Bellelo "Good Night and Good Luck"

1. Choose three cinematic techniques (black and white photography, all indoor shots, many extreme close ups, many tight frames, lots of high contrast shots, etc) and discuss how those techniques influenced your perception of the material of the film.
In Good Night and Good Luck George Clooney uses black and white, close ups, and indoor shots to really give us a good perception of how the 1950s really were. This movie was originally made in color and converted to black and white to give us a realistic view of the 1950s. The contribution of black and white gave viewers an authentic feel for how people saw things back then. Close ups were a big part presence in this film. They added tension, realness, and seriousness of the situation that Edward Murrow was discussing. Close up shots draw the audience in and make them feel like they were a part of this time. The black and white shots brings you back in time and the close ups draw you in and feel as though you are part of this time with the fear of communism. Also the Camera moving closer and closer to Edward Murrow’s face, it attaches the movie watchers and draws them closer to the film. Lastly, the use of indoor shots was a big part in this film. In the 1950s, television had just started to come out. There are no outdoor shots in this movie because television just came out and objects were usually not easily moved. Good Night and Good Luck gives viewers of this film a very authentic 1950’s feel that will make you keep guessing what will happen next. I enjoyed the film because even though it was produced in 2005, they did a great job of bringing the viewer’s back to the 1950’s. This film was very authentic, and if the movie would have been produced in color I do not believe I would have been as attracted to it because it would not have gave me a real sense of the tension and realness that people lived with back in 1950.