Metropolis Film Techniques
In Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927), many cinematography techniques differ from The Wachowski Brothers’ The Matrix (1999). One of the first major differences between the films is the amount of close-ups that are involved in The Matrix and Metropolis. Metropolis consists of very few close-ups and an abundance of wide shots. The wide shots linger, giving the audience the ability to see everything happening within that frame composition instead of cutting away to a new angle. One scene in particular stands out with close-ups from this film. While Rotwang is in his lab working on the Machine Man, various close-ups take over the screen, showing details of beakers filled with chemicals and chords connecting to other experiments. This creates
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In the 1920s, cameras were in fact mobile, but not as sleek and mobile as they are today. The heftiness limited movement throughout filming, but still allowed for tracking shots, pans, tilts, etc., to be completed. While Metropolis consists of many static shots, there are a few points throughout the film where moving shots are incorporated. For example, when Freder (Gustav Fröhlich) runs from door to door, in search of Maria (Brigitte Helm), the camera effortlessly tracks his movements, stopping when he stops, and seamlessly following him when he begins moving again. This adds balance to the film, giving it a healthy amount of moving shots, while being mainly made up of static shots. The Matrix consists of mostly moving shots. The camera is only still when there is a moment to breath in the scene, or a conversation happening. In the opening scene when Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) jumps into the air to avoid the Agents and time slows as a camera tracks in a circle around her. This gives the scene a very powerful feel, bringing awareness to the audience that Trinity, much like many of the characters in the film, have abilities beyond the norm. While the camera techniques highly differ between these two films, they both consist of camerawork that is not distracting to the audience. The camera is always where it needs to be, showing the audience the exact amount
In the 1920s, cameras were in fact mobile, but not as sleek and mobile as they are today. The heftiness limited movement throughout filming, but still allowed for tracking shots, pans, tilts, etc., to be completed. While Metropolis consists of many static shots, there are a few points throughout the film where moving shots are incorporated. For example, when Freder (Gustav Fröhlich) runs from door to door, in search of Maria (Brigitte Helm), the camera effortlessly tracks his movements, stopping when he stops, and seamlessly following him when he begins moving again. This adds balance to the film, giving it a healthy amount of moving shots, while being mainly made up of static shots. The Matrix consists of mostly moving shots. The camera is only still when there is a moment to breath in the scene, or a conversation happening. In the opening scene when Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) jumps into the air to avoid the Agents and time slows as a camera tracks in a circle around her. This gives the scene a very powerful feel, bringing awareness to the audience that Trinity, much like many of the characters in the film, have abilities beyond the norm. While the camera techniques highly differ between these two films, they both consist of camerawork that is not distracting to the audience. The camera is always where it needs to be, showing the audience the exact amount