Spike Lee’s Expressiveness in Do The Right Thing Film

Correctly implementing various filming strategies is an essential part of artistic expression delivered through motion pictures. Successfully conveying specific ideas and establishing the desired atmosphere requires the director to utilize suitable cinematography techniques. Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing is a remarkable example of excellent camera work, which allows the audience to grasp the characters contrasting traits and exhibits of power. The primary approach used to represent these issues is the height of camera shots, namely low and high options. While low camera shots illustrate powerful heroes and their confidence, high camera shots are designated to transfer insecurity and fear.

Another impressive strategy used by Lee in Do The Right Thing is the tilting technique, commonly referred to as Dutch angles. The director deliberately implemented disorienting camera shots in order to decrease the viewers’ comfortability and express the atmosphere of chaos manifesting during specific scenes. These camera angles greatly benefited the film’s construction of exceptional tension and distortion of the represented reality. An additional feature to be discussed is the exemplary camera movement, which is most evident in the zoom-in techniques. Most of the shots used in this work are highly dynamic, with characters being in perpetual motion and the camera following the same pattern, moving closer to the individuals. In contrast, only one hero throughout the movie is depicted differently, with him advancing directly toward the camera. That is the character of Samuel L. Jackson, in a certain sense a moral center of the whole production, who serves as a voice of reason compared to other people. Choosing a certain film stock further strengthens the impression on the viewer, perfectly conveying the ideas of disarray and motion amidst racial stereotyping and cultural confrontations.