Cinematography technique · used in 2 films
Sitting characters down in 1 simple, fixed spot like a bench, step or curb for long stretches of talk. It is where they tell their stories and open up to each other.
Examples
Barry Levinson · 1988
The brothers keep finding their moments of real contact in still, confined spaces (the back of the car, a motel room bed). Raymond's routines force things to slow down there, and Charlie gradually learns to live at that pace.
Where to see it: Charlie and Raymond in the motel bathroom. Raymond says "Rain Man" and Charlie realizes his brother was his childhood imaginary friend. It is a moment of real contact between them.
Robert Zemeckis · 1994
Forrest tells his story from a bus stop bench to a series of strangers who may or may not believe him. The bench is in Savannah, far from history, and the strangers are ordinary people. The setup insists that this extraordinary story belongs to everyday talk and needs no monuments.
Where to see it: The recurring bench shots. Forrest sits with a stranger, the chocolate box on his knee.
Questions