9 Scenes from 'Jaws' That Will Show You How Spielberg Does Cinematography
Clearly Steven Spielberg is a legendary director with a style all his own, but compared to other filmmakers with cinematic techniques more -- flashy and pronounced than his (I'm looking at you Wes Anderson), it's easy to be unfamiliar with what gives his films that Spielbergness.
Probably one of the most notable cinematographic moves that just screams Spielberg is the tracking shot, namely ones that follow subjects sideways across the frame. However, there are so many others, like blocking changes, characters moving planes (especially into the foreground), and shooting a "frame within a frame." Antonios Papantoniou breaks down a bunch of scenes from a film full of these quintessential Spielberg techniques -- Jaws. Check it out below!
If you want to learn more about the trademark cinematic techniques Spielberg used in his films (cinematography, themes, editing, etc.), you can check out some posts we've done in the past, including the editing done on Raiders of the Lost Ark, as well as a full breakdown of the lesser known long take, the "Spielberg oner".
Source: Antonios Papantoniou
