I've never read To Kill a Mockingbird nor have I ever seen the movie, until now. Watching it for the first time, I realized that the story line seemed very familiar to me. I enjoyed the conflicts in the movie such as the conviction of a possible rapist and many acts of prejudice. On top of all of the stories' plot, what really stood out to me (as always) was the way in which this movie was brought together. Again, I was always focused on the cinematography of the movie, all the shots that created lots of emotion throughout, and the lighting for each shot. The cinematographer of To Kill a Mockingbird, Russell Harlan, used a variety of black and white shots for each scene. The most common shot that was displayed was either high or low close-up shots. I find this to be very interesting because these types of shots that include angles portray characteristic feelings or powers. For example, a low angle of a person makes them look bigger, stronger, and powerful whereas a person who is filmed from a high angle does the complete opposite, making them look small and weak. As for lighting, Harlan also used a variety of lighting techniques. For some scenes that were more romantic and included intimacy, he used a soft and darker light. For scenes that were more intense and essential (such as the courtroom scene), he made the lighting brighter with more shadows. Music played a huge role in this movie, always building emotion and feeling for each scene. Sad music would play when an emotional scene would take place. Fast and loud music would start playing for more suspenseful scenes.
After watching this movie and focusing on all of these elements, I got a better understanding of how a great movie is made. Without all of these aspects, the movie wouldn't be captivating and interesting for the viewers. Everything in a movie, for the most part, was planned and has a reason as to why it was included.
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