Framing Children of Men

     Cinematography is the art of camerawork. Film productions use many different techniques when deciding how they want the film to be interpreted by the viewer. Using a camera, films can limit, expose, frame, and put a perspective on the shot to get the point of the scene across to the viewer. The film mentioned here is set in a world where people have stopped reproducing. There is little faith in humanity until hope is discovered. Children of Men follows one character, uses a handheld camera, and uses natural lighting to produce a story that the viewer feels a part of. 

    Children of Men is a story that follows Theo attempting to get Kee, the only pregnant woman in the world, to safety. The viewer knows this because he stays in frame mostly from beginning to end. We start by following him out of the shop and end when he dies. Throughout the film, there was some use of pov shots including looking down at a cat and when Kee sees the boat at the end. Unmotivated camera use was used to show the viewer things not in Theo's perspective such as burned bodies and character deaths. Having a break from the main character to see the severity of the setting was something I really appreciated. It gave the viewer a better view of the surrounding area and a sense of the severity of the situation presented. 

     The entire film is produced with a handheld camera. This is indicated to the viewer because of the shaky movement of almost every frame. The death of Jasper is one of the only deviations. I enjoyed the shaky movement because it made me feel as though I was with the characters. The handheld camera style is a more realistic point of view for the viewer. This style also never allowed the viewer to relax. It created a more anxious setting. The filmmakers did this specifically to make the viewer feel part of the action and the emotions of the characters.

    The lighting in Children of Men was all-natural lighting. The filmmakers did this to again, make it more realistic, but also to give scenes a darker setting. Darker settings are seen in movies that want to create a "scary" and tense atmosphere. You tend to see villains using dark colors. We tend to associate dark colors with evil or danger. A darker setting is used in Children of Men to frighten and create the opposite of a lighthearted film. This added to the viewer's perspective because the characters in the film felt scared and tense. We understood this through the use of a darker setting. 

    Between having unmotivated camera work, a shaky perspective, and darker lighting, Children of Men does a phenomenal job of telling a story. The camera work allows the viewer to feel as if they are a part of the story. Emotions can be tied to colors, so the darker picture with the natural lighting makes for a tense watch. Following Theo throughout the entire film and drifting off to see other scenery gives the reader a good sense of the setting and severity of the scene. I am so grateful to have seen this film and experienced a high level of amazing cinematography.