Dennis Villeneuve – The Cinematic Power in Storytelling
“I like movies that are staying with me for days or weeks. You know, that the beauty of cinema when you create images and those images create emotions or questions inside yourself. That’s what I would like to do as a filmmaker” –Dennis Villeneuve
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been surrounded by cinema. I remember my 6-year-old self sitting on the edge of my parent’s bed, eyes glued to the screen. And needless to say, I’ve fallen in love with films. More in love with what a story can do. Because the stories that I find “the best kinds of stories” are the ones that hook and leave you asking questions. Questions like: Why did the director choose to focus on this particular subject? What’s so important about this shot? Why does this image matter? When certain films generate these kinds of questions, audiences are asked to think beyond their own perceptions. To use a space where they can explore their narrative knowledge of the film. Because when we fully invest our emotions towards a particular story, we become rather attached.
Many of the films that I had taken the time to re-watch and closely examine originate from iconic writer and director Denis Villeneuve. A French-Canadian filmmaker best known for his works Enemy (2013), Incendies (2010) and Polytechnique (2009). His films ultimately define the beauty in cinematic storytelling. His way of capturing stories is far more than unique. Not only are his films highly intelligent, but they require particular lenses to look into. Whether using an analytical, psychological or emotional lens, his stories are always generating questions. It is merely the art form in his filmmaking techniques that often leaves his viewers deeply thinking of the choices he makes: Why did he choose to detach these subjects? Why are we only shown parts of images? How do these techniques become effective to the narrative? These are the kinds of questions Villeneuve enforces through his stylistic filmmaking. With the images that he decides to offer us, it makes us feel uneasy. Yet we are solidified with such uncertainness. Villeneuve puts us in worlds without answers.
Villeneuve’s method of storytelling centers around an intimate point-of-view. One of the key components Villeneuve masters in his films is composition. He determines how the elements inside the frame are positioned and displayed for the viewer. And whether it’s staging, framing, or balancing, Villeneuve is capable of presenting that particular space. This space being dependent on what to display and what not to display. As well as how to display it. For example, Villeneuve heavily emphasizes usages of intense, violent imagery to provoke deeper meanings. Meanings that become questionable and bound to the unknown. The unknown in Villeneuve’s storytelling is thought provoking. Needless to say, cinema in its purest form is visual storytelling. And the best cinematic films can present a story through something as simple as the arrangement of an image. The key component to cinematic storytelling is composition. How are we able to tell our stories with one singular shot? It is regulating what the audience is able to see and how they see it. When films offer only pieces of visual information, we tend to fulfill and create the images ourselves. Villeneuve’s method of storytelling captures the importance of focusing on the unknown rather than the clear subject. He enhances intimacy through usages of composition. In which it separates a line into two goals: To attract the viewers’ attention and emphasize the focal elements of an image. What should the viewer be looking at? And how do we get them to look at it? It is through Villeneuve in which he critically executes this approach in all of his films. The lens that he offers creates meaningful yet powerful images. Villeneuve’s goal in cinematic storytelling is to put viewers onto this mysterious space, obligating them go beyond one’s perceptions.
As I present these series of projects, I want to provide brief non-spoiler reviews, storyboard analyses, and techniques from the films. My aims for the project is for audiences to look into the films of Villeneuve and hopefully gain a richer understanding of his unique storytelling.
Here I will address non-spoiler reviews from films Arrival (2016), Prisoners (2013), and Sicario (2015) directed by Denis Villeneuve.
Arrival (2016) – Film Review
“I used to think this was the beginning of your story…. We’re so bound by time”
After watching Arrival in theaters, I was left speechless. Not because of how amazing the film was but because I had so many questions. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, the film many unpacks unique themes through its portrayal of storytelling. The film techniques, the camera movements all form the bondage between science and art.
The film unfolds with linguistics professor Louise Banks (Amy Addams) who is recruited by U.S. Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker) to communicate with the alien lifeforms that have landed all around the world. She teams up with mathematician Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner) who helps her approach these spacecrafts. Their only hopes are to discover the unknown mysteries and questions that await them.
Arrival is more than just a sci fi film, it is simply an artistic masterpiece. And what separates this film from others is the way it plays with the notion of time, love, and humanity. Themes in which the film generates through effective storytelling techniques. It is merely these approaches of Villeneuve that perfects Arrival. What makes this particular film different from all other sci-fi films is that it creates questions. These questions create mystery, and Denis Villeneuve knows how to capture cinematic tension. Arrival is a film that trusts its patience with its audience. The film takes time to unfold, but as it progresses it calls for attention and immediate engagement with its audience.
Arrival can be defined as the power of language. How much language shapes who we are, what we think, and how we see the world around us. Though this begs the question: If you knew your life from beginning to end, would you change anything? Arrival is more than just an alien invasion, it’s much deeper than that. And it through the power of Villeneuve that showcases the art of cinematic storytelling.
9/10
Prisoners (2013) – Film Review
“Pray for the best, but prepare for the worst”
One of things I love in films is when it keeps you hanging off the edge of your seat. Because honestly, those are the kinds of films that define real film engagement. I remember watching Prisoners for the first time and my eyes were plastered to the screen. The suspense that Villeneuve crafts for this film like no other of his films.
Prisoners is a thought-provoking crime drama that tells the story of a family man Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) whose six-year-old child is kidnapped. With the help of Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal), he helps take on the case and leads his team of policemen. And as he follows and finds clues to the whereabouts of these abductions, it leads him to even more mysteries. Although the question is : How far are you willing to go to save the life of your child? Prisonersinvestigates the idea of how when the unknown is bound to us, it seems to shape the blurred line between good vs. evil.
The film is a psychological masterpiece. The stylistic techniques and methods Villeneuve adapts in this film help cope with the film’s dark and eerie atmosphere. His signature regulation techniques and wide angle shots are what illustrate such a compelling yet mysterious narrative. And it is mainly reflected through the choices that the characters make and the consequences they face.
The strong pace of suspension that Villeneuve builds throughout the film is incredible. And it is merely through his craft in storytelling that is able to stimulate such profound meanings. The technical approaches he takes on in the film help reinforce important themes. And this is what makes it such an intimate film, how it tends to suggest rather than show. Or isolating vs grouping subjects. All of these methodical techniques help attach the obscurities and darkness to the film.
Prisoners is an intimate thrill of a roller coaster. And to be quite honest, the film was more than what I expected. Not only does it create such engaging opportunities with its audience but it delivers a wide range of emotions in which one cannot describe. Prisoners is definitely worth the watch. I hope that most thriller films can aspire to be like Prisoners.
9/10
Sicario (2015) – Film Review
“You will not survive here. You are not a wolf, and this is a land of wolves now”
Many war films usually associate stories of good vs. evil or hero vs. villain. But in this case, war becomes more complex than we think. There are many action-packed films that explore many unique narratives and storylines. And one of the films that categorize into these stories is Villeneuve’s Sicario (2015).
Sicario is intensely packed. It tells the story of an FBI agent, Kate Macy (Emily Blunt), who deals with the war against drugs at the border between the U.S. and Mexico. She teams up with mysterious operative Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro) who is lead by CIA Matt Graber (Josh Brolin). Their mission is to fight through the cartels to track down the mafia crime boss. But it isn’t until they are pushed onto unknown territory, where the truths they seek become bathed in mysteries.
Sicario is a visually stunning. The actors put on together solid performances. Yet the directorial work of Villeneuve is what encompasses the beauties of this film. The cinematographies, score, editing, and mise-en-scene are key components that help add effect to the aesthetics of Villeneuve. But it is merely the construction of his techniques in which he generate mysteries for the viewer. Whether unraveling non-linearity events or choosing to regulate certain visual information, the answers audiences seek are discovered through the interpretations of his techniques. Because not only do his techniques challenge the narrative information of the viewer but it helps cope with the film’s unknowingness. He parallels the theme of the unknown for both the story and its audience.
Needless to say, sophisticated storytelling like found in Sicario requires reflective thinking. Because not only does it provoke so questions but it makes us look at the story in such indifferent perspectives. It is the power in Villeneuve’s filmmaking that is able to craft such an intelligent, visual masterpiece. Sicario is more than complex. The film is a must watch.
8.5/10
Storyboard Sequence Analysis
Here in this part of the blog, I want to analyze some notable stills from the films and discuss how Villeneuve’s techniques connect to themes of his stories.
Arrival (2016)
In this dark obscure still from Arrival centralize’s around the testing of loneliness. Here Villeneuve emphasizes isolation through main protagonist Louise Banks. One of the signature techniques Villeneuve enforces is his wide angle shot. It perfectly captures the isolated space of Louise. Because most of the film strictly follows Louise, we become exclusive to her only. Whether we are given her knowledge or feelings, we see her struggling with isolation the most. But it is merely how the film portrays these struggles, heavily focusing on the details of her thoughts.
In Villeneuve’s stories, he often likes to stress emotions from his characters. He makes them feel trapped and unable to escape. And here, Villeneuve enforces these kinds of themes through Louise as she struggles with her own inner self. Because most of the film emphasize’s her aloneness, she is seen isolated from other characters. The low-key lighting helps add affect to the eerie mood of the mise-en-scene. The dark tint of blue in the image stresses the lonely feelings of Louise. She is detached from the world due to the loss of her daughter. The scene captures not only the physical isolation of Louise but her mental isolation as well. All of the film components that make up this image illustrate the mysteries in Villeneuve’s characters. A dark eeriness that is able to transcend through both its characters and viewers.
In this still from the film, we see a lonely Louise walking back to teach her class. Subconscious to the world around her, we see her true isolation. How disconnected she is to the real world. Through various shots like these, it executes narrative empathy for Louise. We begin to anticipate more isolated camerawork whenever she is onscreen.
Here Villeneuve is able to perfectly place and align his characters to heighten different themes and meanings. In the still, we see how it seems bright outside although, there always seems to be some sort of darkness that surrounds Louise. The camera acts as a mediator, making it seem as if we are following right behind her. It can be said that Villeneuve enjoys emphasize certain segments of his images. Because, the smallest pieces can say more than the complete picture ever could. Villeneuve will focus on the details of a certain character. A mother gripping her child’s hand, the details of a thought. Villeneuve would rather hide where the actual drama lies. And this is ultimately how he implements the mysterious themes through his framework.
Prisoners (2015)
In this particular sequence from the film Prisoners Keller and Franklin Birch (Terrance Howard) take Alex Jones (Paul Dano) as prisoner to question the kidnappings of their daughters. There is a moment where Alex escapes by cutting himself loose and Keller traps him in a corner. Here we are presented with three characters in a tight, enclosed space. And noticing how the framing of the image cuts off the mirror, it replaces Alex as reflection to show how Keller is looking into the monster he has become. It stress the unknowingness of good vs. evil.
Through this objective camerawork, Villeneuve is able to isolate his subjects. He chooses to focus on a particular part of an image that could be destined to happen in the story. Whether from a subjective or objective point of view. The scene is intense. We are given scenes of torture and violence. But we only really see a portion of an image. Enforcing more attention on what we don’t know, mysteries. And this is what Villeneuve has to offer to viewers, to question our own perceptions in cinema.
The camerawork here in this scene is impactful. The close-up shot displays Keller cornering Alex in the room as he holds him up against the wall with a shard of glass. The camera becomes a two-way mirror and is able to show both the struggle of Keller in the mirror and Alex’s bloody hand. This reveal of certain visual information emotionally invests audiences to figure out what will happen next. Villeneuve tends to focus on parts of images. And in this scene, we only see the struggling of Keller through the reflection of a mirror. We only hear Alex’s struggle which enforces viewers to picture and imagine that certain image in their own way. Because not only does this shot present two sides, but it shows the duality of characters. And this is where Villeneuve technique of revealing information plays into effect.
Sicario (2015)
There is a sequence in the film where Matt and his special ops team take in a hostage for questioning. And because the hostage does not want to negotiate, Alejandro (Benicio del Toro) decides to torture him. We see the team of men gang up on the hostage. Not knowing what they are going to do with him, viewers are unable to fully see the entirety of the image. Here Villeneuve masters his technique in image regulation. And because of this, it builds suspension and intensifies the narrative furthermore.
The camerawork here becomes exclusive. It slowly focuses on the floor drain, as shoutings are heard. Villeneuve’s way of controlling the narrative is highly effective. He places a larger emphasis on what the audience doesn’t see. He doesn’t permit viewers to see the whole picture. Therefore, viewers must create their own images of what it would look like. And this is how Villeneuve displays and cuts out portions of images to provoke the unknown.
Because we are only given more audio information than the visuals, we take it in through our own imagination. With this regulation technique, it not only breaks our anticipations of the scene but places us in such uncertainness. Here Villeneuve suggests to viewers the opportunity to question themselves. How through images like these, we are enforced to create our own.
Project 3: Blade Runner Analysis
Film Techniques
One of the films that I had seen recently and want to talk about is Dennis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049. The film is visually stunning. Yet Villeneuve has shaped this film into an artistic masterpiece.
In this blog post, I want to discuss and explore some of the notable film techniques Villeneuve uses in Blade Runner 2049. I will address a certain sequence from the film and provide stills to gain a better understanding of these styles. My aim for this post is for audiences to acknowledge the beauties in Villeneuve’s signature techniques.
Wide Angle Shots
One of the technical approaches Villeneuve takes on is his placement of his subjects. In this scenario of the film, the camera is positioned outside the small office building and feels as if it is spying on the scene. The spectatorship here seems daunting. The camera angle not only offers a wider perspective but emphasizes the small illumination of light from the office. This contrast in light draws the viewer into this small space yet it captures the rainy dark atmosphere.
Close ups
In continuation of the scene, Villeneuve uses an interesting technique. He uses a blurred image. And it seems here that it isn’t the lack of focus but rather the blurriness from the rain. Which gives off a kind of foreshadow of how disorganized the conversation will be between the characters.
Shot/Reverse Shot
As the scene progress, Villeneuve initiates his Shot/Reverse Shot technique. Here he offers viewers the feeling of distance between characters Lt. Joshi and K.
And because these characters aren’t pictured in the same frame, it shows how distant they are from one another. It seems as if the camera can’t fit both characters in one single shot. And this is how Villeneuve creates further tension by controlling his subjects. Isolating them frame by frame.
After these few shots, the characters are finally seen placed together. But they still show and maintain their distance. Villeneuve is obsessed with presenting the real spaces of his characters. Not only does he make viewers feel as enclosed in this space but the distance that is finally revealed between the two characters adds intimacy.
Reaction Shot
As it cuts back to K, Villeneuve crafts his signature reaction shot. Villeneuve leaves enough space in this shot to see K’s heavy breathing without cutting away. Here we are offered K’s true reaction in discussing his recent case having killed a child. But what adds intimacy into this scene is how Lt. Joshi continues to speak but the camera disallows to cut back to her. Villeneuve’s still focus on K and use of diagetic voiceovers help strengthen his real emotions. Because, to see emotion is important to the story. It provides the viewer an intimate connection with the character whom they are watching.
With these signature shots by Villeneuve, he aims for the ambition of the scene. More importantly, he approaches his scenes with pure intimacy with his characters. And this is something Villeneuve highly prioritizes in his stories, the connection between his images and audiences.
Cinematography
In 2018 Blade Runner 2049 won an Academy award for best cinematography. And to be quite honest, the films competing with Blade Runner 2049 didn’t stand a chance.
Blade Runner 2049 defines the true mastery of cinematography. I remember watching the film’s premiere on a Thursday night, seats full and tickets sold out. And leaving the theater, one of the most notable pieces I felt most engaged with was the visuals from the film. The cinematography became visual eye candy. It’s honestly one of the key components that strengthens the core of this film. And it is merely through the visionary genius DOP Roger Deakins that crafts such a beauty in his frames.
Because most of the shots from the film are constructed to the rule of thirds, simplicity is what Villeneuve aims for. The framing, composition and presentation of colors all play into effect within how Villeneuve’s tells his story. Both Villeneuve and Deakins master the art of storytelling through the film’s color palette.
In this part of my blog, I want to discuss and present the cinematographies shot by Roger Deakins. Let’s take a look as I provide an analyzation of the film’s color palette.
Orange
One of the most essential colors from the film is orange. The color orange may often be used to depict certain feelings of danger or exploration. But in this case, it accompanies a sort of warmth to the journey of our main protagonist K.
Here, Villeneuve showcases expressions of mystery. Because in the narrative, as K arrives to Las Vegas the city is clustered with this obscure orange fog. And with this usage of fog backdrop, it helps cope an empty ghost town. The mysteriousness of this setting gives viewers an insight of warning and awareness. The orange yellow in these sequences are visually pleasing. Yet it captures a dream-like sequence.
Yellow
Roger Deakins masterfully composes his usages of lights and shadows here. With the emphasis in yellow, Villeneuve approaches this color as a source of knowledge and power. And it appears that whenever K is revealed an important clue or event, the color yellow always seems to encompass the frame.
The usage of yellow acts as a representation of importance. And it almost seems how K’s journey is connected to the Wizard of Oz’s yellow brick road. Because the information bank and Niander’s lair are presented brightly golden, it offers us the idea of how important the characters in this setting will be. Villeneuve uses yellow primarily to progress his story. Yet it becomes symbolic as it reflects his characters. Yellow is ultimately the journey of K and it follows him until the very end.
White
White is also a heavy component to this film. Because Villeneuve approaches his images in a minimalistic view, he enforces the color white to encapsulate space. But here the color is presented in a way to evoke truth and information. And because K must go through an exam after every mission, the white in this space seems suspended. Yet the color puts more attention to the suspension of K’s identity.
White is most emphasized in scenes where K struggles to figure out who he really is. And it isnt towards the end of the film where K and Deckkard discover that the truths they seek lies in the snowy white building. The usage of white for K is merely to present how he is an outcast to the eyes of society.
Pink and Violet
The usages of pink and violet from the film stimulate expressions of romance and desire. And this is where Villeneuve presents these colors to emphasize the romantic interests of K. Because, when these colors appear for K, it acts as a sort of an opporutnity for him to take a mental break.
These colors serve an important role to the inner emotions of K. As he powers through his journey, he finds himself desperate and longing for his love. And it is through the colors in holographic designs that emphasize this calling.
Green
Another heavy color that is displayed in the film is green. The color generates expressions of peace and life. And here, Villeneuve attaches this color to whenever K and Joi are both on screen. This helps add to how K wishes to spend the rest of his life with Joi.
But green can also be defined as an exploration. The green used here in this sequence communicates a strong aspect of life. In the story, when K visits Dr. Ana Stelline she is seen recreating lives and memories with her equipment. The green environment in which Villeneuve places us gives a naturalistic perspective on life.
Here attached is a YouTube clip of beautiful shots from the film Blade Runner 2049, enjoy!
Sound Design
One of the most eccentric components that the Blade Runner 2049 delivers is its beauties in designs. Whether graphic or production designs, these departments are what help impact the overall look of the scene.
Here in this blog post, I want to explore the different sound designs used in the film. I will provide clips and analyses of these sounds. More importantly, I want to discuss how sound design ultimately shapes the success of Blade Runner 2049.
The most intensifying features Blade Runner 2049 showcases is its usages in sound design. It’s one of the film’s pure key aspects. The importances of sound design is that it helps convey a sort of musical feeling. It helps guide the viewer narratively through certain tones and rhythms.
Sound designers Mark A. Mangini and Ron Bartlett were nominated back in 2018 for the film’s editing and mixing. Both of them executed an amazing complexity of sound for the film.
Because the setting and atmosphere of the film is set in such a distinct dystopia, it applies various layers of sounds. It accompanies sounds of heavy synthesizers, production sound effects, and dialogue soundtracks. Blade Runner 2049 places us in a unique environment.
Here attached is a Youtube clip of a sequence from the film. The footage breaks down the sound editing and compares how different it sounds with and without certain tracks.
In the beginning of the clip, the usage of only dialogue feels incomplete. This edit sort of cuts off our anticipation of the audio. But as it continues to add the different layers of sound tracks (foley & effects), the scenes become more believable. Which emphasizes how the designs of sound can heavily affect the scene of a film.
Bibi’s Bar Scene enforces the many complexities of sounds. And because it presents the setting of such an occupied space, it captures the various influences that make up this reality. The clustering of foreign announcements and advertisements help fill in the background of the world we don’t see. Which calls to the attention of the multilingual perspective of the film. How the languages that are generated (Japanese, Hindi, and Korean) capture the importances of cultural diversity.
But it goes way beyond that, the layering of sounds in Bibi’s scene offers vast amounts of intensities. Ron discusses in a behind the scenes interview that this scene places attention on the “racking focus” of sounds. The aim for this focus is to guide the viewer through what kinds of sounds should be payed more attention to.
One of the most critical tracks that is emphasized in the clip is the bull roarer sound effect. A unique instrument made from wood with a long cord attached. As it is spun, it creates a steady buzzing noise. Here is a Youtube clip presenting a demonstration of the bull roarer.
The bull roarer sound is mostly propelled in intimate sequences. And because it’s used to emphasize Deckkard’s spinner, the anticipation of this sound is intriguing. Without it, the sound aesthetic wouldn’t stay true to the film.
The sound design is an essential piece to Blade Runner 2049. The uses of distortion in the soundtrack becomes heavily overdriven. The importance of sound design is that it underlines the emotional intensities of the film through melody and structure.
To end the blog, I hope for audiences to have gained a better understanding of Villeneuve’s films and his storytelling. As an MVC major, Denis Villeneuve has heavily impacted my viewing as a film goer. And I aspire to follow in his footsteps to become a great filmmaker. A mastermind yet an iconic visionary. His influences through filmmaking has completely revolutionized the game. Villeneuve will go down to be one of the greatest filmmakers in cinematic history, and it is directors like him that I look up to. Villeneuve’s films are worth time of watch, I’m excited for what films he has to offer in the near future.
To end the blog, I hope for audiences to have gained a better understanding of Villeneuve’s films and his storytelling. As an MVC major, Denis Villeneuve has heavily impacted my viewing as a film goer. And I aspire to follow in his footsteps to become a great filmmaker. A mastermind yet an iconic visionary. His influences through filmmaking has completely revolutionized the game. Villeneuve will go down to be one of the greatest filmmakers in cinematic history, and it is directors like him that I look up to. Villeneuve’s films are worth time of watch, I’m excited for what films he has to offer in the near future.
