Gabz breaks down the cinematography of Good Omens (part 1/?):
Alright, so I won’t be going in order while I do this, I’m just going to start with the way Heaven is shot.
I’ve seen posts on here and Twitter criticizing the direction and cinematography of the Heaven scenes, so I’m stepping in to back Douglas Mackinnon (the Director) and Gavin Finney (the DP) on their choices.
People think it feels weird, out of place, and uncomfortable. Well guess what? That’s the point.
First, those extreme low angle shots are reminiscent of what Orson Welles did with Citizen Kane, so immediate praise is required. But what they represent is a position of power, an elevated position, which makes sense because this is the land of the angels and they literally live and work above everything.
The shot size and lens choice work together to reflect the inner emotional state of Aziraphale. While Heaven is an open and bright space, Aziraphale is under constant anxiety and uncomfort while he is there. It’s like he cannot breathe, it’s claustrophobic.
Gavin Finney used a wide angle lens to distort the features of the subject and make the viewer feel uncomfortable as the faces fill almost the entire screen. He also used close ups to emphasize that anxiety and binding Aziraphale feels talking to his boss. We feel uncomfortable because Aziraphale is uncomfortable. The faces filling the frame give us anxiety because Aziraphale has anxiety and feels constricted in a literal infinitely vast space.
If the interactions in Heaven felt awkward or strange on screen to you, then Douglas and Gavin did their job well. It’s brilliant technique on their part and shows a mastery of using the camera to reflect the emotion and thoughts of a character. Seriously, cheers to Douglas and Gavin! I got made respect for them.
