In today’s world, videos and cinema have become as prominent a way to communicate information and ideas as writing and literature. Billboards are animated with moving images of advertisement; social media platforms such as YouTube or TikTok are only one click away; and movies and TV shows are the most common forms of entertainment. Everyday life is flooded by still and moving images, and just like learning how to read and dissect texts, the world demands today’s generation to be visually literate to make sense of the images all around them.
Whether it’s a ten-second meme or a feature-length film, all forms of video have the same “rule,” “vocabulary,” and “grammar,” as the great director Martin Scorsese puts it. These visual dictions such as lens choice, camera angle, camera movement, lighting, editing, etc. are woven together into the language of cinema to make an “emotional, psychological point to an audience.” Recognizing this visual “grammar,” or visual literacy, is important both for filmmakers to express their thoughts and for audiences to interpret and understand those meanings. To demonstrate the process, here is a scene from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellow Ship of the Ring (2001) as an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Yy0pPTrHlk.
The scene, at first glance, with a simple exchange of dialogue between two characters might seem bland compared to other more memorable shots from the series with exciting battles and epic landscapes, but the mastery in visual storytelling is no less prominent here than any other moments from the films. The scene begins with Bilbo entering his home and taking off the ring. As he walks around the rooms, finding things to pack, the camera steadily follows his movement, even when Gandalf abruptly appears in the scene. The uninterrupted motion of the camera conveys to the audience that Bilbo is focusing on his own tasks, ignoring Gandalf. The wizard’s upper body is even cut out of the frame as the camera was shooting from Bilbo’s lower perspective. However, the dynamic changes when Bilbo reaches into his pocket for the ring. Now the camera, still remaining at a low angle, tilts up to show Gandalf towering over the Hobbit, signaling the pressure Bilbo feels. Tension continues to build as the Hobbit holds the ring in his hand while arguing with the wizard, and the camera, too, zooms in closer and closer into both characters’ faces. 
Seeking to escape the pressure, Bilbo again begins to move across the room, and the camera follows. But this time, the towering wizard, maintained by the camera’s low angle, was inescapable. “Bilbo Baggins,” Gandalf yelled, “do not take me for some conjurer of cheap tricks!” All tension built by the movements and lower angle of the camera cumulates at this moment. Then, the release comes when Bilbo hugs his old friend who finally kneels down to comfort him. The camera is now at Gandalf’s eye level, and suddenly, his towering presence and the conflict of the scene are gone.
While watching the scene, the audience doesn’t need to understand or dissect the visual language to feel the intended tension and sense of oppression from Gandalf. That is the power of the cinematic language. It conveys information and emotion almost subconsciously, and its vocabulary is as expansive as any written language. A mounted shot makes the viewers feel like outside observers, whereas shooting handheld immerses the audience into the scene. Telephoto lenses compress the background, yet wide angle lenses stretch the image. Closeups focus on a character’s emotion while a long shot or wide shot situates the subject in a larger environment. Moreover, the rules are there to break, and great artists know how to break the rules. Sometimes, the wide shot conveys the most brutal intensity; a steady, still camera tells more than a handheld shot charged with momentum. Using this kaleidoscope of the cinematic language to direct the viewer’s eyes and emotion, people tell stories of their lives, advertise products, entertain, or simply document the world. And for the audience, they can better understand what the filmmakers are trying to communicate by paying attention to the use of the cinematic language.
Monthly Movie Vote!
Last month, you voted for your favorite directors, so here’s the result! Christopher Nolan won by a landslide of seven votes while other directors who shaped our childhoods, Peter Jackson and George Lucas, came in second and third.
Unfortunately, last month’s poll is also the last ever Monthly Movie Vote. Due to unexpected events and circumstances, the clay magazine is ending its publication this month. Therefore, I would like to thank you, my readers, for bearing with my nerdy topics each month and always engaging in the comments and polls. This year had been a blast only because of you guys. Knowing that you are out there, reading my articles, made writing these geeky rants about movies worth the while. So thank you so much, and goodbye!
Works Cited
Amblin, https://amblin.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/201-ss-sti-ph-1968-ambl-00037@3x_1000.jpg.
“LOTR The Fellowship of the Ring – Farewell Dear Bilbo” YouTube, uploaded by EgalmothOfGondolin01, 16 Dec. 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Yy0pPTrHlk.
“Martin Scorsese on the Importance of Visual Literacy” YouTube, uploaded by Edutopia, 16 June 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I90ZluYvHic.