Discuss how Tom Hooper uses CINEMATOGRAPHY to explore the nature of friendship in The King’s Speech
The King’s Speech, directed by Tom Hooper, is a British biopic produced in 2010. The film illustrates the story of Bertie, later crowned King George VI, and his stammer affliction. It follows Bertie’s wife’s pursuit to help her husband, employing Lionel Logue, an Australian speech pathologist, to assist, and potentially cure Bertie of his speech condition. The King’s Speech unravels the tale of how two entirely adverse characters end up the greatest of friends. Leading cinematographer, Danny Cohen, has used a variety of camera shots, angles, movement and lighting to greatly enhance the transformation of the characters and the growth of their friendship.
Cohen opens the hero’s introductory scene with a wide shot and grim lighting to develop an uncomfortable sensation for the viewers, allowing them to realise the absence of trust and contentment Bertie has felt throughout his life. The cinematographer has positioned the characters using an off-centre technique to establish the initial distance and discomfort felt between Lionel and Bertie. Positioning the pair on either sides of the frame allows Bertie to be depicted as powerless and isolated. Cohen has ensured that Lionel is similarly presented slightly off-centre during the straight cut conversation piece, but the camera is positioned at a lower angle granting a sense of superiority to Lionel. This shot and angle diversification allows the audience to experience the inequality felt between the heroes. The use of the off-centre technique in the lead room approach further enhances Bertie’s emotional constraint and adds to the distance between the characters during conversation. To enhance the sense of discomfort and disconnection, Cohen has utilised an adverse lighting technique in the background of each of the characters frames. Bertie is predictably presented against a bleak wall, with neither artificial nor natural light in his favour, communicating his negativity and distress. However, the cinematographer
Cohen opens the hero’s introductory scene with a wide shot and grim lighting to develop an uncomfortable sensation for the viewers, allowing them to realise the absence of trust and contentment Bertie has felt throughout his life. The cinematographer has positioned the characters using an off-centre technique to establish the initial distance and discomfort felt between Lionel and Bertie. Positioning the pair on either sides of the frame allows Bertie to be depicted as powerless and isolated. Cohen has ensured that Lionel is similarly presented slightly off-centre during the straight cut conversation piece, but the camera is positioned at a lower angle granting a sense of superiority to Lionel. This shot and angle diversification allows the audience to experience the inequality felt between the heroes. The use of the off-centre technique in the lead room approach further enhances Bertie’s emotional constraint and adds to the distance between the characters during conversation. To enhance the sense of discomfort and disconnection, Cohen has utilised an adverse lighting technique in the background of each of the characters frames. Bertie is predictably presented against a bleak wall, with neither artificial nor natural light in his favour, communicating his negativity and distress. However, the cinematographer