It makes the audience absorbed into the scene and sees the intensity of what the character is feeling. Moonlight doesn't just look and sound great. And all those things, oddly enough, I think what they do in a way is they disarm me. For their singular vision for storytelling, Moonlight famously won Best Picture at the 89th Academy Awards. It is said that this scene was originally intended to be six hours to fully capture this scene but due to a storms untimely passing it was done within 90 minutes. Analysis of Cinematography in Moonlight by Barry Jenkins - GradesFixer By continuing well assume you board with our cookie policy. Most of Moonlights angles are eye-level, close to the actors faces and breaks the fourth wall frequently. This scene contains no spoken dialect from either character, although the scene solely consists of an angry yelling sequence from mother to son. Laxton and Jenkins shared lots of photography including the work of Earlie Hudnall, Jr. Another photographic inspiration was the work of Dutch artist Viviane Sassen. He is young, black, gay, poor, and largely friendlessthe kind of person who feels like he could literally vanish from being so unseen by the world. We didnt talk about Moonlight of course, but I think on some level those conversations about what it is to be a filmmaker, who our voices are as filmmakers. Your favorite beach reads and binge-worthy Netflix shows. Other photographers like the great Earlie Hudnall Jr. were found on Tumblr shared in dropbox folders along with the work of Dutch art photographer Viviane Sassen also had a huge influence on Laxtons choice of colors for some of the films most iconic scenes like the swimming lesson, set in it high contrast colors and crystalline blues. Cinematographer James Laxton shot every scene in Moonlight with clear purpose; to capture and express Chiron's inner world from moment to moment. Everything that should feel familiar and gritty is photographed in the bright mid daylight and blown out whites. These frames provide a sense of loneliness that hes still struggling with as an adult and still permeate the visual language that we were using in story three., Thinking back to his own childhood Laxton says, I remember wearing out VHS tapes of my favorite movies as a kid and having the tracking being a mess and trying to watch movies that were faded. All rights reserved. As Juan walks over to say hello to the young men, the camera slithers behind him. It becomes clear that Terrence is an employee of Juan's who deals . Analysis of The Structure of The Film Moonlight - GradesFixer Here, we wash away the old Chiron, and introduce a new one., Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 5/25/18) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated 5/25/18). While I think audiences are actually chomping at the bit for really personal unique visions of things. Similarly, the gaze of the film is such that the person behind the lens does not lend any moral judgement to the kind of life the characters find themselves in. Color and light are tools for transcendence, used to reframe and illuminate. Manage Settings I think that younger audiences are more accepting of this than older audiences. Although all are heavily influenced by the beliefs [], We provide you with original essay samples, perfect formatting and styling. Analysis Of Cinematography In Barry Jenkins' Movie Moonlight Essay. To do this we went for some soft, overhead dramatic lighting with accents of color, one of those being the pink light in the background behind the character Paula. Analysis Of Cinematography In Barry Jenkins' Movie Moonlight Essay. An analysis focussed on the sound, cinematography and mise-en-scne Jenkins and cinematographer James Laxton focused on drawing the audience into the inner lives of the characters and creating a consistent visual language to tell a story of fractured identity. Moonlight was directed by Barry Jenkins, adapting the unproduced play called In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue by Tarell Alvin McCraney. When he washes off his bloodied face he is simultaneously washing away the old Chiron, thereby ushering the audience into the third chapter in which we see a parallel to the bathroom scene, only now with Black. Cinematography Vs Videography: Whats The Difference? Moonlight - Narrative First So did Tarell Alvin McCraney, who wrote the play on which the movie is based, In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue. Moonlight Film Review and Analysis | by Hunter Albert | Medium Not only will you gain valuable writing experience, but youll get to choose your own topics and write one response a week to one of our top trending articles. The film, set in three acts, follows Chirons life, and opens with a drug deal using some familiar tropes of an archetypical dealer named Juan, played by Mahershala Ali, as he pulls into the frame in a flashy car to check in on one of his minions. It is a coming-of-age story that uses every camera trick in the book to create a film that the audience feels absorbed in the entire way through. We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. I think its that moment where the language in which Moonlight is established. The angle of the shot exaggerates Chirons gaze and makes it look more heartbroken than if it was an eye-level shot. The film, which was critically acclaimed for its fresh take on race, African-American queer sexuality, and nuanced understandings of masculinity was told through bold colors and realism in the mode of cinematography. When we tell stories about characters in this context, the go-to style is often a bleak realism. There are these sort of lonely frames that exist, even when hes a grown man. Similarly, the photographic realism of Hudnall Jr. results in the framing of the characters with a quiet dignity. Theres a few reasons I think why that pink light doesnt sort of ring false for people, says Laxton. While it doesnt have the most bold, visual, stylistic stuff happening, theres a real precision to choices we were making that Im very interested in. The film is separated into three chapters, Little as his youth, Chiron as his adolescence, and Black as his early adult life. That it should feel so radicalfor a kid from the projects to be portrayedwith a complete, three-dimensional portraitstirs up a heightened, devastating awareness of how rare a thing this is. Maybe subconsciously we chose it for Moonlight in an effort to depict this community in a brand new light., These choices may be subtle, but their cumulative effect is why theNew York Times film critic A. O. Scott described Moonlight as a poem written in light. In this poem, there is little place for commentary. We swirl around and around and around, and land on close-ups of Chiron and the other character, Kevin. We never had two cameras actually. Whether its one of the many tracking shots following Chirons back through his world or watching his reaction, one can sense a precision in every shot. Moonlight Sequence Analysis: Cinematography The sequence that sticks out to me in the movie Moonlight is when Juan teaches Chiron how to swim. The idea of the opening sequence to have these two highly disparate shots welded together is the essence of the film. How long-angle is something? Moonlight was loosely adapted from an unpublished [], Moonlight was directed by Barry Jenkins, adapting the unproduced play called In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue by Tarell Alvin McCraney. Its my job to depict judgment, yet Im ultimately searching for a way to get the audience to relinquish that judgment and to just be watchful., We asked Laxton to describe his approach to shooting four of Moonlights most striking scenes, moments in the film when color and camerawork are particularly integral to the story and evocative of the place and people. 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help you just now, Berry Jenkins intimate film Moonlight, follows the struggle of a young sensitive black man trying to find himself against his society's expectations of masculinity and identity. Laxton was also heavily inspired by photography. It allows us to make choices later on in the film, that if we dont set up our language that way at the beginning, could possibly feel like not as organic.. Through his association with the color blue, is introduced as a guardian, and a much-needed father- figure that has been missing from. Laxton was also heavily inspired by photography. In moonlight black boys look blue. And thats still true today.. Notes of Wais work can be felt in some of the most dramatic moments where Chirons mother, Paula, played by Naomie Harris, stands over her son scolding him while a pink light glows from her bedroom. Director Barry Jenkins, behind the scenes with actor Mahershala Ali. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. It somehow seems appropriate in a way that again doesnt speak to the realism of the movie but it somehow speaks to the emotional value that I think we were trying to present to our audience. In a scene that could have been so much darker and so much grittier this lighting choice elevates the scene to a slightly surreal place. Maybe you think you know whats about to come in the next hour and a half., You dont, and thats the point. makes no such commitments. The film opens with a very stylized, swirling shot of a drug dealer, Juan, played by the magnificent Mahershala Ali. Moonlight was filmed in Liberty City, Miami, where the neighborhood houses are pastel-colored and trees a tropical green. When Chiron finally joins him, the camera jump cuts and it is no longer a long shot as Chiron begins to have fun. Rather, there is classical music playing which allows himself to disconnect from his external reality, for the music that often plays is a direct signifying factor of his inner self. Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Similarly, the choice to shoot in 35 mm anamorphic lens was borne out of a desire to tell a story with majesty and an immersive experience. Its something that allows an audience to really sink into a story.. Near the end of the film, Chiron is standing in a doorway but the camera has skewed the perspective by not standing directly in front of the doorway, making Chiron look small and confined. Cinematographer James Laxton and director Barry Jenkins on location in Miami. Later it is the friendship between young schoolboys during a ballgame. Cinematographer James Laxton shot every scene in Moonlight with clear purpose; to capture and express Chirons inner world from moment to moment. I think whats happened is that the realistic aesthetic applied to drug addiction, or lower socioeconomic classes, portrays the characters as having dark or depressive mentalities, Laxton said. The film is driven by the internal conflicts of the characters, instead of a plot. Laxton pushes the camera closer and closer towards the characters so as to create moments of intentional bonding between them and the audience. Its an intentional move away from the aloof style and perfection of most big budget films today that attempt at realism. The bold color palette and bold lighting choices, rife with lens flare that communicated the sweltering heat of Miami were inspired from the films of Wong Kar-Wai. No words are spoken and the two characters are just staring at one another. Moonlight is a masterclass in expressive camera and sound. Moonlight, which is up for six Golden Globes and is likely to earn as many Oscar nominations, leaves a lasting impression on your mind and eye, and its impact is not limited to your present field. You cant help on some level just go, wow, I dont know whats happening here but Im just going to sort of sit back and watch. Moonlight: A Masterpiece of Cinematography - Cinematography with Chloe Moonlight Explained: Symbols, Camera & More - The Good Men Project Moonlight was loosely adapted from an unpublished play from Tarell McCraney called, Black Boys Look Blue. Both films use color to reflect the mood of the scene and what the characters are thinking. focus on telling a well-realized story is evident in its camera movements as well. A person may deal drugs for money, but no moral baggage is ascribed to this detail; it recedes into the background, having nothing whatever to do with their value system. Jenkinss mom contracted HIV; McCraneys died of AIDS. There is a greater meaning to all the seemingly unimportant saturation of colors and camera angles. Nevertheless, the brutality and explicit [], "The woman looked at the tree: the fruit would be good to eat; it was pleasing to the eye and desirable for the knowledge it could give. Plot is not so much the concern as an intensive character study is. In by doing so Laxton was able to deliver an image that matched the strength of the performance by infusing the dramatic scene with a pop of color, often associated with beauty, which in turn allowed for a map of understanding with respect to who Paula is as a character and why her full existence is essential. Moonlight is a film of few words. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. How you are depicting someone. Many critics view Laxtons cinematography as visual poetry, through his use of techniques to further tell a sophisticated story. Ad Choices. The camera, said Laxton, is playing with our associations by saying, in effect, Heres something youve seen before. Roy was someone that I think shaped a lot of how Barry and I sort of approached the film at the very, very beginning.. The life of Chiron is delicately revealed by cinematographer James Laxton who portrays him within a distinct pallet of blown out color photographs that set his life in a faded part of Miami where screenwriter and director Barry Jenkins was raised.