Cinematography technique · used in 1 film

Oil as Living Material

Filming crude oil up close as it gushes, burns and pools, so you can almost feel it. The oil seems alive, with its own will and hunger.

Examples

Where you can see it

  1. There Will Be Blood (2007) poster

    There Will Be Blood

    Paul Thomas Anderson · 2007

    Robert Elswit photographs the first oil strike with awe and dread. The dark liquid shoots up, coats everything and burns against the night sky. The film treats oil like a creature Daniel has summoned. The camera looks at it with the respect and fear you'd normally give something supernatural.

    Where to see it: The oil well fire. The derrick burns at night and you see Daniel's silhouette against the flames. The fire is a disaster, and it also proves the oil is there.

Questions

Quick answers

What is oil as living material in film?
Filming crude oil up close as it gushes, burns and pools, so you can almost feel it. The oil seems alive, with its own will and hunger.
Which films use oil as living material?
There Will Be Blood (2007).
What kind of technique is oil as living material?
It is a cinematography technique. Related cinematography techniques include Single Space as Dramatic Stage, Real Locations as Character, Handheld Cinema Vérité.

Keep exploring

Related techniques