Table Scene Breakdown

- A Serious Man Cinematographer: Roger Deakins

The Master Wide: A Serious Man

Key light coming from window.

Window is +4 Stops. T11
Background character are
roughly 4 stops under. T0.7

Camera is positioned slightly higher

than the tables and angled so that we
can see ceiling and floor.

Eyes follow the aisle. Helped by

the vertical stripes on the wall and
the china balls.

The Master Wide: A Serious Man

The wide shots set the tone for the entire scene. There are quite a few things going on in all of the examples we are going to look at. To make things easier lets breakdown what key elements
a shot like this needs to have regardless of the cinematography.
FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES WE ARE ASSUMING MR. DEAKINS SHOT THIS INTERIOR DAY SCENE AT T2.8 AS HE HAS MENTIONNED HE HAS A TENDENCY TO FLOAT AROUND THAT STOP FOR THIS PARTICULAR TYPE OF SCENE
AND LOCATION.

1. The obvious things a shot like this needs to tell the viewer is where we are (location) and what time of day (sunrise, sunset, day, night, etc.) it is.
In our example we can immediately identify that our characters are in a diner and they are just arriving to have a meal together. We know it is a popular place and judging from the lighting we
can guess that it is lunch time.
- Deakins special He includes elements in the foreground, our characters in the middle of the frame, and then continues the lines by using the aisle and the row of tables and lights to the background. With
creative blocking of the extras we have an unobrstucted view of all of the characters.
2. The overall scene geography.
Looking at this one still we can immediately see where the lead male is (the one with his back to the camera) in relation to the other characters and as importantly the light source.
- Deakins Special He includes all the sources in this shot. We can see the china balls inside and we can also see the windows to the right. The key light is coming through these windows while the china balls
are there just for marginal fill.
The position of the key light is important as we move from the wide into the coverage. The light can always be cheated as we move in for close ups but the audience is less forgiving when the
angle of the key light changes mid scene.
So Mr. Deakins shows us that the key light is coming from camera right and it is a big soft broad source.
With help from wardrobe the background extras are kept quite dark so that are characters can stand out a bit more once we get into the rest of the shots from thise sequence.

1st Cut: Medium Shot

Key light coming from window.

Shooting at T2.8 the left side of the actors face is reading +1.
Perfectly exposed for Caucasian skin. Contrast ratio = 8:1

The 180 line has been established.

It is important to remember that 95% of the time the key

light is on the opposite side of the camera.

No fill light. A little bit of a wrap from

the key light.

1st Cut: Medium Shot

In the first cut we see the main character talking across the table to an older couple. The main thing that we have carried over from the opeing wide shot is the character
placement. We know that we are looking at the reverse angle of the previous shot and we know that there is a woman on the other side of the mans shoulder.
All this information being previously laid out means the viewer is comfortable with following the shot progression.
The exposure is the same and now we get our first look at the contrast ratio for this scene. It appears to me that Deakins is using an 8:1 contrast ratio here. The key side of
the main actors face is one stop over (T4) and the fill side is two stops under (T1.4). Deakins will use this ratio on all of the other characters as well.
The staging of the background extras helps not to interfere with the main action. Imagine if the man sitting behind the main character was just a little bit to the left. We
would start to see his head mixing in with the head of our main character. It would be distracting. Same goes for the two extras further back. The camera and lens are set
so that those two extras are not competing with the leads.
The framing has the main actor slightly favoring the key light side and he is just right of center looking towards the side of the frame where Roger has left more real estate.
The foreground is balanced by including the other actors shoulder.
By placing the Key light on the opposite side from the camera the shoulders on the actors in these dirty singles are kept dark . The darker they are the less they are competing with the action and where Mr. Deakins wants the viewer to look.
Also notice how this is all side light. Yes there are china balls inside the diner but they are just there for show. The characters are being light from the sides creating the
possibility for that nice contrast ration and the pleasing modelling of the faces.
The background extras are also kept out of the viewers attention by the shift in the depth of field. Even though the lens is set to the same T stop we have moved closer to
the subject. The depth of field change may also be due to a slighlty longer lens being used. Mr. Deakins has said on a number of occassions that he mainly shoots 27mm,
32mm, and 35mm. The extremes being an 18 and 21 on the wide side and 50 and 60 on the long side.

2nd Cut: Dirty Double Reverse

Background reading 3-5stops under means the two main characters
stand out from the crowd.

China balls helping create a nice dark overlapping

light effect with the womans hair.

Contrast ration stays the same (8:1). Creates definition and

maintains continuity.

Less dirty shoulder to accomodate two people in the shot

and maintain a pleasing composition.

2nd Cut: Dirty Double Reverse

So now it is time for the reverse.
The cut is into a medium of the couple looking at the main character. The contrast ratio and angle of the key light remain the same. The womans face is a little bit brighter
on the fill side but that is coming from the light reflecting of the actor next to her. The couple remains on the left hand side of the screen looking camera right while the
main character is camera right looking left.
The background is darker than the foreground as the windows stop and you can see just how little the china balls are actually doing.
The camera maintains the same heigth and distance from the couple as the previous shot. The shot is composed so that there is more space on the side they are looking
towards rather than camera left. That makes room for the dirty shoulder of the lead. Mr. Deakins includes less shoulder than the previous shot in order to accomodate the
couple being evenly framed and balance. If this was a one on one conversation this reverse would have more than likely been a mirror image of the first angle.
There is ample headroom for the couple and we can see just a glimpse of the items on the table to give the forgeound a little bit of life and color.

3rd Cut: Cutaway

3rd Cut: Cutaway

The next shot is a cutaway close up of the male in the couple reaching out his han a grasping the leads.
The 180 rule is still observed.
Everything is where it should be, the key light still coming in the same direction, the lead still camera right.
The table dressing helps to add a little interest to the corner of the shot which would have been a little lifeless without those elements.
The skin is properly exposed in line with the previous shots with the key side reading +1 and the fill side at -2. The reflection on the table is reading at +3 1/2.
The wardrobe on the lead helps create a dark space to juxtapose the properly exposed hands.
The camera is looking down at the hands and the action is happening just right of center. It isnt exactly the rule of thrids but in my viewing of Mr. Deakins works he keeps
things a little bit more centralized especially when working in 1.85.

4th Cut: Single #1

Not exactly rule of thirds. More just off center for the males mouth an
eyes.

Camera comes more to the side and gets closer. Eliminates the shoulder of the lead
character and the more side on position allows for a more pleasing frame of both
characters in the couple.

Even though the camera comes more side one we can still
see both eyes on both characters.

4th Cut: Single #1

This sort of sequence progression is pretty classic Coen brothers and Deakins carries over the same style to many of his other films.
Weve gone from a wide to two dirties and now we will end on two clean singles as the scene comes to a finale.
Just a few little things. The womans hair plays off of the window very nicely with the light and dark thing going on.
The overall color balance of the scene is kept in check with the matching wardrobe of the couple.
The contrast ratio is still the exact same.
The darker background and selective DoF is again helping to pull out the actors from what is a pretty visually interesting location.
The camera is kept at eye level.

5th Cut: Reverse Clean Single

Cutting off the top of the head just slightly to get an even
closer push in compared to the previous shot. Not near
as side on either.

Window is at +4 (T11)

Cool little backlight = -1

(T2.0)

Extras not competing with the leads head. Out of focus

and angled to create a nice composition.
Key Side = +1 (T4)

Fill Side = -2 (T1.4)

Nice balance between the dark right hand side of the

frame and the bright left hand side of the frame.

5th Cut: Reverse Clean Single

This is the final shot in this sequence.
A tighter single on the lead character. He is positioned on the right side of the frame looking left maintaining the 180 rule.
There is a nice little back light that is at about a stop under key. It was there in the dirty single as well but I didnt mention it before. It does a nice job of just using a little
bit of color to pull out that darker side.
The overall brightness of the frame on the left hand side plays nicely against the dark fill side of the lead characer. Mr. Deakins is alsoi getting a nice little effect with the
colors from the table in the glasses of the lead.
The empty blue booth on the left hand side adds a nice bit of color to the shot as well. Even though Mr. Deakins isnt coming up with all this himself he is using what the
production design is giving him to its full potential.
This shot is the tightest of them all as the scene comes to a close and the character finishes this part of the journey.