A lot of the points made by Ebert give so much insight to the thought process behind design choices. The idea of reading a movie is very interesting and its popularity speaks for itself. It’s a great way to both interpret meaning from small moments and to learn about how ideas can come to life. Giving weight to people or objects in a scene is a very interesting point that Ebert makes. Having something so seemingly simple as someone being close to the camera and someone else in the background can make an incredible impact on the audience. Color play parts with theory and giving emphasis, different camera angles can shift the focus in a multitude of ways, lighting gives and takes away information which then leads to suspense and answered questions. All of these are important to consider when analyzing media in my personal opinion, even if they’re not all applicable or a key point.
This whole compilation is a fascinating watch. The perspective point stays the same across multiple different movies despite how drastically different they are. The vanishing point isn’t always the focal point yet the eyes of the viewer is constantly drawn to it. Sometimes they provide a setting, showing objects and places that tell us what to expect. On the other hand, sometimes they don’t show anything to the audience, leaving characters to be the main focus and leaving suspense in place of knowledge.
The emphasis on different shots is something easily overlooked when watching a show or movie, and the way the narrator describes these shots is clear and easy to understand. He mentions what they are and gives good examples of how they can be used, how each of them show different ideas to the audience. His tips on camera angles was also really intriguing to me. Using eye level shots to give an idea of no comparison versus the low and high angles which reinforce meaning and emphasis on aspects of said shot. The tips provided in this clip are great tools for producing and analyzing all sorts of design.
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