Close-Ups
Isaac Hirsch
Isaac Hirsch
Shot scale in film is the equivalence of perspective and therefore one of the most important aspects of any shot. However, close-ups are especially important because, to quote Jean Epstien, “the close-up is the soul of cinema:” a description it earns by being the main conveyer of emotion.
In the movie “There Will Be Blood” the protagonist is being baptized after abandoning his son who was deafened in an accident at an oil drilling site he owned. The scene is mostly close-ups, which allow the tiny movements in the protagonist's face to be the main focus of the scene. Even throughout the same shot, his facial expressions alone allow the audience to understand that he is experiencing both anguish and character growth.
Another example is the “here’s Johnny!” scene from The Shining in which Jack's wife has locked herself in the bathroom, but is unable to escape in time, so she has to witness her husband try to break down the door and kill her. In this scene, the close-up again is used to portray the emotions of Jack and his wife as the main element of the shot. Again like the previous example you can see growth in Jack’s wife's mental state despite the static shot.
If you would like to see some more timeless close-ups that illustrate the importance of them in film, then here is a great compilation of famous close-ups.