Cinematography technique · used in 3 films
Placing the camera low or shrinking a character so ordinary objects become huge. Furniture, vents and hands turn into looming landscapes and obstacles.
Examples
John Lasseter · 1995
Pixar keeps the camera low, near toy level, which makes Andy's bedroom feel enormous and threatening. When Buzz first arrives, you see him from below. You understand how big he is next to Woody from where the camera sits, with no dialogue needed.
Where to see it: Buzz Lightyear's arrival. Woody looks up at the new toy towering above him.
Alexander Payne · 2017
Once Paul shrinks, ordinary objects loom over him. The small characters were mostly filmed as greenscreen elements and composited into separate background plates, with models and forced perspective for some shots, so the world feels like a giant version of daily life.
Where to see it: Shrinking: Paul goes through the procedure and wakes up about 5 inches tall in a world of ordinary-sized things.
Robert Zemeckis · 2020
As mice, Charlie and his friends use the hotel's vents to escape and steal the witch's room key. Later, a mousetrap becomes a launcher. The hotel feels like a different place at mouse size.
Where to see it: The mousetrap: The mice launch a bottle of potion into the Grand High Witch's mouth with a mousetrap. It turns her into a rat.
Questions