In the bottom picture, it seems like the two containers are standing right next to each other. Compare this to the top picture where they are seemingly miles apart.
I see that top picture and imagine a tragic tale. What has the blue container done to alienate himself so much from the pink one? What obstacle separates these two? Lies? Infidelity? Murder? It reminds me of the distance between my family and myself. Though we are much the same (both containers) we lack the closeness inherent in familial bonds. Oh what a sad tale!
Such is the power of film to communicate such emotion so simply.

-Sergio L. Barrio





Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shot_%28filmmaking%29