EXTREME CLOSE-UP

"An extreme close-up shows us objects and people differently than we see them. It calls attention to the subjects, making them more memorable visually" – Jennifer van Sijll, Cinematic Storytelling

The extreme close-up shot is traditionally used in film to allow the viewer to enter the character’s intimate space, revealing certain characteristics and emotions that would otherwise go unnoticed from afar. This unnaturally close view intensifies feelings that the character is experiencing and allows us to feel sympathy for, and establish a connection with, the character in question. At such an extreme intimate proximity, every subtle expression, muscle movement, facial characteristic, reflection and detail becomes that much more apparent. In this way, it emphasizes the dramatic importance of the scene, making it stand out with respect to the movie as a whole.

The above screenshot from Pink Floyd The Wall makes very effective use of the close-up shot. The sequence begins with an extreme close-up of his wrist-watch, pan’s down to his hand to reveal the burnt out cigarette and closes in on his face where we begin to see flashbacks of riots and war. This scene successfully sets the tone and mood for the film in which we establish an emotional connection with the main character, Pink, leading us into the film questioning his alienation and pain. This technique is continually re-visited throughout the film to maintain this critical connection with the viewer.

The extreme close-up of the children walking (above) is used very effectively to reinforce the idea of being just “another brick in the wall”. It emphasizes the concealment of the individual with the façade of a uniform and the single-file unison march through a rigid education system in which the children have no say whatsoever. Opinion-less and forcefully obedient, this shot – along with the context it is placed into – establishes yet another clue into Pink’s youth and the reasons he has isolated himself from the rest of the world…sitting idle in his living room watching television.

Here we see a manipulation of reality with the slow motion depiction of blood splashing with the same familiar characteristics of milk, which we’ve seen in milk commercials. This cinematic technique is used very effectively to expose the viewer to something that is extremely familiar to them, but at the same time, representing it in a way that’s never been seen before.

The above screenshot from Equilibrium achieves a high degree of cinematic impact with the extreme close-up shot. This is the sequence in which cleric John Preston tries and fails to save Mary O’Brien from her destined execution. He arrives seconds too late to find the chamber doors almost closed. The camera zooms in on his right eye in which we see Mary’s reflection as she stares helplessly through the closing doors. Having fallen in love with her, we clearly see the immense anguish in John’s eye, fueling him to take down the established system of the cold utopian society. The use of the extreme close-up shot effectively underscores the importance of emotions in this pivotal moment of the movie.

It is also interesting to note that reality is further manipulated because we cannot see the reflection of the camera in his eye...