"Inception" is one of the most recent films by the successful director, Christopher Nolan who we all know directed "The Dark Knight". To play on the promotional quote "Your Mind is the Scene of the Crime", I used "Your Shot is the Teller of the Story" just for this post. Of course it isn't close to great of a quote, but i tried.
This movie has become one of my favorite films of all time from the moment I figured out what the concept of the movie was in the beginning. It's use of shots to create parallel universes and greatly to tell the story. In this clip below, it shows all three shots which are Long Shot, Medium Shot, and Close-Up. These three play a significant part in the experience that the audience goes through. See for yourself.
Original Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eAuBSTinYw
The clip first starts out as a Close-Up of Ariadne (Ellen Page) and of Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio). These shots show the personal one-on-one relationship between the two as they converse and it gives the audience a sense that they're eating lunch with them as well. This would be a Denotative form of a Close-Up because it brings the audience in a relaxed normal state. It isn't too complicated or emotional, it's just a casual conversation between the the two...at first.
Then once Cobb reveals to Ariadne that they are conversing in a dream, the mood shifts from subtle to a more frightened and confused state. The shot transitions into a Connotative Medium Shot which shows the audience exactly where the two are at. Just as Ariadne is confused and wonders how they got to where they are now. As Medium shot transitions back and forth to Close-up, it shows her reaction and how she is accepting the situation.
Then as Ariadne accepts the situation, she begins altering the physical reality of the dream by making boxes and glasses break and expand. The shots transition to Denotative Long Shots of the whole setting of where the objects are exploding. One shot has both of the main characters in the center as Ariadne continues to shift the dream which shows the subtly of them as they remain seated versus the chaotic noise and destruction going on around them. This also tells the audience that they both are in complete control of the situation.
As you go on into the movie beyond this clip, these three forms of shots continue to tell the story in various ways as it is done in almost every other movie in cinematics. So if one was to become a director, using these methods is a must. And of course by all means, use your own methods as well.
And remember, "You mustn't be Afraid to Dream a Little Bigger, Darling."
Original Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uCjnRrSlU0&NR=1
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