How do you enhance an unsettling moment in your script?
How do you signal that something is wrong?
Today, we're going to break down a scene
from Brian De Palma's "Mission: Impossible"
where he uses a classic cinematic technique
to create an uneasy feeling inside the viewer.
How does he do this?
The Dutch Angle.
A dutch angle is a shot that has a noticeable tilt on the cameras x-axis,
like this.
Or this.
Dutch angle was a camera technique
used by the German expressionists in the early 1900's.
Directors often use a dutch angle
to signal something disorienting, unsettling.
"Right, right, right,right."
If you want to get a similar feeling across
there are three things you need to do.
Number 1 - Identify the Moment.
Read through your script and find a moment
that is unsettling or wrong.
When you find it,
go to your script breakdown
and add a note at the bottom of the scene.
Is something like "Unsettling Moment - Dutch."
Number 2 - Consider the Moment.
When you go to build your shot list,
you'll note from the previous step
will remind you that this scene could benefit from a dutch angle.
Number 3.
Enchance the Moment.
This is where we get technical and unpack creative options
you have available to enhance your dutch angles.
These 3 things help you avoid self-indulgent camerawork
that can confuse the viewer.
Otherwise, you'd end up with dutch overdose.
[Laughing]
"Oh, you're too much."
We're going to use StudioBinder`s production software
to build a scene from "Mission: Impossible."
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Let's jump in.
The first thing you need to do is identify the moment.
When you read through a good script,
you will find a moment where everything changes,
where something big happens.
These are the moments where film techniques come in handy.
De Palma finds a moment here.
In this scene,
our hero Ethan Hunt arrives at a restaurant in Prague.
His entire team has just been murdered,
and he now has to meet with his boss Kitteridge.
Kittredge thinks Ethan just murdered his own team.
Ethan is unaware of this.
"I can't tell you, how sorry I am."
This marks a big shift in the film.
"I know how much Jim, in particular, meant to you, Ethan."
This is the climax of act one
where our hero passes the point of no return.
Short one is a medium close-up on Ethan.
This shot is eye level and a single.
You'll notice that for shot two,
Kittredge is also framed in a medium close-up.
We move onto shot three
where we finally get to see these characters connect for the first time.
De Palma shows us this by switching to a wide profile two shot.
The transition to the wide to shot is motivated
because it allows us to see Kittredge past the documents to Ethan.
But we also gain this slightly disarming moment.
Kitteridge leans forward,
but he stays forward
which adds an imposing contrast to Ethan's slumped depowered form.
We continue to cut from shot one back to shot two,
until Ethan asks.
"-Why was there another team?
-What?
-Of IMF agents. At the Embassy. Tonight."
When Kittredge lies to him.
"-I don't quite follow you."
This is where we see our dutch angle.
This is the moment.
The moment where something is wrong.
And the visuals change.
De Palma knows that a Dutch angle rocks the viewers equilibrium.
It makes us feel uneasy.
Kittridge has also brought a second team of IMF agents to the meeting.
Their identities are only brought to our attention,
once Ethan points them out.
"-Let's see if you can follow me around this room.
The drunk Russians on the embankment at 7 and 8 o'clock.
The couple waltzing around me at the Embassy at 9 and 11.
The waiter standing behind Hannah at the top of the stairs.
Bowtie 12 o'clock.
The other IMF team.
You're worried about me.
-That's right."
De Palma uses two different dutch angles
for shot four and shot five.
De Palma uses different camera levels
for each of his dutch angles in the scene.
Shot four on Ethan is closer to eye line
so we can still empathize.
But shot 5 on Kittredge
is an extremely low angle,
to distance us and showcases villainy.
The dutch angles De Palma used in the scene
have a very shallow depth of field.
"It`s correct."
The shallow depth of field
makes an already unsettling shot become somewhat claustrophobic,
as the world drifts away,
and the tension is ratcheted.
"You're want shake hands with the devil, that`s fine with me,
I'm just want to make sure you do it in hell."
The reason dutch angles work, so well in this scene,
is because they preceded by shots with standard composition.
Switching from normal to extreme framing
creates an even larger shift within the scene.
And we see this transition play out in real-time.
Let's recap.
Before you decide to use a dutch angle,
remember to identify the moments
during your script breakdown.
Consider the moments while you create your shot list and storyboard
and enhance the moment with camera techniques and cinematic language.
There are a few things you can do to enhance the shot.
First, the degree of your tilt.
The more you tilt, the more unsettling your shot becomes.
Another thing to keep in mind is
the camera level of your shot.
A dutch tilt placed at a low angle
will evoke a different feeling from one place that eye level.
Also, don't forget about the focal length of your lens.
Using a wide-angle lens will generate a different look and feel
when compared to standard or long lens.
Lastly, keep in mind your depth of field.
Identify. Consider. Enhance.
What are your favorite examples of the dutch angle?
How did the director use them to elevate the material?
Tell us in the comments.
Do you have a big plot shift or revelation, like Ethan's in your project?
If so, you'll want to call it out
when you create script breakdown.
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