Gareth Matthews

Gareth's paper

Forced Perspective in Cinematography and Set Design

For the presentation I intend on exploring how filmmakers use forced perspective techniques to create optical illusions. Using film theory, cinematic techniques, Gestalt psychology and semiotics, this will all be applied to help gain a deeper insight into – how perspective in film may affect the narrative and viewer experience in cinema, as well as understanding the technical aspects that forced perspective includes, especially when considering how the average person may process the manipulated visuals seen on screen. The techniques are typically used both practically on set and at times in postproduction, an example of this technique can be seen in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ movies, where they have used forced perspective to create an illusion of scale or distance between subjects and other objects. Focusing on the psychological impact of these techniques and how they influence the viewer’s understanding of depth and scale, by deceiving the brain and challenging our perception, which would then align with an analysis of whether or not this encounter with a forced perspective shot, enhances the viewer’s experience or challenges it, as it may feel out of place or ‘unnatural’ and this would all be relevant when considering that the forced perspective shot, enhances world-building and is essential for creating immersion. Finally, this presentation will summarise how forced perspective serves as both a technical and narrative tool, shaping our understanding of space and dimension, and including an analysis of how our brain may respond to this visual information perceived in real-time, breaking down the interpretation of objects being smaller or larger in scale based on the viewers experience.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. 2001. [Film]. Peter Jackson. dir. New Zealand: WingNut Films.