Cinematography analysis on four film stills

This film still is from the film 'Remember me' It's a high angle shot which makes the audience look down on this female character, it makes the audience feel superior to the female character but due to the female characters facial expression and emotions/body language, the audience may feel sympathy for her, relating to Propp's character roles she may be seen as a princess, she is in need of help, her facial expression shows that she is upset, scared and about to burst into tears, the fact that her hands are up against her mouth seem as if she is looking directly at something that is shocking and surprising and has made her feel weak (hence the reason for the high angle shot) the lighting is low-key lighting, there are few shadows around her and behind her and below her neck, this could connote a bad event, she is surrounded by dark coloured objects.

This film still is from 'The Great Gatsby', it's a extreme close up (or could be argued as a close up) of a female characters face with a small area of the film still having a male character leaning over the female character which connotes he is either dancing with her or whispering to her in her ear, the audience or viewer of this film still can assume she knows this male character due to them both being in close proximity with no signs of fear on her facial expressions, her facial expressions aren't blank, the gaze she gives in her eyes connote that she is listening to the male character or is thinking of something while dancing with the male character, this relates to Barthes theory of enigma, the audience from this film still wouldn't know exactly what is going on. The close up/extreme close up used is to show the facial expression of this female character and to also attract the male audience, the character has flawless skin, an alluring beauty mark next to her tender bright red lips, (the colour red connotes love, passion and romance) she has almost a "doll like" face and make-up (doll-like connoting perfect and flawless make-up).

This film still is from the ending of 'Inception', it's a close up of a spinning top which in the film is used by a character as a way to tell if he's dreaming or if he's in reality, the close up forces the audience to look at the spinning top, the director wants us to look at the spinning top and wants the audience to be on the edge of their seats waiting for the answer to be revealed, relating to Barthes theory it creates an enigma, the lighting used is low-key lighting on the right side of the spinning top u can see a shadow on it and below the right side of the spinning top is another shadow which could connote that the answer isn't the "happy ever after" ending, it could connote that the character isn't where he wants to be (back in reality) it could foreshadow a bad event to come.

This film still is from 'The Prestige' it shows a long shot of a magician just after performing an incredible trick, the camera is at a low angle shot, it gives this character a sense of power, the magic trick is seen as impossible to pull off and he does it in a matter of seconds which makes everyone seem as less superior to him, the camera is deliberately set at a low angle to allow the audience to feel what the film audience/magicians audience feels. You can see a male character/actors face on the left side of the camera as if you are a member of the audience, you could be seeing the point of view shot from the magicians rival who happens to be in the audience, you are literally put in the position of the audience and feel what the fake film audience feel, the lighting is a realistic theatre lighting that would be used in magic shows creating a lot of low-key lighting like the shadow of the magician on the wall, it could connote that the magician has a dark side within him and that he isn't who he portrays himself to be.