Camera Work within Children Of Men

Before the movie began, I decided to take detailed notes on the cinematography and camera work done within the movie. I wanted to compare the camera work in different scenes. This is what I came away with. Between the action scenes, dialogue, and traveling scenes, the camera work was different. In the dialogue scenes, the camera work was mostly comprised of cuts because they are the easiest and fastest way to transition. In the traveling scenes, the camera work mainly comprised of pans and tilts to demonstrate distance traveled. In addition, pans and tilts show the environments in which the characters travel. On the other hand, in the action-filled scenes, the director decided to use both techniques. He used pans specifically in the rebel vs. military battle to show the horrific views of the battlefield. The cuts were used to demonstrate the personal struggles of both sides. To conclude, I want to add my two favorite shots throughout the film. My first favorite occurred in the abandoned school where Theo and the old lady were talking. The camera angle revealed the pregnant woman through a small hole in the glass window demonstrating the fact that even in the background, she’s the glimmer of hope for humanity. My other favorite shot was the last in the film. It was the shot that included Theo’s dead body and the arriving ship. My note: “In this frame, where there is life, there is death.”

2 thoughts on “Camera Work within Children Of Men”

  1. I also noticed many of these types of cinematography and camera work Cuarón chose to use. The long takes made the viewer actually feel like they were there. I also felt the long takes made it easier to watch compared to other action movies where there are many different cuts happening at once . If Cuarón decided to do many short cuts, I wonder if it would have an effect on the movie. Would the movie be less intriguing? Would Cuarón be able to add other effects he couldn’t with long takes?

    1. I agree with a lot of what you said above. I can’t imagine him using these shorter cuts because Cuarón understood the necessity of emotion through the camera work. Even though I don’t really answer your questions, I do believe they are important to think about.

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