Casablanca

Throughout history, the film industry has seen many directing styles and techniques. The early part of the 20th century saw a factory style of film production, but as the years went by, directors began to employ new and untried techniques in their pictures. One such technique which this director's implemented was a new approach to the use of the camera and camera angles. 'Casablanca,' an Academy Award winning film of 1942 saw director Michael Curtiz manipulates the camera in ways others had not.

If I would director of this film, the first camera technique that I would use is to help to narrate the film in the close-up shot. The close-up can effectively convey the story to the viewer without the use of excessive dialogue. In this instance, the viewer is introduced to the main character, Rick, through the use of the close-up. The first scene in 'Rick's Cafe,' shows people gambling and making illegal deals to leave Casablanca. An employee of the cafe brings a check to a man seated at a chess table to sign. The signature reads, 'OK. Rick.' By using this shot, the I would make clear to the reader, without any dialogue, that the man signing the check is Rick. Second tecqnique I would have used by placing the camera at the exact location and height of the character, the viewer of the film is 'inserted' into the character's body, making the scene more personal. However, I would use a slight variation of this type of camera placement when Capt. Renault and Rick are having a discussion about Victor Laslo's arrival in Casablanca. The camera is placed just above and aft of Renault's shoulder. The audience can now see Renault's body reactions, as well as having Renault's perspective on Rick's response. In this episode, the point-of-view shot helps to set the viewer into the action, which will in turn motivate a better response from the viewer.

The third camera technique I would use is Shot motivation creates a purpose for the camera to move to another action. For example, as Major Strasse and his men enter Rick's cafe, I would have panned the camra from right to left, following them. As the camera will move left, Rick is spotted sitting at a table and the camera stops. This example of shot motivation shows how one action can lead the camera to the beginning of another scene. This technique of shot motivation is an effective one which is found in many current pictures as well.

One of the clues that would have been given about Rick's character is the way the lighting changes during this sequence. During the scenes that take place in Casablanca, and especially the ones that happen in the café, harsh lighting is used on Humphrey Bogart (Rick). This emphasizes the façade he has created where he leads all those who know him to believe that he cares of nothing in the world except for himself. He is a harsh man and the lines and wrinkles in ...