What is the Geometrical point characters are seen from in the film?
The way the film 'Birdman' presents the characters is in a different way to most films. I realised that the first shot introduced the main character Riggan (played by Michael Keaton), you dont get to see his face only his almost naked body, and he is floating in the air. Straight away the audience would get a ‘strange’ vibe from this character. Most of the characters are introduced as being uneasy in a number of ways, for example the second character we meet is Riggans daughter, Sam (played by Emma Stone) over a skype call. She seems stressed, unhappy and appearing as she didn't want to be working for her dad.
What is the point of view/ position the subject sees from the film?
The film has a very unique method which I haven't really seen in other films. The film uses a 360 degree technique where the film is made to look like it has been filmed in one whole shot, with very subtle transitions. The director chooses to do this so the audience can see the actors point of view and get a good look at the set, for instance when they are walking around the theatre the audience feel like they are following the character. The audience also get to see behind the scenes on the set of the show and we get an insight into the actors point of views rather than watching the film from the audiences perspective.
Is there space out of the frame?
As I mentioned, the film uses a 360 degree type of style so the audience can ‘feel’ as though they are part of the film. For example when the camera follows a character walking through the set, the audience can see short glimpses of extra characters that are doing work in other rooms, we only see a 1 second shot of them but we know that they are still doing work when the camera doesn't show them.
How is the relationship events/ space constructed?
The long take and the cameras angles are a crucial part of the film which allows the audience to see the characters relationships. The audience get to see the whole performance backstage so we can see the different relationships constructed with the actors in the film and we get to know them personally. The film doesn’t focus as much on the main character, Riggan. The film is directed such that the audiences get to know all the characters and their relationships individually, for example Mark was very flirtatious to most of the women on set.
How does the long take structure affect all of above?
As I mentioned, the long take structure is the most crucial part of the film, more or less defining the entire film. Without this technique the film wouldn’t be able to explore all the characters personalities as detailed. It also organises time and space and arranges them to create a smooth 'flow'.