Source
r/cinematography•
liamsheaffer

Those Mirror Shots In Midsommar

Composition

Ok now that the movie has been out for a bit, I’m genuinely interested to see what people thought of the way Ari Aster decided to compose his conversational scenes. Along with all the symmetry in the film, there were a ton of mirrors in which we could essentially watch both sides of a conversation from the characters’ perspectives (when the shot only physically included one character). I found this concept super interesting, and was wondering which directors and films set the precedent for that stylistically. Thanks for the insight and for nerding out over this beautifully shot film

Posted Jul 15, 2019, 4:09 AM UTC

11216
ThefootofZeno•

I meant to ask him about this during the AMA, but I missed it... I was gonna ask about how early on these details in a scene are plotted out. I noticed during the shot where they come home from the party the mirror seems very out of place; it's kind of just propped next to the door and under shoulder height of the main character. It was super effective in showing her isolation from the friend group during the scene where she kind of crashed their hang though.

21
piggsy1992•

The shot with the mirror when she comes in after the bf tells the friends she is coming, it's not reversed as it should be, it's just the footage put on top of the mirror in post.

12
gracie_joe•

full script

You’ll probably only get the answer from someone involved in the film but the script frequently references characters feeling distant from one another (spatially and emotionally). the unconventional framing of those convos are gorgeous and like you say, so intentional and noteworthy.

2
ThefootofZeno•

Thanks, I'll definitely give it a read

1
InterHearts•

Sorry for late reply, is this script specifically the working version used by Ari and co. or a transcription? Thanks!

1
TheBigScaryBear•

Yeah, I think there’s a real theme of self-reflection in the beginning, and some characters actually failing to see themselves and their actions for what they are. Love your isolation point too. The characters are physically separated on screen by depth of field and reflection. I thought we’d see more of the reflection motif throughout the movie actually, but I think the bathroom scene is the last reflection we see?

1
ThefootofZeno•

Yeah that's the last one I recall besides the redheaded girl having a long pensive moment in a mirror later on. Also, was that face we saw in the bathroom an actual character? I didn't get a good look and thought it might come up again but it never really did.

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TheBigScaryBear•

I think it was the mother? Similar to her seeing her mother when being frantically pushed through the crowd when she was being crowned - but yeah not sure, didn’t really ever come back up again. They really didn’t revisit a jump scare for the remainder of the movie if I’m remembering correctly!

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EmoTaco420G&E•

The film was shot in 8k, do any of you guys know of other films shot in 8k as of late? Even the latest huge blockbuster Avengers Endgame was shot in 6.5k. As far as I can tell, this is the first feature shot in 8k. Curious to why they did this. The film looks so beautiful though and Pawel Pogorzelski has become my favorite DP the past couple years now.

6
s1nglehandedsailor•

Doesn't directly answer your question, but Pogorzelski mentioned that during testing and overexposure, the DXL2 performed the best in giving those bright and rich images they were going for. And I think Velvet Buzzsaw was shot in 8k, beyond that I'm completely blank!

3
EmoTaco420G&E•

Huh, very interesting!

2
forgotemailpassword•

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 was also shot in 8K, or at least on the 8K Weapon (there could've been some shots that looked >75fps acquisition, though they may have been entirely CGI)

1
willw•

There’s a similar shot in Columbus

5
edelburg•

The Hughes brothers used it in "Menace II Society". I don't think they cooked it up either, I feel like I've seen it in a few other films and can't place it. In Menace, I felt it was used to show the idea that though the two characters occupy the same space they see the world in a completely disparate way. Pretty straightforward interpretation but it's the only one I see, would like to hear yours though.

2
poopandP•

I think for this film it was very deliberate. It was typically used for the boyfriend character.

1
liamsheafferOP•

Thats super interesting, especially regarding endgame, but I can definitely see how filming in 8k brought out more of the color and richness

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[deleted]•

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1
MentalloMystery•

Late reply but I just saw the movie again and caught on to this detail too. I only noticed it in two of the opening scenes before they travel to Sweden: first when the main couple return from their party and have a scuffle over the trip ("why didn't you tell me?"), and the scene after when the boyfriend drops the ball on his friends that his gf will be coming with them.

As others have already said, I think the first scene was shot this way to convey the distance in the main relationship -- when the main couple are having an argument, it's very telling that the bf and gf aren't in the same frame together for most of the scene, and the bf barely even tries to look at her. Rather than place them in the same shot or rely on standard shot / reverse-shot setups, showing him through the mirror helps convey how withdrawn their relationship is.

I think the use of mirrors in both scenes also convey the bf's lies and insincerity. They show how the bf sets up an image for himself in those scenes or tries to the bend truth and weasel himself out of situations (eg: pretending that he wasn't going to blow off his gf for a whole summer; acting as if it's alright to his friends that he invited his gf onto the trip without asking for their approval).

1