Cinematography in Vidas Secas
I was absolutely amazed by this film in general, but the technical aspects were particularly impressive. From the opening shot I could tell that there was going to be a strong emphasis placed on camera work. The four-minute fixed, wide shot at the beginning set the premise for the rest of the film's long, minimally cut sequences. This austere, drawn-out rhythm is absolutely necessary to establishing a realistic depiction of life in the sertao. Interspersed amongst long, fixed shots was the use of handheld tracking shots. Notably at the beginning, when the family is walking along the dried-up riverbed, the little boy is filmed handheld. This toggles between a tracking shot of the boy, and his POV as he looks up at the dying trees and his father. This filming/editing technique makes this sequence both visually interesting and extremely realistic.
Another important cinematographic technique is the discreet selection of either stark, wide angles, or contrasty, tight close-ups. The wide shots almost always convey emptiness and desolation, while the tight, shadowy images of people’s faces conveys their suffering and frustration. Interestingly, the only characters in this entire film to show any signs of happiness are children.
I noticed a strong emphasis is placed on positive qualities in children, animals, and women, in contrast to the negative qualities in men. The mother’s superior intelligence to that of her husband’s is repeatedly shown. For example, she has to do the family’s financial calculations. The most compelling example is at the end of the film, when the mother asks the father (while watching their children walk ahead of them) “I wonder what they’re thinking?” displaying insight and intellectual curiosity, the father responds with an abrupt, “Children don’t think,” revealing his insensitivity and simple-mindedness. The young boy also displays intellectual insight, when he ponders the concept of hell.
Imagery is what makes Vidas Secas so powerful. Throughout the film are countless meticulously framed visual motifs that form the foundation for dos Santos’ “aesthetic of hunger.” Shots of people whipping cows, Baleia killing a rabbit, the tax collector taxing the father, the father’s boss short-changing him, the bartender watering down drinks—these are all visual cues that represent the struggle for survival in the sertao. Any minor personal gain must come at the cost of something else’s suffering.
This concept is not born through dialogue; it is born through cinematography. The absence of dialogue is much more important than its presence. For instance, at the end of the film when the father sees the police captain in the forest, there is more than a minute of footage that is completely void of dialogue. The two men’s facial expressions and body movements are more than enough information to convey to the viewer what they are thinking. This technique is far more interesting and effective than the over-use of dialogue that exists in typical filmmaking. Another example of how interesting the absence of dialogue can be is when the father sees the young girl who is getting violin lessons in his boss’s house. The father is obviously struck by the girl’s beauty, but he neither says nor does anything other than stare at her. When she notices his stare, he guiltily averts his gaze.
Although there is very minimal dialogue, the use of audio is as precise, unconventional and effective as the use of cinematography. The motif of struggle for survival is evident during the often use of annoying drone of ambient wildlife sounds. The “aesthetic of hunger” is evident with the painful squeak of the violin and wagon.
Here are some other random things I jotted down while watching Vidas Secas that I found interesting:
-Mis en scene music—effectively the only melody in the whole film is in-scene, including the man playing violin during the girl’s lessons, and the bumba-meu-boi ceremony.
-Use of high-contrast film stock (most likely 16mm reversal). This was particularly cool-looking in the in-house scenes, where the bright outside light created dark shadows on the subjects inside the dark houses.
-Bizarre, creative framing, including lots of leading-lines shots along fences and walls.
-Simultaneous foreground and background action.
-Anthropomorphization of Baleia the dog.
-Strong focus on wildlife and manual labor.
-Themes of corruption and police brutality
Also, I researched who the cinematographer was, and the primary one was the nephew of Edgar Brasil (the cinematographer for Limite).
Another important cinematographic technique is the discreet selection of either stark, wide angles, or contrasty, tight close-ups. The wide shots almost always convey emptiness and desolation, while the tight, shadowy images of people’s faces conveys their suffering and frustration. Interestingly, the only characters in this entire film to show any signs of happiness are children.
I noticed a strong emphasis is placed on positive qualities in children, animals, and women, in contrast to the negative qualities in men. The mother’s superior intelligence to that of her husband’s is repeatedly shown. For example, she has to do the family’s financial calculations. The most compelling example is at the end of the film, when the mother asks the father (while watching their children walk ahead of them) “I wonder what they’re thinking?” displaying insight and intellectual curiosity, the father responds with an abrupt, “Children don’t think,” revealing his insensitivity and simple-mindedness. The young boy also displays intellectual insight, when he ponders the concept of hell.
Imagery is what makes Vidas Secas so powerful. Throughout the film are countless meticulously framed visual motifs that form the foundation for dos Santos’ “aesthetic of hunger.” Shots of people whipping cows, Baleia killing a rabbit, the tax collector taxing the father, the father’s boss short-changing him, the bartender watering down drinks—these are all visual cues that represent the struggle for survival in the sertao. Any minor personal gain must come at the cost of something else’s suffering.
This concept is not born through dialogue; it is born through cinematography. The absence of dialogue is much more important than its presence. For instance, at the end of the film when the father sees the police captain in the forest, there is more than a minute of footage that is completely void of dialogue. The two men’s facial expressions and body movements are more than enough information to convey to the viewer what they are thinking. This technique is far more interesting and effective than the over-use of dialogue that exists in typical filmmaking. Another example of how interesting the absence of dialogue can be is when the father sees the young girl who is getting violin lessons in his boss’s house. The father is obviously struck by the girl’s beauty, but he neither says nor does anything other than stare at her. When she notices his stare, he guiltily averts his gaze.
Although there is very minimal dialogue, the use of audio is as precise, unconventional and effective as the use of cinematography. The motif of struggle for survival is evident during the often use of annoying drone of ambient wildlife sounds. The “aesthetic of hunger” is evident with the painful squeak of the violin and wagon.
Here are some other random things I jotted down while watching Vidas Secas that I found interesting:
-Mis en scene music—effectively the only melody in the whole film is in-scene, including the man playing violin during the girl’s lessons, and the bumba-meu-boi ceremony.
-Use of high-contrast film stock (most likely 16mm reversal). This was particularly cool-looking in the in-house scenes, where the bright outside light created dark shadows on the subjects inside the dark houses.
-Bizarre, creative framing, including lots of leading-lines shots along fences and walls.
-Simultaneous foreground and background action.
-Anthropomorphization of Baleia the dog.
-Strong focus on wildlife and manual labor.
-Themes of corruption and police brutality
Also, I researched who the cinematographer was, and the primary one was the nephew of Edgar Brasil (the cinematographer for Limite).
posted by Anonymous at 4:20 PM
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