Shot-by-Shot Analysis

Title: Michael Clayton (2007)

Director: Tony Gilroy

Director of Photography: Robert Elswit

Michael Clayton is a movie about a man who works for a law firm "fixing" cases. One case, in particular, has Michael stepping in after a high-powered attorney has a nervous breakdown, nearly ruining a multi-billion dollar case.

The lighting of the shot is the most dominant aspect of this scene. Each scene is shot with very dull and dark colors, brown and black being the two vital colors. In this first scene, Michael enters the restaurant, but the camera is set up away from the door, with a man in between it and Michael. This was obviously to convey the distance Michael has created between him and other people, and, combined with the dark colors, tells you that this is all a mystery and eerie, in a sense. You still don't know who is trying to kill Michael, so the dark lighting helps tell you that.

The depth of field is also interesting. Not until he passes the man at the bar does Michael come in focus, which is an interesting, but necessary, choice in composing this shot.

Also, as Michael walks towards the camera, you see his face moving in and out of the light, almost symbolizing how he operates...staying behind the scenes and "fixing" things.

Next, you see Karen (played by Tilda Swinton) away from the camera, yet she's the one in focus. Michael, in the foreground, is completely out of focus, continuing with the mystery that makes up Michael.

The lights surrounding Karen are all dimly lit, also adding to the continuity of these particular scenes. Anything shot in bright light would distract the viewer and take away from the graveness of the subject matter.

I really like the beginning of this shot, how Karen's hair covers part of her face, as if the D.P. is attempting another way to show the viewer that these are mysterious characters, but without recycling the same "out of focus, moving in and out of the shadows" technique.

Finally they show Michael approaching Karen without the shadows covering his face. This is a very dominant theme throughout the scene, not to mention the entire movie, and this is certainly a shot that breaks from this consistent theme. Everything in the background is out of focus, unlike the previous scene where everything was in focus other than Michael.

This shot-reverse shot is necessary to help show where they are in relation to each other, and once again Michael is still in focus, while everything else remains blurred. This helps show the viewer that you need to be concentrating on Michael's character and everything he has to say. In this shot, he is getting ready to say something, so this helps show the viewer that you need to be ready for when he begins to talk.

Just like the shots of Michael, every shot of Karen talking shows everything in the background out of focus. This was obviously a decision the D.P. made to tell the viewer that they need to pay attention to what these characters have to say, as this is an integral part of the movie and is a miniature climax.

Just like the other scenes, everything is dark, from her hair to her coat, to the shoulder and hair of Michael.

Beautiful Images

I'm fairly partial to a run-of-the-mill landscape shot, and this one, in my opinion, is absolutely beautiful. What makes this beautiful to me is how it gradually gets lighter, from the top to the bottom, and then all of a sudden it goes straight to black. The unexpectedness of that really catches my attention, and I love it.

This is also a shot that I like. Even though we know the water is moving, the picture captures it as if the water is in a standstill. We also know that its falling down at a massive speed, the serenity of the water at the very bottom offers a pleasant contrast.

Portrait of a Place

Portrait Of A Place from Clifton Lewis on Vimeo.

So my "Portrait of a Place" was my parent's backyard. The video shows the enormity of things in comparison to the dog.

Portrait Of A Place

For my portrait of a place, I have decided to film in the backyard of my parent's house. The significance behind filming here isn't clear at first.

When I think of my parent's backyard, I think about something that is consistent...a place that will always have our three yorkies running around and chasing tennis balls, a place where I can always chill out on the hammock if I want to forget about stuff, a place where my grandmother can look from her window and spy on our next-door neighbors...

The deliberation on the type of shots for this was simple. I want wide shots to help establish the scene, then close ups of the many goings-on such as the dogs playing and the hammock swaying to show the serenity and calmness of the backyard. I have pre-visualized most of the shots, but I'm sure other shots will come to me while filming this.

What I Learned This Week

This week we were presented with a very interesting in-class project; the "run & gun" style of shooting.

I certainly went from being excited about being the sole director to nervous on many levels. This seemed like a lot of pressure, and with only ten minutes of prep time, it seemed near impossible to pull off anything that I'd actually be proud of submitting.

But I think this is what the project was intended for. Without someone giving you that extra push and saying "don't worry, everyone else is in the exact same position as you," you'll never be be confident enough to take that leadership role.

Aside from showing me a few things about directing, like how to explain myself to the other people to get the particular shot I want, I also learned a little bit about my style of shooting. I particularly enjoy close ups, which in my opinion help convey emotion much better than other shots.

To go along with that, I like wide shots of actors, which helps create tension and makes it easier for the audience to realize that.