Sunday, October 24, 2010

Are the Dutch Known for Being Crazy?


So, this is my first apology for not posting at all last week. One of my goals is to have this problem on a rare-to-never basis.
What I can talk about is a camera angle trick I learned a few years ago in a class on the fundamentals of making comics. It's called the "Dutch Angle." I have no idea why it's called that; I'm sure there's some pretty basic research I could do on the subject, but I'm content to think that the true story is lost to the ravages of time. A Dutch angle is tilting the camera pretty drastically so that everything seems off-kilter. This can provide various effects, depending on the context of the scene.
1) If things are getting suspenseful and/or confusing, a tilted viewpoint can make the viewer feel off-balance or lost. Or if the character is drunk or wavering in and out of consciousness, it can help the viewer share the feeling of topsy-turvy. One example might be Orson Welles' 'The Third Man'
2) If a character is warped or maniacal, capturing them in a tilted view could contribute to their off-kilter worldview. Probably the most famous example of this is the 60s TV show "Batman" which had its villains commonly filmed at canted angles, since most of Batman's rogues are insane.
3) Diagonals will always be more 'action-y' than vertical or horizontal lines. Viewing an action scene with a Dutch angle can contribute to its dynamism. For this example, I'm using the drawing I'm working on right now, with Han Solo and Princess Leia shooting their blasters on the ramp of the Millenium Falcon.
What's important to note is that an artist should never rely solely on the Dutch angle to make an image interesting. The characters, scenery, and context of the scene itself should be interesting in and of itself, and communicate the mood that the artist wants. The Dutch angle should merely heighten that said mood.

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