The Dutch Angle

The Dutch Angle, otherwise known as the ‘dutch tilt’ or ‘oblique angle’, is a technique in film that involves x-axis camera tilts that increase the sense of unease or disorientation within a scene. Showing the audience a shot with the angle tilted to the side directly indicates to them that something within the scene is unsettling or that a certain character is ‘crooked’.

This effect is created because the brain naturally processes horizontal and vertical lines, like those in standard camera shots. Understanding the angled lines created with a Dutch Angle is much harder for the brain so the shift in horizon makes us naturally uneasy. When used correctly, the Dutch Angle is the perfect tool to set the tone for your viewers without the use of dialogue or setting.

History

The history of the Dutch Angle dates back to 1920s Germany with the film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari by Robert Weire. This movie experimented with shadows, light, and angles in a way that was far ahead of it’s time and brought the art of expressionism to film. This movie was the first to introduce subjective filmmaking, meaning that what we’re seeing unfold isn’t necessarily reality but rather the experience of the narrator. Although it doesn’t explicitly contain a dutch angle, the set itself is crooked and it lends itself to the same effect of uneasiness.

His work inspired that of other local filmmakers such as F.W. Murnau, Fritz Lang, and Erich Pommer. Another notable use of the technique that contributed to its rising popularity is that by Ukrainian filmmaker Dziga Vertov in the 1929 film Man With a Movie Camera. Vertov had a disdain for many movies being made at the time, calling them ‘carbon copies of novel and theater.’ He didn’t like that the camera itself was essentially being used as a boring spectator that simply watches the action of the plot unfold before it.

The documentary film challenged that notion and completely changed the way films were being made by making the camera a character in the film. It walks you through how it pulls off certain shots while simultaneously creating new innovations in so many techniques like slow motion, split screen, and double exposure. The film features no sets, actors, scripts, or title cards- relying solely on camera work to tell the story.

As German filmmakers began to come to Hollywood, the Dutch Angle technique became more popular and began to be featured in films such as The Bride of Frankenstein, Citizen Kane, and The Maltese Falcon. And some modern filmmakers, such as Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan, have utilized several German expressionist filmmaking techniques in their movies.

When to Use

Just like every filmmaking technique, there are both good and bad examples of it in action. For an example of the shot when it doesn’t work well, take a look at the film Battlefield Earth which uses a Dutch Angle for the majority of the film. This is an example that doesn’t work because the technique is specifically used to portray a sense of uneasiness, rather than simply to make a shot look more interesting. When it’s not used purposefully or when it’s used too frequently, the Dutch Angle can simply leave your viewer feeling disoriented and frustrated.

There are, however, many examples of the technique working well for filmmakers. It was used quite frequently in the Batman TV series in the 1960s to emphasize the ‘crookedness’ of Batman’s various adversaries. It was used in Citizen Kane in the campaign promises scene in order to show corrupt politician Charles Kane’s speech. It was also used in Inglourious Basterds to brace viewers for a particularly gruesome scene and in Inception to further highlight that sense of dream vs. reality.

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Fall

Fall is a contemplative time because it’s nature’s ‘last hoorah’ before the cold winter season. However, from a directorial point of view, it’s also one of the most beautiful seasons to shoot in. The gorgeous hues of the leaves that tumble down from the trees and the much-earlier golden hour can create some amazing cinematography. How you utilize this season will depend on the nature of your film. For example, if you’re creating a horror movie you can utilize the orange tones to reinforce the ‘spooky season’ vibes. If you’re creating a romance movie, the fall season can give your whole movie a very Hygge feel complete with sweaters, hats, nature, blankets, etc. All of these cozy accessories can accent the couple falling into a love that makes them both feel ‘at home’.

Winter

Winter is the time when all aspects of nature (plants, animals, etc.) go into a sort of hibernation. And visually, winter could either be a very harsh, biting, cold and dark time or it could be a bright and stark-white beautiful oasis. Once again, this depends on the type of film you’re making. If you’re cycling through the seasons, this season could be the time that your protagonist goes through their hardest trek. Perhaps they’re going through a breakup or their family has stopped talking to one another. Lots of shots of them walking alone, the only piece of color against a white backdrop, the sound of a harsh wind in the background. On the other hand… you’ve all seen Hallmark Christmas movies. What could be a desolate wasteland in darker films becomes a magical wonderland in others, one need only to consider their tone and movie arc.

Spring

Spring is the season where everything is coming back to life and typically symbolizes a form of rebirth. If you’re cycling through the seasons in your film, perhaps this is the time when your character experiences a ray of hope coming out of the dark winter season. Perhaps they begin to recover from their breakup and start to go out on new dates or maybe their family starts to reconnect. Either way, visually you’ll want to shoot a lot of colorful flowers and have a lot of greenery in your shots (trees, grass, etc).

In more nuanced takes it can even be used to serve as a contrast to your character and their emotional stage. For example, picture a lush green meadow in the spring. Little droplets of dew are dripping off of the flowers, tiny ladybugs are poking their heads out… and then you have your protagonist who plows through stomping on all of the flowers. They’re dressed in all black, a hood over their head, and deep bags under their eyes. Showing how much your protagonist looks out of place in a season that’s otherwise so beautiful and life-giving is one way to highlight a bad emotional point of your film.

Summer

Finally there’s summer, which is typically associated with warmth and the sun. This is a very interesting time cinematically because it symbolizes several different things, even varying depending on location. For example, summer in a small upper-east-coast town will be an idyllic time. The sun is shining, kids are running around playing, people are going to the pool and going to parties and getting tan and having a blast. On the other hand, take a typical summer day in a location like Arizona. Temperatures can get so high that even going to the pool doesn’t provide respite. It even gets so hot that it’s hard to sustain some forms of plant life, so this becomes more of a desert wasteland season as opposed to one of fun in the sun.

While location is important to consider, it’s also important to consider the tone and genre of your film. You’ve likely heard the term ‘summer romance’ at some point in your life. There is a romanticized idea of the summer time and how fleeting it is. This doesn’t just apply to the romance genre either, perhaps you create a film where for one summer a typically shy kid goes on a convenient store robbing spree, almost gets caught, and then assimilates back into normal high school life once fall comes around. If you’re attempting to write an arc where the character starts and ends at a similar place, this season is the perfect setting for it.

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NOTE: All of these films are rated PG-13 or higher and feature themes that may be uncomfortable for some viewers.

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER (2012)

Set and shot in Pittsburgh, the film adaptation of Stephen Chbosky’s coming-of-age story is a bit different than your typical high school dramedy. The main character, Charlie, has severe anxiety and other mental health issues- obstacles treated with brutal honesty. It stars major Hollywood actors Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and Ezra Miller in roles fairly opposite to the ones that made them famous. While it was a success when considering its budget and received critical acclaim, the film and book have both somewhat faded into obscurity. It’s worth revisiting if only for the frank and realistic depiction of being a teenager, regardless of its 90s setting. (Maybe this isn’t the most “indie” example, at least in terms of studio, but the overall themes and budget make it qualify.)

THE LAST SUPPER (1995)

Speaking of the 90s, this obscure black comedy is one of Cameron Diaz’s earliest works, starring alongside Ron Eldard and Bill Paxton. The film’s premise is spun off from that classic philosophical question: if you met a young Hitler and learned of his ideas, would you attempt to improve the future at the cost of his life? It’s an already morbid hypothetical made more gruesome by a group of grad students. They invite a stranger to eat dinner with them, listen to their thoughts on life, and decide whether it’s a night to play executioner. Despite the very dark story, the comedy is enough to keep it from growing too dour.

HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE (2016)

Directed by Taika Waititi (of Thor: Ragnarok fame), Wilderpeople follows a teenage boy and his father figure as they flee to the New Zealand bush. Their reasons for disappearing are gut-wrenchingly realistic and far too much of a spoiler for this little blurb. But the true strength of the film is how main characters Hec and Ricky play off each other, portrayed by Sam Neill and Julian Dennison respectively. The dialogue is classic Waititi, with almost every line feeling like an outtake from Ragnarok or last year’s Jojo Rabbit. It’s also worth noting that this is the highest-grossing New Zealand film in history.

A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT (2014)

While created in America, this “vampire western” is set in Iran and uses the Persian language exclusively. It combines elements from vampire films like Dracula with the style and general tone of spaghetti westerns a la Sergio Leone. Writer and director Ana Lily Amirpour has gone on record saying she had the cast watch Nosferatu and other western films in preparation for their roles. While it uses black-and-white to enhance the creepiness of the film and emulate its inspirations, the real standout is the use of shadows. The monochrome enhances the use of lighting- or lack thereof. The film also spawned a graphic novel adaptation and an alternate soundtrack, released in 2018.

THE FLORIDA PROJECT (2017)

It’s difficult to capture the perspective of a child, especially one going through a difficult situation. Their tendency to drift towards fantasy and imagination is sometimes a skill lost as adults. However, director-producer-writer Sean Baker proved he was capable with The Florida Project. A young girl lives in a Kissimmee, Florida motel room with her single mother as the parent tries to prevent them from becoming homeless. Not only does it accurately depict how a child would view and behave in such an environment, but the filming methods add a sense of realism. It was shot entirely on-site with a 35mm film. The film was a critical success, with Willem Dafoe being nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

THE STANFORD PRISON EXPERIMENT (2015)

A film adaptation of the controversial Stanford prison experiment was originally announced in 2002. The movie would cover the 1971 project, in which a psychology professor used volunteer students to study abuse in the prison system. The time spent in development was due to the extreme nature of the original experiment and whether the film was profiting off the event. In the end, a more indie production was made and premiered at Sundance to rave reviews. Audiences praised the critical look at how quickly humans can turn on each other in positions of power. During its Sundance run, it won the Alfred P. Solan Feature Film Prize and the Waldo Walt Screenwriting Award, alongside being nominated for the Grand Jury Prize.

24 FRAMES (2018)

Some might argue whether this qualifies as a “movie,” seeing as there’s not a real plot. Instead, Abbas Kiarostami’s last production is two hours of 24 scenes that don’t seem to interconnect. It plays out closer to a series of short films than a cohesive work. But each scene features a different filming technique that might otherwise be seen as a gimmick. The short length- around 4 and a half minutes- keeps them from overstaying their welcome. It’s also considered to be a perfect encapsulation of Kiarostami’s history as a director, making it a must-watch for his fans.

What are your favorite underrated indie movies? Let us know!

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1) Long Shots

We’ve covered these previously, but they’re a staple of virtually any indie film. This is essentially a scene in a film with one camera where an actor performs for a longer period without cuts or switching angles. We see this technique employed in a wide selection of indie films, from more action-packed movies like Donnie Darko to romance films like Call Me By Your Name. Now sometimes the astute film viewer can spot opportunities where filmmakers may have cheated these shots, but more often than not their genuine. These sequences give both an independent film actor and the cameraman the opportunity to show off their skills.

2) Manic Pixie Dream Girl

This is not a trope exclusive to indie movies, but it’s still present in several, nonetheless. Though most of you are likely aware of it, a manic pixie dream girl is a name given to a female character who serves no purpose other than to further along the plot of the male protagonist. Thankfully they’ve been making more complex female roles in recent years, but look at virtually any indie film from the 2000s or before and you’ll see these very lazy attempts to make female characters feel ‘different’ or ‘interesting’ in the eyes of the protagonist (which is all that matters right?).

Although this is one of the more infamous tropes, on a filmmaking level there have been some interesting experiments on how to portray this character throughout indie cinema. For example, in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, we see the character Clementine constantly changing her hair color, creating a very visually interesting effect throughout the movie as it plays with time. Despite these experiments, we will be forever thankful for movies like 500 Days of Summer which directly takes on this old trope and flips it on its head. This film shows the viewer how Joseph Gordon Levitt is in the wrong for assuming Zoey Deschanel was just a character in his story instead of being her own person with her own desires and dreams.

3) Minimal/Low Budget Sets

In any good indie film, you likely wouldn’t notice this because you’d be solely focused on the plot/character development. However, because independent films are usually lower budget, they typically use very minimal and low budget sets. So, if you’re a more astute viewer, you may notice that the whole film takes place in only three sets- maybe a bar, apartment, and park. Or you may notice that it’s being filmed mostly in public settings like walking down the street or on a park bench. Or you may even simply notice that the set design is a little strange, maybe the main character has a weird painting of a bird hanging over their bedroom that feels a little out of place. The setting only matters as far as it informs character development, so they don’t need to use a ton of expensive settings in order to make a good film.

For example, take the recent film The Last Black Man in San Francisco. The film primarily takes place in three settings: Jimmie’s house, Mont’s house, and outdoors. The plot is simple, the setting is simple, and yet they manage to pull off an incredibly touching movie with great character development and outstanding acting performances.

4) Strange Transitional Shots

Whereas in most movies the transitional shots will be something that shows the character getting from point A to point B (IE cars driving on a highway, people walking down the street, etc.), indie movies tend to take a different approach on that. Their idea of transitional shots would be like a random man eating a messy sandwich or a dead rat under a bridge. Still showing the character getting from point A to point B, but in a more pointed way attempting to get to the root of how we should view each place.

5) Ambiguity

Ambiguousness is such a huge factor in so many independent films. Whether it be in smaller ways like leaving an ending a little open-ended to bigger ways like being a central part of the film, independent filmmakers love not giving us answers. They aren’t the type to hold an audience’s hand and walk them along gently to the ending, they throw us in headfirst and let us find our way there ourselves. Some may find this annoying, but it’s these types of intellectual challenges that make independent filmmaking so important.

We see examples of this type of ambiguity in so many films, but most recently in the Robert Eggers film Lighthouse starring Robert Pattinson and Wilhelm Dafoe. The movie appears to be about two lighthouse workers who get stranded on an island in the middle of the ocean. We follow Robert Pattinson’s character as he seemingly goes mad, but there are so many moments that make the audience question what’s real and what isn’t. For example, we see a scene where Willem Dafoe’s character chases Robert’s with an ax, but moments later he insists Robert was the one chasing him with the ax. This type of ambiguity makes for not only a more engaging watch, but also fun and opinionated debate after the lights come up in the theater.

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This is… not necessarily the life of a voice actor.

Merriam-Webster defines a voice actor as someone who provides vocals for a character in a video game, animated feature, TV show, or movie. They emote and perform just as much as any live actor, but their expressions are never seen in the finished product. All that the consumer enjoys about their performance is their voice.

It is for this reason that many voice actors enjoy a certain degree of anonymity. While their names and faces may be known to die-hard fans, a casual viewer is unlikely to know more beyond what roles they’ve had. This applies even more to anime and game voice actors, as their roles stem from already niche interests.

That’s not to say that voice actors are completely devoid of fame. Most have a considerable number of fans and can afford a lifestyle most can’t. They attend conventions and autograph signings. Their social media accounts are verified and official. Voice actors simply appeal to a smaller audience than their live-action counterparts.

Of course, there is some crossover. Many classically-trained actors take up voice acting, or vice versa. Jeremy Shada is most well-known for his roles as Finn the Human on Adventure Time and Lance on Voltron: Legendary Defender, both of which are animated. But Shada also has the lead role on go90’s Mr. Student Body President, a live action TV show. Celebrities also often accept roles in animated films or shows as well. Disney films are a good example as well: both John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman have had plenty of notable live roles but are equally regarded for their work in Wreck-It Ralph.

Neither career path is easy. While the effort actors put into their craft is well-documented, voice actors apply themselves just as much. Granted, there’s no stunt work or body language to be perfected, but voice actors have to make their characters feel real. It’s a challenge, especially when you’re dubbing for a talking cat or an anthropomorphic bathtub.

That being said, there’s more to voice acting than just standing and talking. Voice actors have to get into character. The Hangover star and SNL alum Jason Sudekis,whose voice you may recognize on The Cleveland Show and Angry Birds, famously said about voice acting, “You’re screaming and yelling you can’t help but sort of physicalize things. The next day I’m usually sore in some weird part of my body.”

The level of recognition also varies, not just from the consumers but from the media itself. Many games, particularly visual novels, don’t mention the voice actors anywhere in the credits. If they do, they usually don’t list which specific roles they played or only highlight the original Japanese voices (if the game is foreign). This can lead to miscredited roles and even less acknowledgment, as the true voice actors may see the only avenue to reveal their roles as social media.

They’re often times paid less than traditional actors and often may not even know what role they’re auditioning for before casting, leading to controversial decisions of casting white actors in minority roles. The video game industry in particular is notorious for this, as voice actors were only paid residuals or a flat sum before sale of the game even began. This led to a strike in 2016-2017 against some of the larger game companies, like Electronic Arts and Activision. While an agreement was made between the companies and the Screen Actors Guild, it’s still a touchy subject.

But those who are voice actors love their job. They relish being the voices that educate and entertain kids or makes a digital world feel more realistic. Going to cons and taking photos with fans who gush over their roles makes the pay and under-appreciation worth it. It’s difficult to be an actor, whether or not your face is seen. So even if they aren’t as popular as the celebrities whose faces you’ve come to know and love, they deserve the same respect as our silver screen idols.

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