There are so many images from films that have struck me and I wish I could include them all in this post, but here are the 10 that I picked. Also, in no particular order except for Jurassic Park!
1. Jurassic Park - Directed by Steven Spielberg
If I have talked to you about my love for film and my story, this scene will always come up. This is from the scene where the T-Rex breaks out of her cage and begins to wreak havoc on Dr. Grant, Tim, Lexie, and the "blood-sucking lawyer", Donald. This image is nice because it uses the rule of thirds very well. The T-Rex is directly in the middle with all four focal points on her. She was the real star of the film after all!
2. Shame - Directed by Steve McQueen
I guess I have to admit that I've seen this... This scene follows an extremely uncomfortable scene where Brandon (Fassbender) listens to his sister have sex. He is a struggling sex addict and literally flees from temptation. This is Steve McQueen's signature: He has these long, continuous shots in his films that are almost uncomfortable at times. This one is beautiful because it shows the streets of New York and imitates the jogging.
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Directed by Alfonso Cauron
Harry and Hermione have just traveled back in time. As they make their way from the hospital wing to Hagrid's hut, the camera follows them and then it moves through the cogs of the clock, out the window, and then flies down to the courtyard to meet back up with Harry and Hermione. The camera movement from this scene shows off the geography of Hogwarts, which was the goal of Cauron wanted when he helmed Prisoner of Azkaban.
4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - Directed by Chris Columbus
This is when the Dursley's find out that there is no escaping magic and magic will always find its way to Harry. The camera angle looking down at Harry jumping and reaching for letters with joy is so unique to me. It expresses the chaos of the situation very well in my opinion and the combination with the score always gives me goosebumps.
5. Shutter Island - Directed by Martin Scorsese
Teddy (DiCaprio) is reunited with his dead wife in a drug induced dream. I like this particular image from the scene because of all the ashes falling that are consuming the entire living apartment. The ashes, blood, and water are all context clues to what happened to Teddy's wife. The scene is pretty colorful despite the content being dark, which is my favorite thing about this scene and the entire film.
6. Schindler's List - Directed by Steven Spielberg
I actually have never seen Schindler's List, but I know the context of the little girl in red and I think (and it feels like everyone else does too) that it is one of the most striking images to ever grace cinema. This is a perfect example of imagery used in a film to tell the story. As another teacher of mine says, the dialogue isn't even needed when the girl in the red coat is shown on screen. The audience can piece it together with just the visuals (hey, visual storytelling)!
7. Pleasantville - Directed by Gary Ross
Another film that effectively use color and black and white to convey the story. Betty (Joan Allen) converted into technicolor and is scared to face the rest of the world so David (Tobey Maguire) decides to help her cover up by putting on her makeup for her to conceal herself. There are a series of close-ups, medium shots, and one wide shot. It perfectly conveys the emotions of the scene. The key to the scene, though, is Betty stark contrast with the black and white. It is extremely beautiful and emotional.
8. Titanic - Directed by James Cameron
I wanted a clip of the doors being blasted into the hallway by the surging water, but this is my second favorite image from Titanic. This was when the second half of the ship was rising. There is something haunting about the plates falling slowly from the shelves and smashing into the floor. I think it shows how precious the ship was and how it was totally destroyed. The placement of the camera feels scary to me cause the plates are falling forward.
9. There Will Be Blood - Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
The first major oil rig owned by Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) explodes and catches on fire causing a huge loss in revenues and a few people to get hurt including Plainview's son. This scene mostly consists of wide and extreme wide shots such as this image. This one is the most haunting to me because it is hellish and the score is just as hellish. The rig is in the center of the frame along with the silhouette of Plainview and leads the eye there.
10. I, Robot - Directed by Alex Proyas
This is the final shot from I, Robot where Sonny and all of the robots realize who he truly is. The camera starts off as a close-up on Sonny's face and moves backwards to reveal the other robots stopping and looking up to Sonny. By the time it ends, it becomes a beautiful extreme wide shot that includes Sonny barely visible on the hill overlooking his new admirers with the bridge centered in the background and the shipping containers making up the sides of the frame. It really captures the scope of the film.
1. Jurassic Park - Directed by Steven Spielberg
If I have talked to you about my love for film and my story, this scene will always come up. This is from the scene where the T-Rex breaks out of her cage and begins to wreak havoc on Dr. Grant, Tim, Lexie, and the "blood-sucking lawyer", Donald. This image is nice because it uses the rule of thirds very well. The T-Rex is directly in the middle with all four focal points on her. She was the real star of the film after all!
2. Shame - Directed by Steve McQueen
I guess I have to admit that I've seen this... This scene follows an extremely uncomfortable scene where Brandon (Fassbender) listens to his sister have sex. He is a struggling sex addict and literally flees from temptation. This is Steve McQueen's signature: He has these long, continuous shots in his films that are almost uncomfortable at times. This one is beautiful because it shows the streets of New York and imitates the jogging.
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Directed by Alfonso Cauron
Harry and Hermione have just traveled back in time. As they make their way from the hospital wing to Hagrid's hut, the camera follows them and then it moves through the cogs of the clock, out the window, and then flies down to the courtyard to meet back up with Harry and Hermione. The camera movement from this scene shows off the geography of Hogwarts, which was the goal of Cauron wanted when he helmed Prisoner of Azkaban.
4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - Directed by Chris Columbus
This is when the Dursley's find out that there is no escaping magic and magic will always find its way to Harry. The camera angle looking down at Harry jumping and reaching for letters with joy is so unique to me. It expresses the chaos of the situation very well in my opinion and the combination with the score always gives me goosebumps.
5. Shutter Island - Directed by Martin Scorsese
Teddy (DiCaprio) is reunited with his dead wife in a drug induced dream. I like this particular image from the scene because of all the ashes falling that are consuming the entire living apartment. The ashes, blood, and water are all context clues to what happened to Teddy's wife. The scene is pretty colorful despite the content being dark, which is my favorite thing about this scene and the entire film.
6. Schindler's List - Directed by Steven Spielberg
I actually have never seen Schindler's List, but I know the context of the little girl in red and I think (and it feels like everyone else does too) that it is one of the most striking images to ever grace cinema. This is a perfect example of imagery used in a film to tell the story. As another teacher of mine says, the dialogue isn't even needed when the girl in the red coat is shown on screen. The audience can piece it together with just the visuals (hey, visual storytelling)!
7. Pleasantville - Directed by Gary Ross
Another film that effectively use color and black and white to convey the story. Betty (Joan Allen) converted into technicolor and is scared to face the rest of the world so David (Tobey Maguire) decides to help her cover up by putting on her makeup for her to conceal herself. There are a series of close-ups, medium shots, and one wide shot. It perfectly conveys the emotions of the scene. The key to the scene, though, is Betty stark contrast with the black and white. It is extremely beautiful and emotional.
8. Titanic - Directed by James Cameron
I wanted a clip of the doors being blasted into the hallway by the surging water, but this is my second favorite image from Titanic. This was when the second half of the ship was rising. There is something haunting about the plates falling slowly from the shelves and smashing into the floor. I think it shows how precious the ship was and how it was totally destroyed. The placement of the camera feels scary to me cause the plates are falling forward.
9. There Will Be Blood - Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
The first major oil rig owned by Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) explodes and catches on fire causing a huge loss in revenues and a few people to get hurt including Plainview's son. This scene mostly consists of wide and extreme wide shots such as this image. This one is the most haunting to me because it is hellish and the score is just as hellish. The rig is in the center of the frame along with the silhouette of Plainview and leads the eye there.
10. I, Robot - Directed by Alex Proyas
This is the final shot from I, Robot where Sonny and all of the robots realize who he truly is. The camera starts off as a close-up on Sonny's face and moves backwards to reveal the other robots stopping and looking up to Sonny. By the time it ends, it becomes a beautiful extreme wide shot that includes Sonny barely visible on the hill overlooking his new admirers with the bridge centered in the background and the shipping containers making up the sides of the frame. It really captures the scope of the film.
