Saturday 6 April 2013

Kubrick One Point Perspective Supercut

Stanley Kubrick, to state the obvious, made some wonderful looking films. I f you haven't already seen this gorgeous supercut of his many one-point perspective shots, then I implore you to click play and remind yourselves of the beauty of Kubrick's films.

Not only does it feature many of the symmetrical, disquieting shots from the likes of The Shining, 2001: A Space Odyssey and A Clockwork Orange, but it also shows off why Kubrick is a master of the tracking shot. These iconic images have all been cut together to the epic, emotive tune of Lux Aeterna's Requiem for a Tower. It all adds up to a magical, spellbinding visual and aural feast.


These symmetrical shots have a disturbing psychological impact on the audience, putting them at unease even if there isn't anything immediately menacing present in the shot. The viewer feels very distanced from what is occurring and it is almost like we are watching still images, paintings or other such works of art come to life rather than watching motion picture photography.

At the same time, many of these shots are not symmetrical but the one-point perspective forces the viewer to look towards the central, most distant point. It draws our eyes into the frame, ignoring the sides often and focusing on what is most central and distant. In this way, rather than distancing the viewer, it actually pulls us in to the shots.

Stanley Kubrick was well aware of the impact and contrasting effects these shots would have and was a master creating unforgettable images; cinematography that is dream like, distancing, disturbing but also very beautiful. This supercut shows off some of the weirdest and wonderful imagery of Kubrick's films, edited into short, sharp bursts that emphasise the similarities but also remind of the excellent films that Kubrick directed.



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