Camera Angles. Truly great artists have a signature that identifies and separates them from the pact.  It is something unique, whether it is a painter with an impressionistic view of the world or the masterful use of atmosphere in a novel by a writer.  Two such artists in film are Ethan and Joel Coen; they incorporate camera angles and movement, creating films that are entirely their own.  These techniques are a clear fingerprint to identify the movie as a Coen Brothers film.

     The Coen Brothers first film Blood Simple (1984) is where they developed heavy camera movement in conjunction with capturing unique camera angles. The Coens’ first director of photography Barry Sonnenfeld states, “Joel and I decided early on that we wanted to move the camera a lot” (Robson 18).  Even though the Coens are artistic, cost was a big decision on how and what camera angles they used.  Taking a stab at a cost effective way to make a scene have a large visual effect, the Coens incorporated a technique that their friend Sam Raimi used, the ‘shakicam.’ The ‘shakicam’ seems to make the scene have a surrealist feel: “The camera seems to float rather than bounce over the ground…the device was used to create the shot outside Ray’s bungalow as Marty forces Abby outside” (Robson 19).  Another Coen film that used the shaky camera is Raising Arizona (1987).  The shaky camera creates a feeling of free form movement which contributes to the zaniness of Raising Arizona.  One difference between the Coens and other directors that have used the shaky cam for visual effect is the Coens use the technique in a purposeful self-conscious manner.  Ethan, referencing Blood Simple, states: “This whole movies is self-conscious” (qtd. in Robson 22).  The stylistic choice to be self-conscious is one element that explains why the Coen Brother films feel avant-garde.  In addition, these self-conscious films ask the viewer to come along and be part of the joke, sometimes breaking the fourth wall.  One memorable scene that is visually stunning because of the shaky cam technique is “the lengthy zoom along the streets to the Arizona house, over the front lawn, up to the window and into Florence Arizona’s mouth as screams” (Robson 59).  The scene is not shaky or dizzying like many other movies; instead, the shot is smooth and fluid, but realistic.

     The shaky cam is not the only technique the Coens incorporate in their movies.  Cost effectiveness was a concern during Blood Simple; however, there was a lot of experimentation as well.   Experimentation seems to be a key to the Coen films in which most have experimental qualities.  Shots focused on feet as characters walk, angles shot to appear like the viewer is looking down on a character, cars stopping directly in front of the camera are all wildly experimental.  In addition, the Coens have experimented with short and wide lenses in many of their movies.  During Raising Arizona, the Coens created the distorted, almost grotesque, look through the use of a wide lens: “He [Barry Sonnenfeld] used a 17mm lens for much of the film, which has a tendency to distort things” (Robson 59).  The short lens was used in movies like Blood Simple and Miller’s Crossing (1990), to create claustrophobic atmosphere. Whether the Coens use short, wide, or shaky cam the camera is always moving creating constant movement in the film.  Eddie Robson suggests, “the use of extreme and unusual angles, a technique which sits well with their habit of keeping the camera in motion even on the most innocuous shots” (32).  It is true that even in the most trifle shots movement is constantly occurring; for example, in No Country for Old Men (2007), when Chigurh is wounded and in the bathtub cleaning his wound, the viewer observes the scene from overhead.  The blood flows and dissipates into the water, matching the dissipation and silence of the movie.  This scene is visually stunning because it adds a texture to the deep tone and tense atmosphere of the movie.  Furthermore, it is surprising because the viewed does not expect to see Chigurh from that perspective.  Another great camera angle is during the scene where Llewelyn Moss finds the wounded cartel.  To match the worry and anxiety of Llewelyn, the camera has erratic movement.  The camera angles are long and sweeping, as if Llewelyn is looking for trouble in the surrounding area.  In addition, long sweeping shots of the open plains are used to create the feeling of isolation and vulnerability.  One of the most interesting and unique scenes of No Country for Old Men, is right before Llewelyn finds the cartel.  He is hunting on the Texas plains, and the shot looks like it is through the scope of the Llewelyn’s rifle.

     No matter what scene is being shot, the Coens always think of the type of movie they are filming, the personality of the character, tone, and atmosphere.  Movies that have a dark, tense tone usually incorporate very fluid and sometimes dreamlike scenes.  Wacky movies, like Raising Arizona, incorporate camera angles and movement that hyperbolizes the zany characters, increasing the humorous tone.  Some critics have suggested the camera angles create a forced style that will distract the viewer.  Other critics have lauded over their modern approach to film noir.  Whatever the opinion, most people can agree that the Coens use the camera in a most scientific approach.  The Coen Brothers dissect, analyze, and use the camera as one of their finest tools to create some really interesting film. In many ways, it is their awareness of what the camera can do that makes the Coens truly artists.   As with any scientific art, they only get better with age.--Cecilia Dockins

Works Cited

Blood Simple. Dir. Joel and Ethan Coen. 1985. DVD. Universal Studios Home Video, 2001.

Miller’s Crossing. Dir. Joel and Ethan Coen. 1990. DVD. 20^th Century Fox Home Entertainment,

          2003.

No Country for Old Men. Dir. Joel and Ethan Coen. 2007. DVD. Miramax Home Entertainment,

          2008.

Robson, Eddie. Coen Brothers: Virgin Film Series. Great Britain: Virgin Books, 2007. Print.