Review of Camera Angles in Movie Choice

Review of Camera Angles 

Movie: Inception (2010) 

From Producer Christopher Nolan  

I chose to comment on a few of the camera angles in the 2010 movie "Inception" because it is my favorite movie and the cinematics in all of Christopher Nolan's movie never fail to amaze to me. This movie fits into the action, thriller, adventure, and science fiction genres. As most films do, Inception uses all of the camera angles that we have been studying, but I chose seven key angles that I think highlight the ones we've been learning about. 

In this scene, we see the use of a close up shot of Cobb's watch. The concept of time is very relevant and important in this movie, and this will not be the last time we see a close up of a watch or clock. This close-up just as mentioned in the article we read this week, Different Camera Angles Create Different Emotions, gives you a sense of closeness to the character as well as signifying and symbolizing the importance of time like mentioned previously. 

In this next shot we have an establishing bird's eye view. This camera angle is taken from above and is often an aerial shot. It makes the viewer feel Godlike because we can see the scene from such an extreme angle. In the movie, this shot is taken from a helicopter ride that the characters are taking. It sets the setting for where the next scene is about to take place. 

The next shot is a high angel shot of two characters Cobb and his father in law. In the article "Different Camera Angles Create Different Emotions" it explains that high angles are made to give a unique perspective, or make us as viewers feel like onlookers on a conversation or seen. I think the high angle in this scene is meant to do just that. It gives us an insight on this seen as if we were bystanders at the door entrance eavesdropping on the conversation. 

In this shot we are able to see a really cool scene of Arthur teaching Ariadne how the paradoxes in Inception. He shows her how the never ending staircase works, and we see how this low angle shot makes us the viewers feel kind of disorientated. The camera work here and the this low angle happens to be my favorite shot in the movie. We see this paradox in action a few times in the movie so its really cool to see how they work with different angle each times it's used. 

In this next scene we see an Over the Shoulder shot. This is when the camera is behind the character or to the back side of them and you feel like your experiencing the scene or conversation with the character. This is a frequent angle used in the movie because it has some intense action scenes, like the one above, where an angle like this makes the viewer feel invest in the scene which shows its importance. 

This is a POV shot. In this scene, Ariadne is practicing architecture in a dream state. In this POV shot as a viewer it is almost as we are inside her eyes and are seeing what she is seeing through her view, which is exactly what a POV shot is supposed to capture. It is pretty cool to see how everything is seen through her eyes and the way the grace at which the camera is moving perfects this POV shot even better. 

Lastly, we have a two shot. In this scene Cobb and Eames are seen having an important conversation about Cobb's new mission and he is trying to have Eames assist and come with him on it. With a two shot like the one above, it makes us as the viewer feel like we are listening to a conversation from a bar or from a farther distance. It creates a level of intimacy between the characters and the viewer.