The Dramatic Effect of Cinematography in House of Cards

Jonathan Kyle Chee 100049315

ENGL 104 Brian Ganter

Summer 2015

With a menacing stare, a strong stature, and curled fists, Frank Underwood demands attention from his fellow congressmen, Vanderberg and Abrams, as he attempts to use his power to persuade their respective votes on the watershed bill. In this scene, the carefully placed camera shoots from a below angle to make it seem like Frank is evoking dominance by towering over his colleagues. This exaggeration of his body language creates a strong intensity in the scene. Tricks like these can heavily influence the meaning of a scene and invoke a certain perception into the viewer. As explained by Jason Mittell, a professor of American studies, film, and media culture, the “camerawork involves numerous choices that shape the meanings of and emotional responses to the stylistic elements played out in front of the camera” (183). In other words, the spectator’s observation is clearly influenced by the cinematography. In the Netflix series House of Cards, the producer uses many of these functions, some of which are rarely seen in a telefilm, to help set the proper atmosphere of the scene. These functions will be further discussed, as it is those that create further meaning in a video or telefilm.

For those who are unaware, House of Cards is a an original Netflix drama that follows the actions of Frank Underwood and those he influences as he attempts to gain power in the American government hierarchy system. He does this through strategic partnerships and manipulation with a no holds barred attitude. Generally, the storyline is quite difficult to understand; however, the way the show is shot helps with the understanding. The visual storytelling used in House of Cards strongly differs from substitute television series, as the cinematography is far more complex than others. This is because television series tend to be limited in capabilities. An example, as stated by Mittell explains, “television more commonly uses a narrower depth of field and longer lenses, leading to limited planes of the image in focus at the moment” (187). The reasoning for this is because “smaller screens offer less resolution for image depth, and partly because studio shooting allows for little physical depth in staging” (Mittell 187). Essentially, this means that television shows tends to be handicapped as they are produced for smaller screens. It is clear that House of Cards takes a more “movie” approach to filming as the drama constantly switches between different cinematography functions to ensure meaning.

A scene that shows the clear handicap of the normal television series can be seen at the end of S1E7. In this scene, we see a long shot of the relations between Frank and Zoe, a reporter and a key manipulation tool of Frank. After a few moments, the scene gradually turns into an extreme close-up of a spider in a glass. This type of shot is generally knows as a rack focus, where a portion of the image will be out of focus while the other is clear and highlighted (Mittell 188). The same scene also explains how cinematography can be used in order to promote meaning. For example, it allows the viewer to question why the producer decided to focus on a spider and what is the meaning of it. This creates a sensation of an unknown, almost like a cliffhanger. From my view, it signifies the moment where Frank has completely caught Zoe into his “spider’s web” and how she must completely rely on him.

The use of cinematography can also be used in order to strengthen the emotions and feelings of the actors. In this medium close-up shot, which usually shows the person’s chest to the top of their head (Mittell 191), we see Claire Underwood, Frank’s wife, and Adam Galloway, a photographer, in a very sensual moment. In my opinion, the scene strongly implies that the two had a previous relationship and that the feelings are continuous. Using a two west shot, the producers were able to embellish the relationship and feelings between them. By definition, a two west shot is when one actor is in front of another and they stare into an area past the camera (Mittell 191). Mittell explains, “by showing the audience both characters’ facial expressions but not allowing them to see each other’s reactions, we can visualize the expressions of duplicity and secrets that form many of the narrative pleasures of the soap opera genre” (191). Put differently, it allows the viewers to gain a clear representation of the actors’ facial expressions.

While we discussed a few examples of the functions that can influence how the spectator perceive a scene, there are many others that can strongly or slightly persuade the viewer. In the series House of Cards, we can see many different types that can promote a feeling, amplify an expression, or focus on an object. Hopefully, the show will continue the use of these functions to help viewers with the understanding of the show.