12. Inspiration through Robert Richardson

Robert Richardson, perhaps best known for his work as cinematographer for the Kill Bill movies, is a source of inspiration to me. I am motivated by the way his shots constantly add and contribute to the films that are comprised of them, rather than merely being a vehicle for a plot line.

In this scene from Kill Bill, Richardson does an interesting form of a tracking shot, smoothly gliding in icy cold villain Elle Driver's wake. He focuses on small portions of her body, compelling the audience to fully realize her character from a series of intricate details instead of just tracing her whole frame through the hallway. I find that these non-traditional close-ups add to character building immensely - and character building is something I aspire to do. Richardson has the power to grant waves of tension to a scene with nothing more than shot choice. In addition, we see the focus on small details with tight, close-up camera framing in the following shot that splits the screen in two. The contrast between the unstoppable, cruel Driver striding down the hallway and the unmoving, unconscious "Bride" is enough to make any sane viewer have their heart pounding in their chest for want of the Bride to wake and defend herself. All in all, Richardson departs from the traditional style in which Hollywood shows action and breaks down an entire scene into small, meticulously planned bits. And those bits add up to a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

This next scene comes from Kill Bill Volume II, and showcases Richardson's talent in an extremely different scene. Here, I focused on how the lighting enhanced the emotion of the scene. Here, the Bride is trapped, bruied alive in a coffin with nothing but a flashlight - honestly, one of my worst nightmares. Richardson expertly lets the camera and the shaking, singular light of the flashlight explore the confines of the coffin, bestowing the crushing sense of claustrophobia to the space. The shots in which the flickering light of the flashlight is a tiny, waving point of yellow light amongst a field of absolute black representing the dirt outside her coffin makes the scene almost suffocating. Yet he keeps enough light on the Bride in key moments to capture her utmost determination and hatred in the heat of her personal battle with her fatal jail cell. All in all, Richardson was able to match lighting and shot choice to the vision of the story, and the result was certainly a visceral, emotional experience.