The Cinematography In Stranger Things Pt.2
Obscure messages in the massive Netflix hit you did not notice. How great cinematography influences our perception.
Intro
In the previous part of this article, we’ve shown different tricks that Duffer Br. are using in their stunning show Stranger Things. Let’s dive into the awesome details which can be achieved with the powerful use of environment and storytelling!
Visual unification of the heroes
During the 3rd season, the main characters are fighting against the Soviet military and the Mind Flayer. Both are examples of collectivism. However, there is a contrast between the two. Soviet one is a part of their cultural identity. On the other hand, The Mind Flayer is built from its minions and shows the cruel side of collectivism.
In some way the concept of the Mind Flayer is similar to the communists; it like the ideology usurps people’s minds and creating “the new one” uses a person like a resource.
So let’s analyze the visual unity of the Russians. Using traveling, guards are shown one by one, then the camera moves back and we see them together in a long shot.
Speaking about the Mind Flayer collectivism, there are lots of episodes that show us how this huge monster absorbs its minions.
But the one scene demonstrates the unification in a superior way.
First, we see Billy and Heather speaking about Eleven. Billy says: “She knows about me. She could’ve killed me.” Then Heather says: “Yes. But not us. Not us.” After these words, the camera smoothly is moving away and is showing us Mind Flayer’s army of minions which are standing around Billy and Heather. At the end of the scene, the camera stops behind the Mind Flayer which is rising high above its forces.
Here we also can see a very intriguing detail. The Mind Flayer supersedes more and more space in the shot and it demonstrates us where and wherefore its army will go.
What about Eleven and her team, you might ask? Of course the Duffer Br. quite often use the technique of unification the squad. They are a collectivity too. In contrast, they are bound by friendship and love. This kind of collectivism is built upon positive emotions and values.
Let’s take the scene when the squad prepares their home for the upcoming monster onslaught. Friends are shown by long shot. The camera is following the heroes and panning the room at 360 degrees. Shooting is getting quicker when there is a character in red clothes. This character keeps your attention and shifts it meanwhile to the next group of friends. After that, the shooting is cooling down.
This trick demonstrates the intention of Eleven’s squad and also shows us their union and team spirit. They are ready to stand shoulder to shoulder before the face of danger.
Match and “coincidence”
Coincidence is about the match of two or more occasions. The word “Coincidence “ is also very spreading in the show. It describes all the stranger things (he-he) that happened in Hawkins — government laboratory, runaway girl with the superpower, monstrosities from the upside-down, the Soviet bunker and so on. All these occasions are coincidentally taking place in a small city.
We use match-cut for inter-frame montage and changing the camera tracking object for an intra-frame montage. In the case of Stranger Things, the word “coincidence” is suited for such a transition without a cut.
What does this mean? It means that the camera starts to follow one character or thing, but then smoothly passes to others which draws your attention. Such a technique helps to show us the interrelation between people in the small city like Hawkins, the feeling of conspiracy, prevailing during the 80s.
Environment and the heroes
It is not enough to just use a close-up match when the character sees something unique, giant and boggling the mind. It is more exciting to combine the character with it. This technique helps the cameramen transfer the influx of heroes’ emotions to us. The focus is on what the character sees right now.
For example, the scene when children are hiding from the Mind Flayer in the shopping mall. The camera is following the monster and then in the foreground appears children who are behind cover. Later on, we see the monster again. This shows us that the Mind Flayer is close and dangerous while children are not in a safe space. Like so, the menace and the characters are in the same shot, that is why we as viewers don’t doubt the riskiness and danger of the situation.
Outro
We hope that you’ve liked this series. Please share your opinion or tricks that you personally use when filming. If you want we can review any film you like. Feel free to tell us in the comments or drop us a line at support@naive.pro
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