Cinematic Techniques - Essay Example

A film comparison of Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal and Yasujirō Ozu's Tokyo Story

Film is an audio-visual art that involves incorporating images and sounds, organized in a deliberate style to tell a story. It is a systematic organization of pictures and sounds aligned to create meaning. Film production incorporates technical skills and takes a longer time to create a film than the actual screen time. The technical skills have advanced over time, giving the audience better images and sounds and captivating stories. Most movies created in the Nineteenth century were limited to early technological innovations, incorporating simple pictures and sounds. However, this did not limit their effectiveness of storytelling. Instead, most of the most thrilling stories unfolded during this period. The Seventh Seal, directed by Ingmar Bergman, a Swedish in 1957, and Tokyo story directed by Yasujirō Ozu, a Japanese in 1953, are two such stories. Produced in two different continents, a comparison of the two films reveals more similarities than differences in their production.

The films pick on the same genre, drama. The Seventh Seal is a Swedish fantasy drama, while the Tokyo Story is a Japanese drama. Bergman's movie is a tale of a traveling knight, Antonius Block, and his encounter with Death, in a personified form. In his unpreparedness for Death, he challenges him to a chess game to buy time as he makes his way back home. The encounter is thrilling as he encounters artists along the way. The drama unfolds like a fantasy because Death and the devil, are manifested as real characters, an idea that kills its realism.

On the other hand, Tokyo Story is a family drama based on real-life experiences. In the story, Shūkichi and Tomi Hirayama, aging parents decide to visit their children who live and work in Tokyo (Ozu, 1953). They are excited about spending time with their children and grandchildren. However, their expectations are cut short, as they find their children are too busy, and hardly spend time with them. They eventually return home. The nature of the genre is defined by the directors' life experiences (Prince, 2013, p. 16). Ingmar Bergman fantasies are associated with his passion for art; on the other hand, Yasujirō Ozu draws his stories from his sensitive nature. He was keen to observe and document daily life experiences. Film production is aligned to the director's thoughts and ideologies, especially in cases where the film director is also the writer.

Both were created in the 1950s when photography was limited to black and white images. Unlike the colorful films of the twentieth century, The Seventh Seal and Tokyo Story are produced in black and white photos, an aspect that is common to all movies produced at the time. Though it was possible to create the film in color, most directors preferred black and white because of the cost implications. It was expensive to produce a movie in color. Despite this, the images and sounds are perfectly blended to achieve the goal of entertaining the audience and a storyline whose events remain relevant in the past and the present.

The Seventh Seal and Tokyo Story follow the same film structure. In both movies, the camera movements are limited, maintaining the same position (Prince, 2013, p. 21). All movements are by the characters and not the camera. Notably, scenes in The Seventh Seal show the character walking past the camera, and dialogue is heard from behind the scenes. In the scene where Joseph, the actor, is conversing with his wife, they walk past the camera, as it maintains its focus on their son Michael (Bergman, 1957).

Similarly, in Tokyo story, movements are done by the characters as the camera maintains the same positions. The characters move back and forth, sometimes, the images are captured from behind the subject, and only their voices can be heard, while their faces remain away from the camera. There is no panning of the camera in both films, and neither is there dollying on the subject.

Other than limiting camera movements, the camera maintains a low position in both films. This creates deliberately choreographed scenes, creating a sense of reality to the view. With low angle shots, the viewer is brought closer to the character. In The Seventh Seal, the low camera position is used to portray the characters as strong and courageous (Hellerman, 2019). Death appears bold and confident, and his destructive abilities are evident in his images. As they engage in chess, the low camera shot allows a bold view of the two, and their emotions. They create the environment of a battlefield. Similarly, in Tokyo Story, the low camera position allows for intimacy between the viewer and the characters. As the movie begins, the protagonists, Shūkichi and Tomi Hirayama, are introduced in low camera shots. The images reveal their old age, excitement and anxiety to travel to Tokyo. It also shows the rural setting as they are sitting on the floor, organizing their luggage in preparation for the journey.

The use of filmic silence is evident in both films. Images cut across the screen without the accompaniment of sound. This technique creates tension and suspense. The viewer is eager to know what happens after the silence. This aspect also allows the viewer to interpret the emotions of the characters. The Seventh Seal utilizes both symbolic and dramatized silence. The beginning of the film quotes a bible verse from the book of Revelation on "The Seventh Seal," from which the movie draws its title. The verse speaks about "silence" heaven and earth for over an hour. The silence is a symbol of end times, as the angels prepare to blow the trumpet. Also, dramatic silence is evident in both films as the characters are lost in their thoughts. The conversations between Antonius and Death are short, with intervals of silence that create tension. The silence implies careful thought before a speech and also demonstrates a cunning behavior as they speak and carefully watch each other's reactions before they can talk again. Similarly, in Tokyo Story, the dialogue consists of short and direct to the point messages. The characters are calm, displaying organized thoughts. When Hirayama's wife falls ill, they sit around her in silence as everyone is lost in their thoughts. They are all worried about her condition. The scene creates tension and fear that something terrible is going to happen. When the silence is broken, his son reveals that their mother may not make it through the illness. Effective use of filmic silence helps to create an emotional tone. Often accompanied by facial illustrations and actions, the silence speaks louder than the dialogue.

Significantly, both films use their native language in the movie. Ingmar's film is in Swedish, while Ozu's film is directed in Japanese. The use of the native language is to appeal to the immediate audience. Besides, at the time production, only a few natives could communicate in English. Thus it was more convenient to direct the film in English. However, both films provide a translation to accommodate the wider audience.

Though incorporating similar aspects of cinematography, The Seventh Seal and Tokyo Story draw their disparity from the storyline. Movies are narratives that unfold through visual images and sounds. Narratives create meaning and reflect human experiences, ideologies and fantasies (Prince, 2013, p. 230). While Bergman's tale is a fantasy, Ozu's narrative is a representation of reality. Bergman's story is inspired by his artwork, while Ozu is a keen observer. The personification of Death kills the realism of the story, though it represents the desire of man to converse with Death.

On the other hand, Ozu's tale is the reality of parents' tribulations at their old age. While parents desire to spend their old age with their children, adult children have little time for them. Ultimately, outsiders stick closer than family. It is saddening that after their mother's death, they arrive late and leave immediately after her burial. It is a sad reality that continues to be experienced by most parents.

Unlike Bergman's film based on fantasy and man's wild imagination and adventure, Ozu's story is a reality of many families not only in the past but in today's society. It will continue to exist in the next generations. Families continue to be separated as a result of careers that drive them far from home. The knight in The Seventh Seal the night is separated, too, but is not isolated. In Tokyo Story, the parents are neglected and unappreciated by their children at an old age.