In the dance film, Rosas danst Rosas, the dancers definitely have a relationship with the camera and therefore the viewer, but it is not always their focus. The dancers know that the camera is there and look directly at it at times, however there are times when they are facing the camera but not looking right at the viewer—they’re looking somewhere else and the viewer is closely observing. This creates an interesting dynamic because the audience is very drawn in to the up-close action of the dancer, but they see that the dancer is not completely engaged with them—rather, they’re in their own world (often with their eyes downcast). Then, when they do look directly at the camera, it draws the viewer in even more.
The camera switches back and forth between filming styles throughout the whole film. At times, it will pan as the dancer is moving through the space so as to follow her movement. At other times, the camera will remain stationary and allow the dancers to move in and out of the frame. In the first scene when the dancers are walking in the dark building, sometimes the camera pans and the dancer still walks out of the frame, as if the camera is merely another person walking by and watching every new thing happen as it does, as opposed to something that is trying to capture what everyone is doing overall. Another thing to note is that the camera does not try to compensate for the architecture when it blocks the dancers. Instead, it uses this architecture to, again, allow it to feel like the viewer is just watching something take place. If the dancer walks behind a wall or is blocked by a column, the camera doesn’t try to get to where the viewer can see things best, but just lets it happen. Sometimes, it seems to be a choreographic choice, like when one dancer alone is blocked by a column for a moment in time. Times like these draw the viewer’s attention because the visual picture changes, but shortly after, the viewer
recognizes the new picture as a purposeful choice, which gives a sense of satisfaction and intrigue. The camera does a very good job in catching the movement as well as the dancers’ emotions. Towards the beginning of the video when all the dancers are laying on the floor and moving in unison, the camera shifting to another angle accentuates the movement—when they flip from their right side to their left, for example.
Throughout the whole film, the camera varies
between far shots and near shots—the far showing off the unison movement and some of
the cannons they do, and some of the near shots allowing for view of the dancer’s facial expressions or at one point, the details of a dancer’s hand. The facial expressions of the dancers varied between pained, personal, and playful. In the middle section with the chairs, the viewer sees the dancers exhibit a playful look and watches them interact with each other in these moments. Also towards the end when one dancer is closer to the camera and others are dancing further back, the closer one shows emotion on their face while the others have a more blank expression.
The styles of filming used in this film are mainly panning and still shots. There is also a point where the camera travels in a circle around the dancers, but not by panning—each
time the frame shifts, the camera shifts to the next part of the circle. This has a powerful effect, especially when the footage is repeated and sped up. Zoom is used as well in this section, showing first one girl, then zooming out to show a second, an then a third. Most times, however, the camera stays and the dancer approaches it—so much so that sometimes the viewer wonders if the person
filming will have to back up. The majority of the angles are shot at eye level for this piece
except for a highshot in the very beginning looking down into the building. As a whole, the filming complimented the movement and composition throughout the entire piece, highlighting dramatic movements through frame shift, showing detail and expression through close up filming, and playing a visual game with the viewer through angles and obstructions.
Alizé Raptou 