Cinematic Impact in the movies
“That’s a beautiful image! What camera did you use?” — this is an old joke told by photographers and cinematographers, poking fun at uninformed viewers who think that the camera is the one taking the pictures. To professional image-makers, it’s obvious that skill and a vision of an artist, not a camera, determine the quality of an image. After all, even the most expensive camera can produce a bad image in the hands of an untrained operator. Conversely, exceptional photographs can be achieved even with a smartphone. If the camera most of us carry in our pockets is sufficient, can anyone create remarkable images? The short answer is yes.
When we focus on communicating with the audience, it becomes evident that there are only three elements that will help achieve the cinematic impact that eludes many young filmmakers
In my 14 year-long career as a cinematography educator, one recurring wish unites nearly all filmmakers I’ve mentored: making their films look “like a movie”—they want it to be cinematic. Even inexperienced filmmakers can tell the difference between an amateur video and a captivating movie. But Ask professional filmmakers what makes moving images cinematic, and the answers will vary from the lighting style or choice of lens, to the story or characters. Why are cinematic images so easy to spot, yet so difficult to create?
Take a moment to observe the two images above: one is a still from the film Moneyball, and the other is a snapshot taken by an amateur photographer. That they are very different may be obvious, but can you pinpoint any specific technique making one image more cinematic than the other?
The key to unlocking the cinematic impact is hidden deep within our approach to visual storytelling. Films are often regarded as a form of expression, similar to a painting in a gallery, but movie theaters are not galleries. An audience expects a clear and engaging story, placing the responsibility on filmmakers to deliver it. In contrast, museum patrons may anticipate a high degree of craftsmanship but take on the responsibility themselves to interpret and understand the artwork. Essentially, cinematic images function as a form of communication rather than a one-sided expression. When we focus on communicating with the audience, it becomes evident that there are only three elements that will help achieve the cinematic impact that eludes many young filmmakers.
A Concrete Message
Imagine yourself preparing to give a speech. You are asked if you need a projector screen to show slides, an audio connection to play a musical example, and how long the speech will take. Can you answer these questions? Not without first devising the message you wish to deliver. Surprisingly, when we create images we tend to design them, making camera and lens choices, before giving much thought to the message we wish to deliver with them. This disconnect is humorously laid bare in a 5 minute TEDx talk, by writer and actor Will Stephen, demonstrating a speech devoid of any substance. By using intonation, as well as irrelevant images and graphs, Stephen is able to briefly captivate his audience. Such a temporary allure can be achieved with images as well, by using very simple techniques such as shallow focus (an effect now available on smartphones) or shaping the image as a widescreen (mimicking an epic cinematic experience). These methods can grab a viewer’s attention, which is adequate for many visual artists, but if there’s no message, it’s all just smoke and mirrors.
Crafting cinematic images, like preparing for a speech, requires a clear message to convey. However, not all messages translate easily into visual representation. Abstract concepts like "love" or "fascination" pose challenges because images are concrete—we see them. That is why movies use stories and characters as vessels to embody such abstract ideas. For example, epic war movies like Apocalypse Now and 1917, often express an anti-war message, which is concretized by using characters the audience can identify with.
Audiences engage with characters differently than they do with strangers in the street, attributing meaning because they are aware that characters are deliberate creations. The payoff for the audience's attention is the message conveyed, which can be deeply satisfying, even if the message is simple or negative. When a movie fails to deliver its message, the audience's attention swiftly shifts elsewhere or is totally lost.
Creating cinematic impact hinges on a fundamental question: What is the message? A filmmaker should be able to answer this question with specificity and clarity, before ever stepping on a movie set. The most effective messages are succinct, often encapsulated in a single sentence. For example, the story expressed in the image from The Man Who Wasn’t There could be outlined as: “A man contemplates a drastic solution to his marital problems”, encapsulating both his role as the main character and the implied power dynamic expressed in the image.
To gauge an image's success in delivering its message, present it to someone and ask, "What is the message?" Resist the urge to explain; cinematic images speak for themselves.
A Deliberate Perspective
The observer of the cinematic image is willingly unaware that their gaze is no longer within their control. We rarely think about our own act of seeing when looking at an image, but artists creating cinematic visuals are keenly aware of the observer's gaze and their power to direct it. This exchange confers immense power upon the artist. Yet, deliberately guiding the viewer's gaze is a delicate art that many image-makers struggle to master, often leading to a loss of trust with their audience. An example lies in the unfortunately common objectification of the female form, perpetuated in many images. The problem isn't the inclusion of women in visual narratives but rather the imposition of a gaze that either diverges from viewer expectations or serves no clear purpose.
In movies, a gaze is often represented by using a point-of-view, aligning the audience’s gaze with that of the character’s.
Cinematic images transcend the simple act of looking by embodying a perspective. While a point of view shows the observer what the character is seeing, a perspective aligns the audience with the character’s psyche and emotional state, inviting viewers to look into their inner world rather than simply through their eyes.
The opening scene of the film Searching for Bobby Fischer illustrates the use of perspective, as we witness a young boy watching people play chess in a park. The boy’s gaze transcends human limits, fixating on small details that capture his fascination with the game. This perspective, far from ordinary human sight, underscores the filmmaker's intent—to evoke the child's singular passion through images.
All cinematic images convey a perspective, deliberately created by an artist. "Whose perspective is this?" is a question every image-maker must consider, for every image in a sequence. There are finite options to choose from: either a character's viewpoint or the artist's own. The two are fundamentally different since characters express their own feelings while artists attempt to impose emotions upon their audience, orchestrating perception with any tool available to them such as cameras, lenses and lighting.
The choice of narrative perspective may be one of the most consequential decisions a filmmaker can make when designing cinematic images. This tool isn't limited to movies; it extends across all visual media, including television news and documentaries, where each frame conveys a deliberate perspective.
In their short documentary Today, Prisca Bouchet and Nick Mayow capture the experience of living in an assisted living nursing home. Rather than focusing on a single character, they convey the collective experience of many characters, aiming to answer the question: “How does it feel to live in a nursing home?”
To answer such a broad question, the filmmakers avoid choosing a single character’s perspective. Through a series of moving images, each depicting a different character's moment, the entire story unfolds. We see the events from a distance, as if we are in the room observing. However, it is not us in the room but the filmmakers, who deliberately placed the camera and selected the moments we witness. These choices effectively convey the feelings of isolation, dependency, and routine.
An Artistic Interpretation
In our modern world, we are constantly bombarded with a ceaseless barrage of images and sounds. We find images on screens, magazines, walls and clothes, making it impossible to give each one equal attention. Our ability to quickly distinguish between meaningful and meaningless images has become an essential skill in everyday life.
How does one discern if an image was created to convey a meaningful message or simply hides behind cinematic techniques? Images, like language, convey patterns that cannot be artificially created. Just as a jumbled sequence of letters can be easily distinguished from a coherent sentence, superficial visual effects like shallow focus or wide compositions fall short of eliciting cinematic impact on their own—they must be part of a cohesive intent.
When an artist designs an image, every visual element serves a purpose—a carefully orchestrated composition similar to crafting a sentence where each word contributes to the meaning conveyed. A random element would be as disruptive as a word out of place in a sentence. When devising ways to express an idea visually, visual artists make many decisions. There are thousands of lenses to choose from, and the camera can be placed virtually anywhere. Choosing proves difficult without a certain interpretation to the message, which visual artists are expected to have. For example, the boy from Searching for Bobby Fischer is very curious about the game of chess, but the degree of his curiosity is decided by the film director. Is he simply interested in the game, or is he fascinated and inspired by it? Variation in intensity shapes the design of cinematic images, mirroring the nuances of language. In cinema, even a close-up has many different variations.
Novice visual artists may find the concept of interpretation difficult to comprehend. Consider directors like Quentin Tarantino and Steven Spielberg, who would make vastly different films even if they were given the same screenplay. The differences would lie in the way these directors choose to interpret the text and, as a result, design images. In the realm of cinematic images, this distinctive interpretation imbues each image with meaning. It is, after all, not just the message that creates the cinematic image, but also the way that an artist chooses to convey it.
Filmmakers' pursuit of the cinematic impact is relentless, often driven by the belief that if something is visible, it should be straightforward to replicate. But the design alone cannot create a cinematic experience, and no high-end camera can guarantee it. The first step to creating a cinematic image is to abandon the superficial idea that cinematic impact is solely about how an image looks. Instead, begin by developing a message that can be communicated visually. Then, determine the perspective from which the events will be viewed and choose how each element of the image is designed to support both the message and the chosen perspective. Finally, listen to your audience. After all, if images are a form of communication, then a message is only successful when it is effectively delivered and understood.