12 Angry Men | How to Use Lensing

Summary

The video script from 'Duel, Angry Men' explores the art of cinematography, focusing on lensing to convey narrative depth. It discusses the use of different focal lengths to manipulate audience perception subconsciously, from wide lenses creating a distant view to telephoto lenses intensifying drama and claustrophobia. The script also touches on camera angles and lighting changes to enhance storytelling, emphasizing the director's role in transforming passive viewers into active participants in the film's experience.

Takeaways

• 🎥 The film '12 Angry Men' primarily takes place in the jury room, utilizing cinematography to convey the story within a confined space.
• 🔍 Lensing is crucial in cinematography, with f-stop and focal length being key variables that affect how light enters the camera and the resulting image.
• 🌌 A long lens compresses the image, creating a shallow depth of field, while a wide lens stretches the image, potentially causing distortion.
• 📏 Sidney Lumet used different focal lengths for different acts in the film, with wider lenses in the first act and progressively longer lenses as the film moves towards its climax.
• 👀 The camera angle shifts from looking down on characters to eye level and then to a more imposing angle as the story unfolds.
• 🌗 The lighting in the film changes with the progression of the story, reflecting the shift from simplicity to complexity and the growing tension.
• 🕰 As the film moves from day to evening, the lighting becomes more dramatic, with prominent shadows that separate characters from the background.
• 📹 The use of telephoto lenses in the last act intensifies the drama, with characters appearing more imposing and the space feeling more confined.
• 💡 The ceiling is introduced as an additional element to enhance the claustrophobic atmosphere of the jury room.
• 🎨 The director's use of lighting, camera angles, and lensing is not just for aesthetic purposes but to create an immersive experience for the audience.
• 🎬 The ultimate goal of these technical choices is to turn the audience from passive observers to active participants, making them feel the story and understand the characters' motivations.

Q & A

What is the primary setting of the film 'Duel' as described in the script?

The primary setting of the film 'Duel' is inside the jury room, with the exception of the opening and concluding scenes.

What are the two variables of a lens in cinematography mentioned in the script?

The two variables of a lens in cinematography are f-stop and focal length.

How does the focal length of a lens affect the image in cinematography?

The focal length determines the size and shape of the image. A long lens compresses the image, making it flat and giving a shallow depth of field, while a wide lens stretches the image and can sometimes distort it.

How does the script describe the use of lenses in the first act of 'Duel'?

In the first act of 'Duel', wider lenses of roughly 18 to 28 millimeters are used, and the camera is positioned slightly above the characters.

What change in camera angle and lens choice is observed as the film progresses from the first to the second act?

As the film progresses to the second act, the camera angle moves to eye level, and the lens choice shifts to around 50 to 70 millimeters, introducing a more compressed space and a claustrophobic feeling.

What is the effect of using a telephoto lens in the last act of 'Duel'?

In the last act, a telephoto lens of around 100 millimeters is used, which crushes the human figures in the frame and makes the close-ups more dramatic, contributing to a sense of confinement and intensity.

How does the script explain the role of lighting in enhancing the film's narrative?

The script explains that lighting changes throughout the film to reflect the progression of time and the increasing ambiguity of the proceedings. Initially, the lighting is even and simple, but as the film moves towards evening, prominent shadows are cast on the walls and characters' faces.

What is the purpose of using different camera angles and lensing techniques in 'Duel' according to the script?

The purpose of using different camera angles and lensing techniques is to create an experience that turns the audience from passive observers to active participants, making them feel the story and understand the characters' motivations.

Why does the script emphasize the importance of lensing in filmmaking?

Lensing is emphasized because it can influence the audience's subconscious interpretation of the story, enhancing their emotional engagement and experience.

What advice does the script give to aspiring directors regarding lensing?

The script advises aspiring directors to consider using lensing creatively in their films to make the audience feel the story and create an immersive experience.

Outlines

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🎥 Cinematography Techniques in '12 Angry Men'

This paragraph delves into the cinematographic techniques used in the film '12 Angry Men,' focusing on lensing as a crucial aspect. It explains the importance of f-stop and focal length in shaping the audience's perception of the story. The director, Sidney Lumet, strategically uses different lenses and camera angles throughout the film's three acts to create a sense of progression and intimacy. The first act employs wider lenses and a downward camera angle to establish a distant observation, while the second act shifts to lenses of 50-70 millimeters and eye-level angles to immerse viewers in the story. The final act utilizes telephoto lenses and a more dramatic camera angle to intensify the claustrophobic setting. Lighting also plays a significant role, evolving from even and simple at the beginning to sharp and distinct shadows as the film reaches its climax, reflecting the increasing tension and complexity of the jury's deliberations.

Keywords

💡Lensing

Lensing refers to the use of camera lenses to capture a scene in filmmaking. It is crucial as it affects how the audience perceives the story. In the video, lensing is discussed in terms of f-stop and focal length, which determine the amount of light entering the camera and the field of view, respectively. The script explains how lensing is used to subtly guide the audience's interpretation of the story in '12 Angry Men', from a distant observation to a more immersive experience.

💡F-stop

The f-stop is a setting on a camera lens that controls the aperture, which is the opening through which light passes to enter the camera. A larger f-stop number means a smaller aperture, allowing less light in, and vice versa. In the context of the video, f-stop is part of the lensing discussion, highlighting its role in controlling the depth of field and the mood of a scene.

💡Focal Length

Focal length is a measure of a camera lens's ability to magnify an image. It determines the field of view and the perspective of the captured image. In the script, different focal lengths are associated with different acts of the film, indicating a shift from a wider perspective to a more compressed, intimate view as the story progresses.

💡Depth of Field

Depth of field is the range of distance within a scene that appears acceptably sharp. A shallow depth of field, created by a long lens, keeps the subject in focus while blurring the background, whereas a wide lens can create a deeper field of focus. The video discusses how depth of field is used to flatten or stretch the image, affecting the viewer's perception of space and character importance.

💡Camera Angle

Camera angle refers to the position from which a scene is filmed, which can influence the viewer's emotional response and the narrative's power dynamics. The script notes that in '12 Angry Men', the camera angle shifts from looking down on characters to being at eye level, and finally to a more imposing angle, reflecting the evolving dynamics and tension within the jury room.

💡Claustrophobic Feeling

A claustrophobic feeling in film is created when the visual elements make the space seem confined or oppressive. The video describes how the use of certain lenses and camera angles can introduce this feeling, making the audience feel the tension and confinement experienced by the characters in the jury room.

💡Lighting

Lighting in film is used to set the mood, highlight important elements, and guide the viewer's attention. The script explains how lighting changes throughout '12 Angry Men' to reflect the progression of the story, from evenly lit simplicity to more pronounced shadows that emphasize the growing tension and complexity of the jury's deliberations.

💡Shadows

Shadows are a result of lighting and can be used to create depth, contrast, and emotional impact in a film. The video script mentions how shadows on the characters' faces and the background walls become more distinct as the film progresses, visually representing the increasing ambiguity and tension in the jury's decision-making.

💡Close-ups

A close-up in film is a shot that tightly frames a person's face or a small object, used to convey intense emotion or detail. The script provides a comparison of close-ups at different stages of the film, illustrating how they become more dramatic and confined as the story reaches its climax, intensifying the viewer's experience.

💡Ceiling

In the context of the video, the ceiling is mentioned as an additional element introduced in the film's lighting design to accentuate the claustrophobic atmosphere. It serves as a visual boundary that reinforces the sense of confinement within the jury room.

💡Experience

The term 'experience' in the video refers to the immersive and emotional journey that the director aims to create for the audience. It is not just about conveying the plot but about making the audience feel the story through the use of technical elements like lensing, camera angles, and lighting. The director's goal is to transform the audience from passive observers to active participants in the narrative.

Highlights

The film 'Duel' primarily takes place inside the jury room, emphasizing the importance of cinematography despite spatial limitations.

Lensing is a crucial aspect of cinematography, involving the use of f-stop and focal length to control light and image shape.

Focal length determines the depth of field and can influence the audience's subconscious interpretation of the story.

In 'Duel', different lenses with varying focal lengths were used to represent the three acts of the film.

The first act used wider lenses of 18 to 28 millimeters, creating a broader perspective.

The camera angle in the first act is slightly above the characters, suggesting a distant observation.

As the film progresses, the camera angle shifts to eye level, and lens choices change to 50 to 70 millimeters.

The change in lens introduces a claustrophobic feeling as the story becomes more intense.

In the last act, a telephoto lens around 100 millimeters is used, compressing space and intensifying the drama.

The camera angle in the final act looks down on characters, making them appear more imposing.

The introduction of a ceiling element accentuates the claustrophobic atmosphere in the jury room.

Lighting changes throughout the film reflect the evolving ambiguity and tension of the story.

At the start, even lighting represents the simplicity of the proceedings with minimal shadows.

As the day progresses, prominent shadows and sharp distinctions in lighting separate characters from the background.

Close-ups across the three acts demonstrate the evolution of the characters and their emotions.

The technical aspects of filmmaking, such as lensing and lighting, serve to create an immersive experience for the audience.

The director's use of these techniques aims to turn the audience from passive observers to active participants in the story.

Creative use of lensing is encouraged for directors to make the audience feel the story and create a memorable experience.

Transcripts

[Music]

except for the opening and the

concluding scene the entirety of duel

Angry Men takes place inside the jury

room now despite the spatial limitation

there's a lot to learn in terms of

cinematography from this film the most

important of which is lensing lensing to

be honest is a tricky aspect of

cinematography the camera recalls the

action on either a film or a digital

sensor the light required to form the

image enters through a lens a lens

primarily has two variables f-stop and

focal length f-stop decides how much of

the light will enter through to the

sensor by controlling the aperture the

focal length is the more interesting one

focal length decides the size and the

shape of the image and long lens crushes

the image and makes it flat giving a

shallow depth of field a wide lens

stretches the image out and sometimes

distorts it the choice of the lens

determines how the audience will

interpret the story at a subconscious

level into a Langevin Sidney Lumet used

lenses with different focal lengths at

different stages of the film if we

divide the film into three acts the

first act was filmed with wider lenses

roughly 18 to 28 millimeters another

interesting thing to notice is the

camera angle the first act is filmed

with the camera looking slightly down on

the characters as the film progresses

the camera angle moves to the eye level

the lens choices now moved to around 50

to 70 millimeter these lenses start to

compress the space to introduce a

claustrophobic feeling unlike in the

previous act maybe were a distant

observer Lehmann slowly makes us

participate in the proceedings finally

in the last act the lens toy is moved to

a telephoto lens something around

hundred millimeter the human figures are

now crushed in the frame the close-ups

become more dramatic there's hardly any

room to breathe in this jury room the

camera angle also looks upon the

character making them even more imposing

the newly introduced ceiling acts as an

additional element to accentuate the

claustrophobic atmosphere another thing

to notice is the way lighting changes

throughout the film as there's less

ambiguity at the start the lighting

replicates the simplicity of the

proceedings with an evenly lit room the

shadows on the faces of the characters

aren't prominent and the background

walls

hardly have any shadows on them

the film progresses with the day

approaching the evening time prominent

shadows now paint the walls and separate

the characters from the background the

shadows on the faces of the characters

also become sharp and distinct as the

film reaches its conclusion here is a

comparison of close-ups across three

distinct stages of the film

now the question is why do all of this

what's the point of going through all

this technical hassle when the story can

be well conveyed through the performance

of the actors alone and the answer is to

create an experience the point isn't to

tell the audience which jury member

changes his decision at what point the

point is to make the audience experience

the proceedings in such a way that they

understand why a person would change his

mind for that the director has to turn

the audience from a passive observer to

an active participant he achieves that

with his acute use of lighting camera

angles and especially of the lensing the

effect works on a subliminally and will

become part of the proceedings and that

for me stands out as great filmmaking so

if you're planning your next film try to

see if there's any possibility to use

lensing in a creative way because as a

director it is your job to make the

audience feel the story it is your job

to create an experience otherwise what's

the point of being a director

[Music]

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