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.
I’m sorry but the things Michael Sheen does with his eyes are utterly obscene. Giving Crowley the Gay Once Over? The way he oh-so-slightly turns his body towards him and then turns away? He’s looking at him like a Victorian lady who has just found a handsome and rakish highwayman crawling through her window and she’s nominally protesting just to protect her honour. Aziraphale you fucking tease. I know I’ve said this before but he’s literally eyeing him up like a fucking crepe. This is peak NSFW. I should not be seeing this before the watershed.
The way he says “Oh, good Lord,” as if it’s Crowley who’s done something obscene (which, yes, he is sprawled out in black and scarlet like a late 18th century pinup) but it’s 1000% Aziraphale’s thirsty brain that sees his demon and immediately goes to carnal thoughts. If he was pure of mind he would’ve just been like, ah yes, there he is, but instead he’s flustered and blushing and chiding Crowley in an “oh behave!” sort of way, when really it’s him who needs to get ahold of himself. Crowley’s literally just said how awful humans are and all Aziraphale can think is “oh fuck he looks so hot, I was not prepared, I need a moment but also let me scope that out one more time” 👀
I was thinking abt how Crowely and Aziraphale figured out that they needed to switch and I had a thought. It would be pretty obvious that Hell would retaliate against Crowley, and even realatively easy to guess that they’d use Holy Water, considering that he used Holy Water to kill Ligur. But, based off the comments between the demon extra and the angels, it doesn’t seem like bringing Hellfire to Heaven is something that’s really been done before, and although you can see the poetic justice in it, it would be more difficult to predict.
Plus, Heaven didn’t have a trial for “Aziraphale,” right? They were trying to just straight up execute him, and I’ve seen some headcanons that they were probably going to lie and say he killed himself as penance for his treachery. If that’s how Heaven deals with shit, what if Aziraphale didn’t realize that Heaven performs executions like that? What if they didn’t realize “Aziraphale” would be taken?
It’s gonna be my headcanon now that they realized they needed Aziraphale to be Crowley, and that to sell the bit, they’d have Crowley be Aziraphale too, but they didn’t realize he’d be taken. After all, Aziraphale as Crowley seems genuinely panicked when they take Crowley as Aziraphale
crowley charging into a burning building to the lyrics of “you’re my best friend” ( specifically: “i’ll never be lonely! you’re my only one!”) and screaming in agony at losing aziraphale (also saying “i can’t find you! you’ve gone!”) and then emerging from actual flames to the tune of “somebody to love” while taking off the sunglasses he uses to protect his identity and throwing them to the ground….is literally one of THE most powerful moments in cinematic history
Many know that before the fall, Crowley helped create the stars.
He wove purity, heat, and the all the beauty he could muster into each ball, the energy so bright that they shined.
God had been pleased, asked where he came up with such a design. For not even she had envisioned them so breathtaking.
Crowley spoke honestly about an angel he’d seen but never met. Never had the opportunity to, really. One he would like to meet someday. An angel with bright eyes, blonde hair, and warmth he could feel from a distance.
With all these headcannons now about Aziraphale being War’s creator/father (what with the sword debacle) I honestly can’t stop laughing. Because I’m picturing, like:
War is on vacation. A proper one, this time, without all the “inadvertent” killing. And she just so happens to be in SoHo. Flashy motorcycle, red leather jacket and all, she skids to a stop outside a corner bookshop with a screech like a battle cry. Her heels click on the pavement like triggers cocking as she dismounts and strolls into the shop, grinning as the warning bell tinkles overhead. She drops down into the nearest armchair, kicking her feet up onto the coffee table, and twists a curl – so like Aziraphale’s, those curls – around a brightly painted fingernail. “Hey Dad!” she calls out. “I’m home!”
In the backroom, Aziraphale hisses into the telephone, “For Heavens sake, Crowley, my daughter is here! What am I supposed to do with her? The last time we spoke she was trying to cause the apocalypse!”
On the other end of the line, Crowley holds back a snort, because of course this is the family he married into. “I dunno,” he drawls. “You could always try grounding her.”
do you ever think about the scene at the air force base when satan is coming and crowley yells out and falls to the ground like he’s in pain and being pulled unwillingly toward hell while everyone else is mildly shaken, like being summoned by his own side is worse than the time he walked (danced awkwardly) through a church in 1941 as his feet were actually burning but you know. aziraphale needed help so that was fine he was fine.
