I’ve always loved movies. I can get lost in just about any genre such as indie, suspense, war, you name it. But it wasn’t until I started learning how to really watch a movie that I realized how much more there is to see.
Seeing What’s Really on Screen
In Roger Ebert’s blog “How to Read a Movie,” he explains that there’s more to film watching than just following the story. He talks about pausing a movie, studying a single frame, and really thinking about what you’re seeing. That idea stuck with me.
In the past, I would notice bloopers or small mistakes, things that didn’t quite fit the time period or setting. But Ebert challenged me to look deeper. He said that if you study films closely, you’ll start to notice patterns, choices, and visual cues that reveal a lot about the story and characters.
One of the concepts Ebert mentions is the Rule of Thirds, a guideline used in photography, design, and cinematography that divides an image into nine equal parts. It helps balance the composition and naturally guides the viewer’s eye. I already knew about it from art class, but Ebert made me think about how it’s used in film, too.
He also emphasized positioning, how the placement of characters and objects in a frame can speak volumes. That clicked for me, because it’s the same in art. The more I apply Ebert’s advice, the more I find myself pausing movies just to study how color, lighting, and shadows are used. Like Ebert said, “Everything worth noticing on the screen will eventually be seen by somebody.” Every time I rewatch a film, I see something new, and that’s part of the magic.
Kubrick’s The Power of One-Point Perspective
When I was in 11th grade, I took a cinematography class that changed how I see movies forever. That’s where I discovered the brilliance of Stanley Kubrick, one of my all-time favorite directors.
Kubrick had a signature technique called one-point perspective, a visual style that draws your eye straight to the center of the frame. You can see it in The Shining, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Full Metal Jacket. Those long hallways, perfectly symmetrical shots, and centered action make you feel like you’re being pulled into the world he’s created.
As someone who sketches and paints, I instantly connected with that. In art, perspective drawing is all about balance and guiding the viewer’s focus, something Kubrick mastered on film. One of my perspective drawings even won first place at the Dade County Youth Fair, which pushed me to attend a summer art program. Kubrick’s work made me realize that perspective, whether in art or film, can completely change how we see the world.
The “From Below” Shot: Tarantino’s Trunk View
Another director I deeply admire is Quentin Tarantino, who’s known for his creativity behind the camera. One of his most iconic techniques is the “from below” or “trunk shot.”
It’s that famous angle where the camera looks up from inside a car trunk, like in Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, or Reservoir Dogs. What I love about this shot is how Tarantino uses it to tell a story without words. Depending on the scene, it can make a character look powerful or vulnerable.
In Kill Bill, for example, the main character stands over someone in a trunk. We never see the person inside, but her position and tone make it clear she’s in control. Later, when the same character’s head is shoved into a toilet, the camera flips that angle, suddenly she’s the one who’s powerless. That contrast is brilliant visual storytelling.
Inspired by Tarantino, I even painted a black-and-white “trunk shot” scene for one of my art classes. There’s something about that angle, it forces you to see the world differently, just like Kubrick’s one-point perspective does.
Seeing Films (and Art) Differently
Roger Ebert, Stanley Kubrick, and Quentin Tarantino have each taught me something about how to see. Ebert showed me how to slow down and analyze every frame. Kubrick taught me how perspective creates power and balance. Tarantino reminded me that camera angles can carry emotion and meaning.
Now, when I watch a film, I don’t just look for the story, I look for the choices. The lighting, the framing, the color, the perspective. And, just like in art, I find that every frame tells its own story. I really enjoyed viewing the movie clips and doing this assignment. It really reminded me on how much I love cinematography. The most difficult part of it all was not watching more of the movies than I needed to for the assignment. I have now learned a great deal about cinema techniques in the movies I watch.
Once you start looking at movies this way, you’ll never watch them the same again.
