Designers of all types will tell you that much of what they do is hidden in plain sight. By that, I mean we spend lots of time and energy making things look as if they were destined to appear in the form you see them. Good design often seems effortless, as if it occurred naturally.
That, of course, is rarely the case. In addition to big picture practices such as creating a concept, establishing a style, and honing the telling of the story–what you don’t see is the work on the small details such as adjusting the position of subjects, the elimination of distractions, the determinations on the use of space, and so on.
An example of great design
I want to direct you to an example of how this works in filmmaking via a snippet from the 1957 film-noir classic Sweet Smell of Success directed by Alexander Mackendrick with cinematographer James Wong Howe. I happened on it recently and am awed by how the attention to detail by its designers make the film both meaningful and beautiful. (Martin Scorsese is reported to have called Sweet Smell of Success “one of the best films ever made”. Tony Curtis called it his best.)
Let’s get to it (be prepared to click “pause” at the minutes/seconds listed since everything I want to point you to happens within about a minute and a half). Though I highly recommend the movie, for the purposes of this exercise, you don’t need to know the story line other than to appreciate that it plays out a serious discussion.
The clip begins at 1:04:08 with a shot of Burt Lancaster.…
At 1:04:13 – Notice the first striking composition in this scene–it includes all the main characters (minus Lancaster). Left to right are Sam Levene, Martin Milner, Tony Curtis, and Susan Harrison. The juxtaposition of the characters, in itself, tells a story.
1:04:26 – Moments later is what I think of as the next “hard-wired” composition. Watch from here how a menacing Tony Curtis moves to stage right to occupy a sliver of space between Levene and Milner. He pauses, then returns to his original position.
1:04:57 – Here, watch how Lancaster steps in to cast a shadow on the Harrison’s face, then, how she steps out from the shadow to address him. Though it might not appear that way, I think all of it was absolutely intentional.
1:05:18 – While our attention was on Harrison and Lancaster, Curtis has left the scene. Now watch how Lancaster leads the camera to the next composition. He walks stage right to join Curtis who is about to sit down in preparation for a dramatic camera move. As the dialog intensifies, so does the camera angle.
1:05:35 – Again, the changes in the composition are clearly quite intentional but you’ve got to be watching closely to appreciate how beautifully one leads to the next. (You’ve got to love the shot that has Curtis stretching up to light Lancaster’s cigarette.)
1:05:39 – Finally, the camera dollies in, and it jibs down as Lancaster sits..
This is such beautiful work. And it all happens in a just minute and a half. Watch the film and you’ll find other examples of how cinematographer (designer) interprets the story. As I watch I wonder how long it took to get that lighting just right, get the actors to make their exacting moves, and so masterfully match the visuals to the story line.
All of it hidden in plain sight.
For more about the film, see this piece at CINEPHILIA & BEYOND…
“Sweet Smell of Success”, Alexander Mackendrick’s Most Accomplished Film that Hasn’t Aged a Day…
Posted in January 2024 / Chuck Green is designer, a contributor to numerous magazines and websites, and the author of books published by Random House, Peachpit Press, and Rockport Publishers. All rights reserved. Copyright 2007-2024 Chuck Green. Contact.
Thoughts?