Cinematography technique · used in 10 films
Showing an inner problem as something you can see, such as a visible lie, a blurred actor or a fully built imagination. The idea becomes a physical sight.
Examples
Andrei Tarkovsky · 1983
The last shot places Andrei and a dog in front of Gorchakov's Russian house, inside the ruined Italian abbey of San Galgano. Two places that cannot overlap are in one frame. It shows a mind that belongs nowhere.
Where to see it: The final shot. The Russian house stands inside the abbey while Andrei sits in front of it.
József Gémes · 1984
After Toldi kills a man in a rage, he has to flee. The film breaks from its usual painted style into fast, abstract imagery that puts you inside his disturbed mind.
Where to see it: Toldi's flight: After the killing, Toldi leaves his home and goes into exile, shown in fast, abstract images.
Terry Gilliam · 1991
Parry's terror takes the form of a huge armored Red Knight that chases him through the city. You see his trauma as a monster instead of hearing it explained. The knight also tells you why he cannot live normally.
Where to see it: The Red Knight chase. Parry runs while a giant armored rider storms after him.
Peter Jackson · 1994
Borovnia, the kingdom the girls invent, is built with plasticine figures, more than 70 latex costumes for its crowds and digital effects such as a morphing garden. It looks as solid as Christchurch, so you understand why the girls prefer it. That makes it harder to see where the fantasy ends.
Where to see it: Borovnia: The girls step into their invented kingdom, where clay-like figures crowd the screen and the world bends to their stories.
Woody Allen · 1997
While being filmed, Mel, the actor played by Robin Williams, slides out of focus and becomes blurry. The film uses a simple camera trick to show his problem in the image itself. Nobody on screen explains it, and you do not need them to.
Where to see it: Mel goes out of focus. While Harry's story is being shot, the actor played by Robin Williams becomes blurred.
Terry Gilliam · 2009
The Imaginarium is built from each person's own mind. A rich woman enters a pastel dream world that changes with her wishes. You see what someone wants or fears before they say a word.
Where to see it: The woman's imagination. Tony follows a wealthy customer through the mirror into a pastel dream world that shifts with her desires.
Luc Besson · 2014
In the finale, Lucy's body turns into a black substance that spreads into the lab's machines. She travels back through time and meets the early human ancestor she is named after. The film turns the idea of a mind becoming everything into a sight you can follow.
Where to see it: The lab ending. Lucy has the remaining drug injected, turns into a black mass inside the computers and then vanishes into time.
Pete Docter · 2015
Memories are colored glass orbs, and the strongest ones power islands that stand for Riley's personality. When those islands crumble into the Memory Dump, you see her changing without a word of dialogue. An abstract idea becomes a place you can watch fall apart.
Where to see it: The collapse of Riley's islands. Without Joy to steer, Anger, Fear and Disgust push Riley away from her family and hobbies, and the islands drop into the Memory Dump.
Robert Zemeckis · 2022
Pinocchio's nose grows when he lies. At Stromboli's, he uses that on purpose, telling lies so the nose gets long enough for Jiminy to reach the keys to his cage. A weakness becomes a tool.
Where to see it: The bird cage: Stromboli locks Pinocchio in a cage. Pinocchio tells lies so his nose grows long enough for Jiminy to reach the keys.
Luca Guadagnino · 2024
In the jungle, Lee and Eugene drink ayahuasca and the film shows what their feelings would look like. They vomit out their hearts, speak without words and meld their bodies together. Longing becomes something you can see.
Where to see it: The ayahuasca scene. Lee and Allerton have hallucinations in which they vomit their hearts, communicate telepathically and meld together.
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