Interrogation Scene Research

Now since I have never done a scene like an interrogation before I thought it would be best to look at some famous ones from movies and look into the aspects that I want to focus on such the cinematography.

The first one that came to mind was the interrogation of the Joker in the The Dark Knight.

Starting off with the lighting throughout the scene which uses the available lighting that an interrogation room would have: lamp and ceiling lights. Starting the scene off with just the lamp light and one ceiling light on was a great way to start the scene off as Gordon's face is half covered with shadow which would signify he is hiding something from the Joker but as soon as he leaves and Batman appears all the lights in the room turn on to show his presence in the scene. 

Moving onto the camera throughout the scene which is used very interestingly starting with the distance of the camera. The scene starts with a long shot to set the interrogation up. Then medium close-ups are used to show the reactions of the characters and allows the audience watching to read their emotions. When Batman is questioning the Joker a slow pan is used to enhance the conversation and the audience is drawn in more. As soon as the action picks up  the camera follows to show every move Batman makes. 

Then there are the camera angles of the characters showing off who is in control. When Batman is beating the Joker for answers he is viewed at a high angle to show off his physicality but with the view the Joker is positioned at it makes him seem mentally in control as Batman becomes more aggressive which is what he wants. 

When it comes to setups I may go for my project the mostly dark set with only a few lights on could give the scene a bit of mystery but also could make the tone darker. 

The second one that came to mind was the interrogation in Reservoir Dogs

Starting off with the lighting which is coming through some of the windows of the warehouse which gives the scene a very natural feel to it which contrasts to some of the bizarre parts of the scene. The location of the warehouse and the colours used such as whites and pale colours make it feel like some kind of operating room as the torture begins. 

Now onto the camera throughout the scene which in the way it is filmed gives the audience a feel that they themselves are in the warehouse watching the events unfold and with the use of close-ups on Nash it adds to the tension of the scene and what is about to happen to him. Now the way Mr Blonde acts throughout the scene is the bizarre part as well as having Stuck In The Middle With You playing the background he is enjoying what he is doing shown as he prances around the room. Additionally when the torture happens the camera doesn't show it which allows the viewer to think about it what happens which adds to the horrificness.

Now this being a completely different style of interrogation to most others is not really what i'm looking for but letting either one or both of the characters that will be in my scene take their own interpretation of the scene for one of the setups could work. 

The third interrogation scene that came to mind was the one from Blade Runner

Starting off with the lighting which is coming in from some kind of window which is making heavy shadows across the characters faces. This is trying to emulate a noir film as the lighting in noir films consists of light and shade but because of the film having colour the lightning is now adding detail to the scene which is why this film is a neo-noir film. 

Now onto the camera throughout the scene which has a few subtly choices in it. One of the first is one that has part of the Voight-Kampf Test machine in it to show everything Rachel says and how she acts is being monitored. Another subtle shot is of a slightly high angle shot of Deckard as he asks the questions which could show his power in the scene as he asks Rachel the questions. 

Now this scene has the perfect example of a shot setup I would love to try with the neo-noir style in terms of the lighting as it would give the scene the feel that I would have liked the film to have if I ever made it.