Lord of the Rings Cinematography homework

Lord of the Rings Film Essay 28/9/12

(Cinematography)

The scene starts with Frodo walking into a dark cave with Gollum, using a mid-shot. It also uses the rule of thirds as Gollum is shown on the right in the foreground, being very close to the camera while Frodo is in the centre of the screen in the background, putting our attention onto him. The use of low key lighting in the cave is meant to represent how mysterious the cave is, and it’s shown as a very tight and enclosed space which shows that Frodo could easily be trapped or become claustrophobic. As Frodo moves further into the cave, the a long shot angle is used to show how small and weak Frodo is in the cave, and darkness surrounds him, which hides possible things from the audience such as what could be hiding in the darkness, and builds a lot of tension.

A P.O.V shot is then used from the sight of Frodo. It uses a tracking shot to go forward and around a corner. The use of a P.O.V shot is to help place the audience into the scene, and also to build suspension as we don’t know what could be around the corner. It also makes us feel empathy for Frodo as it shows us how vulnerable he is in the cave. We are then given a P.O.V shot from something else, possibly Gollum or another creature in the cave. The camera follows Frodo through a small gap in the wall through the P.O.V which builds a bit more suspension, as we don’t know what it is that is hiding in the dark.

The camera returns to a low angle shot of Frodo, who is partly to the right of the screen. This makes him look afraid and defenceless in the cave. The camera then cuts to the foreground, blurring out Frodo in the background to show us bones in front of him. This informs us that things have died in the cave, and tells us that people who enter the cave are more than likely to die. It also tells us that Frodo is in serious danger and he doesn’t know it yet, as he hasn’t seen the bones.

Frodo then encounters an obstacle that informs him and us of the possible dangers in the cave when his hand is trapped in the web. It uses a medium long shot and shows us the tightness of the cave again, as part of the camera is covered by the wall. This shows us that the cave, in all places is very tight. It still uses a low key lighting through the entire scene, but light is shown in the background coming from other ways in the cave. This shows us that the cave is large and easy to get lost in, and informs us that Frodo could be attacked from anywhere by the creature living in the cave.

We are then given another P.O.V shot from the creature following Frodo, which tells us that Frodo is being stalked by this potential enemy. The screen to the left is fully black, to show that it is hiding in the darkness where Frodo can’t see it. It then hides back behind the wall when Frodo looks towards the creature, which shows that it is waiting for the right time to strike.

The camera returns to Frodo with a medium shot and then tracks forward to a close up of Frodo when he shouts for Gollum. This shows that Frodo is scared and frightened of being alone in the dark place, and also shows how little space he has and how trapped he is in the cave.

 Another P.O.V from the creature is used, as it tracks across between a gap in the wall. This reminds us again of how Frodo is being stalked and is still being closely watched. Another P.O.V from Frodo is used as he looks from left to right at more corridors in the cave, again showing us how lost he is in the cave and how dense it is in size. A close up is used of Frodo again to show how frightened he has become in the cave, and then gives us a P.O.V from him as he steps into some bones. The camera tilts down to show that it is his P.O.V we are looking from. This shows that he is in mortal danger and how defenceless he is to the danger, as everything else that has come this far down into the cave has been reduced to nothing but bones. Another close up is used on Frodo to show how he has realised that he has been lead into a trap, and how Frodo realises the incredible danger he is in. Another P.O.V is used as the camera cuts in to creatures hanging from the ceiling. This connotes death, showing that anything and almost everything dies in the cave, with Frodo likely to be joining the dead animals in the cave.

After a roar from the monster in the cave is released, Frodo quickly turns around, to which the foreground blurs and the background is shown. This implies that the monster could be anywhere, and shows that Frodo has no information about its location. This shows how much danger Frodo is in, and informs us that the monster could strike from any location at all.

A P.O.V shot is then used to track along with Frodo as he tries to run from the possible danger. It follows Frodo from a high angle to show how the creature is superior to the hobbit. A P.O.V shot is used to imply that Frodo is being chased by the creature, and shows that the monster is ready to strike. This build a lot of tension as we fear for Frodo, and due to the connection we have with him from the rest of the film(s) we don’t want him to be harmed.