12 Angry Men | How to Use Lensing
Summary
TLDRThe 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
🎥 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Lensing
💡F-stop
💡Focal Length
💡Depth of Field
💡Camera Angle
💡Claustrophobic Feeling
💡Lighting
💡Shadows
💡Close-ups
💡Ceiling
💡Experience
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]
you
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