Unconventional camera angles and shots in Life Lessons

by Jenn

Life Lessons by Martin Scorsese is a film with an extreme expressionistic look created to engage the audience. The story revolves around Dobie and his passion for art. His love for art is the only thing that he cares about; he follows a cycle of finding a muse, painting, and letting her go. The film has many different aspects that spark an interest, such as the color, the iris effect, and the music. The unconventional camera angles and shots; however, it stands out the most, as it makes the viewers feel present and connected to the story. 

In the movie, the camera angles vary from high angles, low angles, and from extreme close-ups to wide shots. At the beginning of the film, when Dobie goes to the airport to pick Paulette up, the camera circles around them as they talk, creating a sense of tightness and pressure only by the angle and the movement of the camera. Later on, we have an extreme close up of Dobie setting up the music to a wide shot of him staring at his painting. A few minutes later, there is a fast close up from a low camera showing his expression when looking towards Paulette’s room. All of these moments create a perspective that allows us to immerse ourselves in Dobie’s world and views. 

The unconventional angles make the film extremely artistic as if the director himself was the artist. The camera focuses on a different aspect of the story. A close up is used to show Dobie’s expression when looking at his art. And a wide shot is used to show him painting passionately. The varying angles in the film can create an effect as if we were in the story; it creates an illusion of being the artist. The angles in the movie have a more picturesque view. The variety makes it possible for the viewer to experience Dobie’s perspective while still being able to sympathize with Paulette. 

The shots of the layers of paints were extraordinarily expressive, and it allowed us to sense the stress and frustration that Dobie was feeling when painting. The central fact about the angles and shots in this film is the ability for it to make a viewer feel present and understand the character’s emotions and views without using many words.

At the end of the film, we see Dobie inviting another woman to join him in his studio. This scene shows extreme close-ups of the woman’s features, which allows us to see it from Dobie’s perspective and once again connect to his view. The angles and shots in the film can create a personal connection with Dobie. With the angles, we can watch him from a third person’s point of view and a particular point of view from Dobie himself. We are also able to see the unconventional angles used to film the brush strokes and the paint on the canvas. The angles are the central aspect of the film as it makes the viewer connect through the film.