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Filming claustrophobia and perspective
  • sam_sticklandsam_stickland

    I'm going to be filming a piece soon where I want a very claustrophobic feel to it. I've found lots of tips already, but one of them confuses me:

    "keep your planes frontal and not longitudinal", "Avoid 1, 2, or 3 point perspective"

    My brain is having trouble envisaging a shot that doesn't make any use of 1, 2 or 3 point perspective. Can someone enlighten me?

  • 8 Replies sorted by
  • Mark_the_HarpMark_the_Harp

    Could you avoid any perspective by shooting on a narrow lens angle with a subject against a parallel wall (or a complete plain background of any colour)?

    Or do it audio only? That would fulfil the advice! Joking aside, that would give you a sense of claustrophobia - good audio but against very ill-defined shapes, as if you're trapped inside something.

    Or if you have to have pictures, keep the camera in one position. Sort of like a bush of death, but with acting which could be on- or off-camera.

  • jpbturbojpbturbo

    1 point perspective creates a sense of space and depth.

  • brianlucebrianluce

    How about posting some of those tips. This is an extremely useful topic.

  • sam_sticklandsam_stickland

    Good tips:

    • long focal lengths, tight framing
    • if the shot has movement, keep it parallel to the camera and rely on panning and tilting
    • shallow depth of field (to remove sense of depth)
    • no back light
    • keep the camera higher than eye level
    • keep planes frontal and not longitudinal (avoid 1,2 and 3 point perspective)
    • shoot against a flat background like a wall
    • keep a consistent size between your subjects
    • aim for tonal affinity between subject and background and reverse the usual warm/cool color separation (contrast between subject and background is a depth cue. Avoid contrast to achieve flat space)
    • a canted/dutch angle can go a long way in letting the audience in on how the subject feels if he/she is claustrophobic themselves--you can achieve an even great effect if you tilt the z axis of the camera into the canted angle (z-axis here means the axis that runs into the scene)
    • include the ceiling in the shot to give a sense of confinement

    Obviously locations and set dressing have there parts to play too.

  • SageSage

    Don't want to pull a battlefield earth, but gotta love that* canted angle. I love a moving shot that slightly introduces the canted angle over the course of the shot. Brings in that subtle element of dissonance as the shot continues

  • sam_sticklandsam_stickland

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  • bumsklumpenbumsklumpen

    do you know this movie (Buried)? it's not about claustrophobia but when i saw it all alone in the dark i felt like i was in this box too.

  • SageSage

    @sam_stickland

    Every single shot too XD

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