Hi my name is Tony and this is Every Frame a Painting
The most basic thing we have in film grammar is probably this:
Shot
Reverse shot
Nearly everything you watch is going to be
Nearly everything you watch is going to be filled with it.
And most filmmakers seem to use it as a quick way to record dialogue.
Keep the actors still, use multiple cameras
shoot ten takes, and then make decisions in post.
But I think shot | reverse shot is still powerful when it's done precisely
And a good example of that is the work of Joel & Ethan Coen.
-"We thought you was..."
-"...a toad."
Because the Coens are masters of the dialogue scene
And they’ve done it by keeping their shots simple but precise
-"Can I share something with you?"
So today, let’s reconsider shot | reverse shot.
What can we learn from the way the Coens use it?
-"But let me ask you a question..."
-"Would an imbecile come up with this?"
One of the first things you notice about the Coens is that
they like to film dialogue from inside the space of the conversation.
And that means the camera is usually in between the two characters
so that they each get separate shots.
-"Do I make myself clear?"
In other words, they shoot a lot of singles.
-"I’m sorry. I wasn’t listening."
Other filmmakers, like Paul Greengrass, prefer the camera behind the characters
Usually on a very long lens, so you feel like you’re spying
-"I want to know what happened" -"What happened?"
-"Jason Bourne happened. You got the files."
-"Then let’s cut the crap."
The Coens and Roger Deakins don’t do this.
In fact, they film almost exclusively on wide lenses
-"Well I’ve got a very strong feeling about lenses and personally..."
-"...I’m sitting here talking to you and you’re filming me from over there..."
-"...on a shoulder on probably a single. Where, I’d rarely do that."
-"Cause I think, you know, the camera wants to be..."
-"To me, I would shoot singles inside here."
And if you do this, switch to a wider lens and bring the camera closer
it feels like…
-"It’s different right? You know, there’s a sense of presence..."
-"You’re right there with somebody, as opposed to being…"
-"...I think psychologically, it’s a totally different effect so…"
But what is the psychological effect?
If a long lens feels like you’re spying, then how does this lens make you feel?
-"Look, look, something is very wrong!"
-"I don’t want Santana 'Abraxas.'"
-"I’ve just been in a terrible auto accident!"
I would say it’s two feelings:
kind of uncomfortable…
and kind of funny.
And it fits.
Because the Coens like to isolate individuals
trapping them in situations that they really have no control over.
And because the lens is right here...
-"Now we had a deal here. A deal’s a deal."
-"Is it Jerry? You ask those three poor souls up in Brainerd if a deal’s a deal"
You’re trapped with them.
The other effect is visual.
The Coens shoot mostly on a 27mm or 32mm lens
and they often push in to exaggerate some part of an actor’s face.
-"Frank Raffo, my brother-in-law, was the principal barber."
-"And man, could he talk."
Using wide lenses doesn’t just exaggerate the face...
...it also exaggerates forward camera movement, like dollying into a close-up.
-"Also a sense of action."
-"Like if I bring my hand closer or further from the camera..."
-"...the wide-angle lens is going to have much more effect."
-"And even if I’m shifting, like this."
-"Maybes don’t make it so."
-"It’s going to feel more alive, more edgy."
-"What, are you kidding? We got us a family here!"
But the third effect of shooting singles this way...
...is environmental.
Shots like this have a nice balance...
...between the character and everything around her.
-"I’d be very surprised if our suspect was from Brainerd."
-"Yah."
And it helps us get a quick read on very minor characters.
Think about how well you know this woman just from her clothes and her workspace.
-"We can’t give out no information."
But what really distinguishes the Coens
...is the rhythm of their editing.
-"We depress the stock."
-"To the point where we can buy 50%" -"51."
-"Not counting the mezzanine."
-"It could work!" -"It should work!"
-"It would work!" -"It’s working already!"
Many people think the rhythm comes from their dialogue.
But the rhythm is actually nonverbal.
Sometimes, to feel the rhythm, you have to see it done badly.
This is a film they wrote but didn’t direct.
Watch the awkward pause between two lines of dialogue.
-"Not that I judge."
-"How terribly interesting."
-"But is there a tournament of some description with rowdy goings-on?"
It just feels "off."
Now watch this moment, directed by them.
-"Cigarette?"
-"Right."
And this rhythm is what underlies so many of their scenes...
and it’s how they find nonverbal moments that other directors don’t look for.
But what do all these choices add up to?
I think it creates a particular tone.
Because on one level, the Coens want you to laugh at these people.
After all, they use the wide lens to exaggerate the face
and they time the scene for humor.
But on another level, the Coens want you to empathize with these characters.
They frame wide enough so you can see the environment
...and they put the lens right next to people at their lowest point.
-"I am dying."
-"Do something. Help me!"
There's an old saying: Tragedy is a close-up.
Comedy is a long shot.
But for the Coens those distinctions are jumbled.
They play both tragedy and comedy in intimate singles.
-"I miss Mike."
And that's the fascinating thing.
Because dialogue scenes aren't just about recording the dialogue.
They're also about the nonverbal behavior.
-"I don’t guess this means much to you."
-"Hell yeah, I could tell you some stories…"
-"And that’s the point! That we all have stories..."
And by placing the camera here,
using a wide lens, and following their particular rhythm
the Coens have found an interesting approach to the most basic tool.
Shot
Reverse shot
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