Shooting Styles of Directors From Different Countries

Directors of different countries have different cultures and growing backgrounds, so films made by directors from different countries always bring different feelings to the audience. This research project mainly focus on two clips from two movies, one is from In the Mood for Love which is directed by Wong Kar-wai, another is from The Terminal which is directed by Steven Spielberg. The reason why choose these two films is that both of them have scenes related to confession and the directors of these two films have their own distinctive style. Even though the content of these two clips is a confession, the two movies are so different in many ways that they are comparable. At the same time, this research project will summarize the different shooting styles displayed by the two directors when making these two films.

First of all, in terms of story content, In the Mood for Love and The Terminal are two completely different stories. Wong Kar-wai’s films about modern times always have a sense of time, and this film In the Mood for Love can be said to show this feature of his films incisively and vividly. According to Wong Kar-wai himself, he wanted to describe the living conditions and attitudes of people in Hong Kong during a certain period. Every prop, costume, and food in the shot tells the audience that this is what Hong Kong was like in the 1960s. As for the theme of the film, on the surface, it is about love in middle age. But at a deeper level, the film is a reminder of a bygone era. As for Wong Kar-wai, he believes that secrets are the theme of the film, and the way of expression in the whole film is also very suitable for this theme. Lines are rarely used to describe things in movies. The facial expressions and body movements of actors are just one of many metaphors. Props that can show the sense of the times also have the function of metaphorical suggestion. Such as necktie, embroidered shoes, cheongsam, and so on, every little detail has a hint to the plot. But it can’t be spoken out, just like the characters’ emotional entanglements. Cheongsam is probably the most frequent and special element in movies. Wong Kar Wai takes the cheongsam as a metaphorical prop, which imperceptibly conveys the information of the story and the emotional changes of the characters to the audience, and plays a role in shaping the artistic image. In a certain sense, the cheongsam is a symbol of traditional thought in the film. The female character is influenced by traditional moral thought, which makes her unable to overcome the bondage of self and morality to pursue her true love. On the other hand, The Terminal tells a plain and extraordinary story, which is adapted from real events. Steven Spielberg uses a variety of camera language, the combination of light and shadow to make a film that is completely different from his personal style. At the same time, the film through different scenes and different characters and their psychological interpretation of the theme of the movie about the true meaning of life, showing the kind and warm side of human nature.

For the part of the shooting technique, although the main story content of the two films is different, both films contain a segment dominated by a confession. And the two clips are completely different in terms of composition, type of camera shots, shooting Angle, and camera movement. For the part of the composition, In the Mood for Love used a very special composition, the important characters occupy only one-third of the picture, while the insignificant stone walls occupy a large part of the picture. By contrast, The Terminal‘s composition is very formal, it mainly focus on the main characters. Moreover, In the Mood for Love shots often use long shots to emphasize the background setting off the atmosphere and use medium shots to explain the dialogue between the characters so that the audience will focus on the expression of the characters. The Terminal mainly uses medium shots and close-ups, it allows the audience to see the changes in the characters’ expressions clearly. For example, there are many scenes where the character is in tears and the close-up of the paper can better explain the plot. In addition, In the Mood for Love is shot mainly from the side of the character. This Angle can well highlight the facial expressions of the actors and provide the audience with a very good visual Angle of the onlookers. In The Terminal, dialogue plays an important role in promoting the development of the story. Most of the shot angles are over the shoulder, which helps to show the communication between characters. Furthermore, In the Mood for Love used a lot of fixed shots and kept the foreground clear and the background blurred in the dialogue between the characters. In this way, the director makes the audience feel that although the distance between the characters is very close, there is always an invisible wall between them. However, in The Terminal, Spielberg used push in to highlight the eyes and expressions of the characters. Also, he used pull out in the kissing part at the end of the clip, which not only explained the relationship between the role and the environmental background but also made the rhythm of the whole shot more relaxed and cheerful.

In conclusion, Wong Kar-wai is good at expressing the feelings between people with some hidden details, rather than directly using words to express. For example, the sound of rain runs through the whole clip, which can express the sad emotions of the characters, and also show that their love is increasingly tragic. At the same time, the feeling of the character’s confession shown in the film is very reserved and constricting. On the other hand, The Terminal is a rare emotional drama in Spielberg’s works. He pays attention to the inner expression of the characters, advocates emotional communication and cultural collision and integration, so it can be said that he uses the simplest shooting technique to touch the hearts of the audience.