Looking At — The Disciple
Note: This is not a film review but some notes on the visual language used in the film.
“Empty the pond to get the fish” — Bresson
Cinema is a melting pot of many different languages. To explore the cinematic is to blend all these languages into one, letting each one contribute to the coherent whole.
More restraint than indulgence.
The Curious World of Sharad
A world that invites the viewer inwards.
Frames are loose with an open foreground.
Color pallete is muted.
Deeper perspective.
How 1 is inviting and 2 repulsive.
2.35:1 Widescreen Aspect Ratio
The viewer is free to explore the space.
Makes the world familiar.
It does not threaten.
Hopeful and unsuspecting
Low Contrast lighting.
Attention is distributed across the frame. More intimacy.
Sharad’s conflict becomes more internal than a outward projection.
Kubrick using high contast to heighten the drama and conflict.
The placement of camera inside the car,
Like being stuck in their personal space.
The seat in the forground created a slight sense of voyeurism.
Placing the viewer outside the car gives more freedom.
The Anamorphic Look
Utilizes its expansive depth of field, to manifest the character’s mindscape.
Sharad’s romanticized view of the world.
A world full of possibilities.
“The ejaculatory force of the eye” — Bresson
Passive way of looking at the characters.
Eyelines away from the centre of the camera frees the viewer.
A look into the camera holds you accountable.
A visual suffocation.
The Indifferent World of Sharad
As the magic fades in Sharad, the world around him starts shrinking.
Colors become brighter.
Frames get tighter.
Perspective gets flatter.
The world that is not free anymore.
As a son.
As a father.
Going In
This promixity conveys their deep rooted bond.
Something beyond the physical pleasures.
The exoticised close ups appear in the televised footage.
Cutting In
In the donation scene, when the long shot cuts in,
There is a slight jerk that is felt.
Culprit- The pink file on the bottom left
This scene cuts in smooth. Thanks to the pink file.
Landscapes
Roads
Chartering his own journey into the world of classical music.
Loosing his identity in the real world.
The kids on the street and the bus, diluted the character’s interiority in this shot.
- Their volume in the frame shifted the point of interest towards them
- Their realistic character broke the fictional world of the Mai.
Architecture
Fading Music Culture
Extravagant in the beginning
Low key affair by the end
Slow Motion
A tool mostly used to emphasis an action or an event,
The Disciple uses it to create an transcendental realm.
Elegantly complimented by Mai’s voice.
A illusory aural world where only Sharad and Mai exists.
The Moving Camera
“One should not use the camera as if it were a broom “ — Bresson
The winner is going to be announced.
Sharad is expecting to win.
He is the point of interest in the frame.
The camera starts moving in.
But he does not win.
The camera keeps moving on.
The point of interest is not him anymore.
Like him losing his grip on life.
Cut to a group doing breathing exercise.
The camera gently moves in.
He finally becomes the point of interest.
Getting the grip back.
Cut to the him listening to Mai.
The camera follows him.
Maintaining him as the point of interest.
The grip continues…
When Mai’s voice recordings appears to speak to him one on one,
The camera moves towards the tape recorder.
The myth of Mai gets personified.
The beginning of the end.
Sharad undergoes his greatest internal conflict in the film.
This moment was captured through a 180 degree movement.
The pace of the shot built an invisible tension. Calm before the storm.
The change in perspectives conveyed his emotional instabilty.
However going close showed him more in control than weakness.
Cutting it with a extreme wide shot made it a dramatic gesture.
Like walking away was a warrior’s move.
Whereas Sharad bowed humbly and accepted the defeat gracefully.
The pattern of tubelights slightly diverted the attention from him.
Thank you team Disciple. For keeping it simple.
