Today in the film industry and in the art of photography, there are many different artistic techniques. All of them are necessary so that the authors of films or photographs can indirectly convey the idea or initial idea to the viewer. It is the use of interesting creative methods that is one of the components of the director’s or photographer’s own style.
In this article you will learn about such a technique as the “Dutch corner” and you can clearly see examples of such works.
The essence of art
Agree, if all directors and photographers were shooting what is in front of their eyes, it would hardly be interesting to us. That is why there are many expressive means (visual, sound, psychological, etc.) to help us understand what the author wanted to show. Artistic techniques are needed in order to emphasize the dynamics and atmosphere of the frame, to focus on a specific detail and to emphasize one or another element. The most popular types of creative techniques are as follows:
- misanabim, or “object in an object” (for example, when in a film, in addition to the main plot, the characters tell a story from the past);
- long shot (as a rule, using this technique, the film is shot in one take);
- one location (this technique is suitable for thrillers or horror films);
- silent movie;
- unusual proportions of the frame (mainly in documentaries);
- first or third person shooting.
Spectators are not enough to see on the cinema screens just a quality product. The film should catch the viewer with the depth of the plot and the dynamics of the frame, cause all kinds of emotions and leave a pleasant aftertaste.
What is the "Dutch corner"
This technique indicates the angle of the photograph or frame from five to ninety degrees, visually it looks like the effect of a littered horizon. Most often, this creative method is used in horror films or in films in the noir style. In addition to the film industry, artists also use the Dutch angle in photography, which helps to create unusual compositions with fairly recognizable objects in the frame (for example, a photograph of the Eiffel Tower from the bottom up).
The history of the origin of the German corner
In fact, the Dutch corner is not Dutch at all, but German. This effect arose during the First World War, when the naval blockade of the allied countries did everything possible to prevent Germany from exporting German films. Unlike Hollywood cinema, where the directors made films about a beautiful and happy life in America, the German film industry and literature drowned in expressionism, popular at that time, trying to emphasize all the chaos of life during the First World War. Expressionist films often referred to betrayal, suicide, psychosis, terror, and other dark mental states. It was during this period that filmmakers saw how it is possible to emphasize the various states of the characters with the simple effect of a littered horizon.
But in English, the word Deutsch (German) is very similar to Dutch (Dutch). Hence the confusion.
Later, this technique was adopted by well-known photographers, and increasingly, works that expressed drama with the help of the Dutch corner began to appear at world exhibitions.
In the late 30s, the technique of German expressionism came to Hollywood. Pioneering directors such as James Keats in Frankenstein's Bride (1935) and John Houston in Malta's Falcon (1941) began to use the Dutch corner. Even the famous master of the horror genre Alfred Hitchcock used this technique in one of his films called “Shadow of Doubt” (1943). Later films using the Dutch angle include Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), Batman: The Beginning (2005), Slumdog Millionaire (2008), Doubt (2008), and Star the way ”» (2010).
Application of this effect
They use the Dutch corner in the movie to arouse a lot of emotions in the viewer, such as fear, anxiety, laughter, embarrassment, or even make him feel a slight disorientation similar to intoxication. All this helps to increase psychological stress and does not leave the audience indifferent after watching the movie. This technique can be used to emphasize the following elements or sensations:
- transition to another dimension;
- confrontation of heroes;
- chaotic reality;
- special atmosphere and frame dynamics;
- exposure to illegal drugs or intoxicated hero;
- madness;
- voltage;
- change of state of objects.
It is worth noting that the Dutch corner is an effective creative method, but its excessive use is not always appropriate.
Examples of work with a littered horizon
Examples of the Dutch angle in photography will help you visually evaluate the effectiveness of this method. You can see them below.
The Dutch corner is one of the most expressive and memorable techniques of artists. Feel free to take a camera and create dynamic portraits of acquaintances, landscapes, shoot the beautiful architecture of your city.