An Immaculately Framed Image?

Considering the primary role of cinematography in achieving the desired atmosphere and conveying the intended effect to a viewer, it is interesting to see how this important element differs from one film to the next.

The more commercial films tend to treat this very important aspect by relying on a formulaic design. This ‘formula’ becomes evident when one focuses in on this aspect of the films and quickly its clear how little effort was put into configuring an ideal shot. The thing is, an ideal shot does not only consist of a perfect composition, but the strength of the shot is connected with the movement of the film as well. In this aspect I result to the cinematographer Tom DiCillo. In yet another Jim Jarmusch masterpiece, DiCillio’s cinematography was enforced to make each shot as simple and as strong as possible, while reinforcing the central ‘feeling’ of each scene. One of the most important things as a cinematographer, DiCillio also adds, is to create a kind of uniform atmosphere throughout the film.

Another Jim Jarmusch cinematographer, Christopher Doyle, who worked on The Limits of Control with Jarmusch is considered to be the greatest working cinematographer today. It is interesting to watch Doyle’s work as it considered every movement beforehand so as to result in cinematography as close to perfection as you can get, where every shot is immaculately framed.