Trainspotting: Cinematography
Questions in the exam could focus specifically on the ways in which cinematography (camerawork and lighting) creates meaning for audiences BUT a number of other types of questions may require you to make reference to cinematography - even if the term is not in the title. Answers to questions on representation or aesthetics may be dominated by discussion of elements of cinematography and you should mention both camerawork and lighting in essays about ideology, institutional context and narrative. To refresh your memory about the key terms for cinematography, click on the links below.
Remember, questions on cinematography will require you to discuss, in detail, certain scenes from the film - so make sure you have at least three that you can recall in detail. I would suggest you have detailed knowledge of the opening and closing scenes and one other key scene - and that you are able to make passing reference to a number of other moments in the film. Detailed notes on key scenes from the film, including the opening and closing scenes, can be found below.
One noticeable element of cinematography in Trainspotting is the repeated use of very low-level, worm's-eye view shots (as seen in the numerous shots above), where the framing of certain characters and settings communicates to the audience a sense of a life being lived with limited perspectives and ambition. This is just one example of the type of shot, or composition, which is shot from an unusual and disorientating perspective, reflecting the 'off-kilter' viewpoint of characters who are frequently under the influence of hard drugs. The floor-level, worm's-eye view shots here reflects the debilitating effects of heroin use but also the representation of drug addicts as literally 'low life', but also the idea that junkies spend a considerable amount of time flat out on the floor (representing the subjective experience of heroin users that the director wanted the audience to partially experience). The limited perspectives and ambition that are presented would also be useful to discuss in any essay regarding the film's political context or discussion of ideology, where you may want to analyse the film as a reflection of the ways that Thatcher's (and then Major's) conservative government systematically let down youth and failed to adequately address a number of social issues that blighted the poorest communities in the UK.
Alongside the use of voiceover, much of the cinematography in Trainspotting is designed to position the audience with Renton - and would therefore also be useful to discuss in any essay focusing on narrative. The frequent use of point-of-view shots encourages us to witness events through Renton's eyes, therefore bring the audience closer to him as a character (and enabling us to appreciate the effects of heroin use or withdrawal that he is going through). This use of POV shots is particularly noticeable in the scene where Renton overdoses on heroin.
Having surreally sunk into the floor (an indication that his heroin shot has meant that Renton has lost touch with reality), Renton is revived by a doctor giving him an adrenaline shot. The combined effect of the POV shots in this scene help position Renton at literally his lowest point, close to death - almost as if in a coffin - placing us in his rapidly dying body.
British cinema has a long tradition of realist filmmaking and the subject matter of Trainspotting may at first appear typical of that usually found in social realist films. Much of the cinematography, however, is very different from what audiences may expect and reflects the production team's desire to purposefully depart from British cinema's 'very strong tradition of dogged realism'. Often, then, the cinematography in Trainspotting can be contrasted with the type of cinematography employed in British realist films (unlike the cinematography in This is England, which much more closely conforms to this style and is used to make the subject matter seem convincingly grounded in social reality).
British realist cinematography often employs soft lighting, approximating natural lighting conditions rather than dramatically highlighting particular characters in ways that set them apart from other characters. Whilst this is frequently the case in This is England, the lighting in Trainspotting is often organised to construct dramatic effects rather than to resemble natural lighting.
A good example of this is the lighting which cast long shadows across the ceilings and walls in the scene where Renton, Sick Boy, Begbie and Spud discuss the drug deal after Tommy's funeral - a scene modelled on a scene from the famous film noir movie Touch of Evil.
The lighting also emphasises the unusual colour palette in Swanney's drug den, intensifying the dangerous blood red of the doors and windows, giving the location a sense of foreboding. Throughout the film, this distinctive, flamboyant primary-coloured lighting was achieved through the use of coloured gels (the red we see above, but also yellows, greens and blues for different shots in Swanney's drug den) on windows and other light sources.
Other techniques associated with the British realist style of cinematography that Trainspotting so often chooses to subvert include unobtrusive camera positions, involving conventional camera height and straight on angles rather than unusual angles and viewpoints. In Trainspotting, these unconventional angles and shot types are used to emphasise the disorientating and unsettling effects of long term heroin use and are employed frequently in scenes when Renton is coming off drugs. The cinematography in Trainspotting, then, unlike that in This is England, is not primarily concerned with with representing the social world and social interaction in the way a British realist film set on location would be - exemplified by the montage sequence that heralds Renton's move from Edinburgh to London.
The long shots and extreme long shots in Trainspotting are often devoid of passers-by or other social activities taking place in the background; a more realist style of cinematography would place more emphasis on filling in this detail, representing a social context characters belong to and which their actions could be typical of. Good examples include Diane and Renton outside the Volcano club, Swanney waiting as a solitary figure in the middle of a housing estate for a taxi after Renton has overdosed, and a lone figure that we presume is Renton walking across a London bridge after he has taken the proceedings of a drug deal at the end of the film.
The shot of the London bridge is followed by the last shot of Renton in the film as he walks towards the camera. This last shot is in shallow focus, obscuring any passers-by and other background detail - again, this is the antithesis of what we would expect to find in a film shot in a realist style.
The cinematography in Trainspotting is, then, distinguished by an inventiveness and a striving for effect which brands the film as markedly different, in stylistic terms, from the majority of other British films from the 1980s and early 1990s. A good example of this can be seen in the shot of Renton, Sick Boy, Tommy, Begbie and Spud grouped in front of the goal in the film's opening sequence; the characters pose for the camera, rather than pretending that it isn't there as they would in a realist film, reinforcing the notion of cinematography that is overtly stylised and draws attention to itself.
Trainspotting's cinematography employs a wide range of techniques involving the movement and position of the camera and, in a particularly striking way, the use of different lenses to stretch or reduce space. A short-focal length lens (a lens that distorts the shape and exaggerates the depth of what is in the frame) produces a tunnel effect, lengthening and narrowing Renton's bedroom when his parents lock him in to help him come off heroin and he begins to hallucinate (it is also used during Spud's interview to reflect the effects of the speed he has taken). To reflect his fragile mental state, tracking movements make the bed and room appear to slide around and extreme camera angles (of the baby as it falls and Renton's screaming response) are employed to help the audience feel the discomfort Renton feels.
The cinematography in Trainspotting has repeatedly been described by critics as 'playful' and 'innovative' - far removed from the style we would find in social realism. Clearly, the film contains numerous unusual, eye-catching shots (that draw attention to the film's style) which helped mark the film out as different to the majority of 1980s and 1990s British films. In many cases the playfulness of these shots contribute to the film's comedy, emphasising both the pleasure and grimness of the characters' lifestyle and experiences. At other times, striking shots and use of lighting serve narrative or thematic functions. The status of Trainspotting as a landmark film within British history is partly as a result of the film's cinematography.
British cinema has a long tradition of realist filmmaking and the subject matter of Trainspotting may at first appear typical of that usually found in social realist films. Much of the cinematography, however, is very different from what audiences may expect and reflects the production team's desire to purposefully depart from British cinema's 'very strong tradition of dogged realism'. Often, then, the cinematography in Trainspotting can be contrasted with the type of cinematography employed in British realist films (unlike the cinematography in This is England, which much more closely conforms to this style and is used to make the subject matter seem convincingly grounded in social reality).
British realist cinematography often employs soft lighting, approximating natural lighting conditions rather than dramatically highlighting particular characters in ways that set them apart from other characters. Whilst this is frequently the case in This is England, the lighting in Trainspotting is often organised to construct dramatic effects rather than to resemble natural lighting.
A good example of this is the lighting which cast long shadows across the ceilings and walls in the scene where Renton, Sick Boy, Begbie and Spud discuss the drug deal after Tommy's funeral - a scene modelled on a scene from the famous film noir movie Touch of Evil.
The lighting also emphasises the unusual colour palette in Swanney's drug den, intensifying the dangerous blood red of the doors and windows, giving the location a sense of foreboding. Throughout the film, this distinctive, flamboyant primary-coloured lighting was achieved through the use of coloured gels (the red we see above, but also yellows, greens and blues for different shots in Swanney's drug den) on windows and other light sources.
Other techniques associated with the British realist style of cinematography that Trainspotting so often chooses to subvert include unobtrusive camera positions, involving conventional camera height and straight on angles rather than unusual angles and viewpoints. In Trainspotting, these unconventional angles and shot types are used to emphasise the disorientating and unsettling effects of long term heroin use and are employed frequently in scenes when Renton is coming off drugs. The cinematography in Trainspotting, then, unlike that in This is England, is not primarily concerned with with representing the social world and social interaction in the way a British realist film set on location would be - exemplified by the montage sequence that heralds Renton's move from Edinburgh to London.
The long shots and extreme long shots in Trainspotting are often devoid of passers-by or other social activities taking place in the background; a more realist style of cinematography would place more emphasis on filling in this detail, representing a social context characters belong to and which their actions could be typical of. Good examples include Diane and Renton outside the Volcano club, Swanney waiting as a solitary figure in the middle of a housing estate for a taxi after Renton has overdosed, and a lone figure that we presume is Renton walking across a London bridge after he has taken the proceedings of a drug deal at the end of the film.
The shot of the London bridge is followed by the last shot of Renton in the film as he walks towards the camera. This last shot is in shallow focus, obscuring any passers-by and other background detail - again, this is the antithesis of what we would expect to find in a film shot in a realist style.
The cinematography in Trainspotting is, then, distinguished by an inventiveness and a striving for effect which brands the film as markedly different, in stylistic terms, from the majority of other British films from the 1980s and early 1990s. A good example of this can be seen in the shot of Renton, Sick Boy, Tommy, Begbie and Spud grouped in front of the goal in the film's opening sequence; the characters pose for the camera, rather than pretending that it isn't there as they would in a realist film, reinforcing the notion of cinematography that is overtly stylised and draws attention to itself.
Trainspotting's cinematography employs a wide range of techniques involving the movement and position of the camera and, in a particularly striking way, the use of different lenses to stretch or reduce space. A short-focal length lens (a lens that distorts the shape and exaggerates the depth of what is in the frame) produces a tunnel effect, lengthening and narrowing Renton's bedroom when his parents lock him in to help him come off heroin and he begins to hallucinate (it is also used during Spud's interview to reflect the effects of the speed he has taken). To reflect his fragile mental state, tracking movements make the bed and room appear to slide around and extreme camera angles (of the baby as it falls and Renton's screaming response) are employed to help the audience feel the discomfort Renton feels.
The cinematography in Trainspotting has repeatedly been described by critics as 'playful' and 'innovative' - far removed from the style we would find in social realism. Clearly, the film contains numerous unusual, eye-catching shots (that draw attention to the film's style) which helped mark the film out as different to the majority of 1980s and 1990s British films. In many cases the playfulness of these shots contribute to the film's comedy, emphasising both the pleasure and grimness of the characters' lifestyle and experiences. At other times, striking shots and use of lighting serve narrative or thematic functions. The status of Trainspotting as a landmark film within British history is partly as a result of the film's cinematography.
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