Cinematography technique · used in 1 film

The Kubrick Zoom

Zooming slowly and steadily into a face or object and holding the move for a long time. The subject feels closer and more threatening at once, which is unsettling.

Examples

Where you can see it

  1. Full Metal Jacket (1987) poster

    Full Metal Jacket

    Stanley Kubrick · 1987

    Kubrick uses a slow zoom throughout the film to pick out faces for you to study. He does it with Pyle's expression as it gets worse, Joker's reaction to violence and the sniper's face at the end. The zoom doesn't rush. It closes in with a cold, deliberate patience that matches the way the whole film looks at people.

    Where to see it: Pyle's breakdown in the head. The slow zoom moves into his face as the scene gets closer to violence.

Questions

Quick answers

What is the kubrick zoom in film?
Zooming slowly and steadily into a face or object and holding the move for a long time. The subject feels closer and more threatening at once, which is unsettling.
Which films use the kubrick zoom?
Full Metal Jacket (1987).
What kind of technique is the kubrick zoom?
It is a cinematography technique. Related cinematography techniques include Real Locations as Character, Handheld Cinema Vérité, Practical In-Camera Effects.

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