Cinematography technique · used in 3 films
Building a scene around one striking image meant to outlast the story. Costume, camera and crowd all work to make that single picture memorable.
Examples
Fred Zinnemann · 1953
The seaside love scene is built around one striking picture of two people embracing at the water's edge. The framing is made to turn that image into something people remember.
Where to see it: The beach scene: Warden and Karen meet on the shore and kiss while the waves roll over them.
Billy Wilder · 1955
The white dress billowing over a subway grate became one of the most famous images in movie history. Footage was shot outside a Manhattan theater with a crowd watching and also on a sound stage, and the finished film uses both.
Where to see it: Subway grate: After the movie, walking home, the woman stands over a subway grate to enjoy the updraft, and her white dress blows up as a train passes.
Joseph L. Mankiewicz · 1963
Cleopatra's arrival in Rome is built as one big picture of her power, with a huge procession, dancers and a giant sphinx. Costume, camera and crowd all work to make that single image stick. It is the image the whole film is remembered for.
Where to see it: Cleopatra's entry into Rome. After Caesar becomes dictator for life, she arrives in a lavish procession and wins the crowd.
Questions