Fargo | The Art of Lensing a Film

“I’ve got a very strong feeling about lenses and personally I’m sitting here talking to you and you’re filming me over there on a shoulder in a single where I’d rarely do that ... I’d shoot singles from inside here … I think it’s a totally different effect, for an audience, looking at someone on the end of a hundred millimetre lens as opposed to something that’s being shot on a 27 close to the subject”

~ Roger Deakins, 2006 

|Spoilers for Fargo (1996)|

This quote, in essence, sums up Roger Deakins’ approach and cinematic philosophy, a philosophy that, I feel, applies expertly well to the Coen Brothers films. As much as I love Deakins’ work with filmmakers like Denis Villeneuve and Sam Mendes there is no doubt that there is something special about his collaborations with the Coen brothers; the perfect marriage of director and cinematographer. 

On principle the Coen’s like to film rather objectively, the approach of their later work (intentionally ignoring of course their outlandish, overtly styled comedies that ended with the abject failure of 1994’s The Hudsucker Proxy)  is never as obviously stylised as many of their peers. Storyboarding for Fargo was even done without any mention of camera movement. They want the audience to actively engage with their stories, making the meaning for themselves (this can be best exemplified in No Country for Old Men’s lack of a musical score), in this way Deakins approach of putting the camera within the circle of action and shooting on wide angle lenses that best replicate human vision (a 27 or 32mm lens being their go to) works perfectly. His careful approach to blocking and emphasis on framing makes the Coen’s often static frames cinematic - each moment so rife with relational information. 

Deakins' preferred lens choice fits the tone perfectly. The Coen brothers are the masters of the comedic thriller, with Fargo potentially being their best. Each moment is both intense yet darkly comedic, you want to laugh at these characters, because of the wide angle lens’ uncanny ability to distort the face. Look at just a single frame of a Coen brothers film and you will notice something inherently comedic, the way their films are shot is funny, exaggerated. Fitting right in with their common farcical tone. The characters (specifically William H Macy’s Jerry Lundegaard) look pathetic, trapped in a ridiculous plot that keeps spiralling out of control, dwarfed by the environment as the wider field of view captures every aspect of the daunting white-out Minnesotan landscape surrounding them. However, for Fargo, the Coen’s opt to use these lenses in tandem with some slightly longer lenses, giving Fargo a unique look in their filmography as well as a realism that is in distinct contrast to the distortions of their almost surreal previous work: The Hudsucker Proxy. For the Coens, Fargo is a return to their roots, a return to their home, a small, low-budget comical farce that claims to be a ‘true story’, a claim backed up throughout by its grounded, ice cold, comic stylings. 

The Coen’s directing of Fargo is pure genius, though they use very little camera movement what they are able to do with blocking, framing and simple camera placement is excellent. Through just the visuals - from just the framing and lensing - you can tell so much about each character: Jerry is pathetic and everyone ignores him, Norm (John Carroll Lynch) and Marge (Frances McDormand) are loving and homely and there is conflict between brewing between the crooks (Steve Bescemi & Peter Stormare). Jerry is often framed alone, those who talk to him barely make eye contact or are, quite often, left out of the frame entirely. His isolation and entrapment is constantly highlighted with Deakins using frames within frames to make him feel boxed in. Marge and Norm are almost the exact opposite, their relationship is the heart of the film, in all their scenes they share the coveted two shot, a shot specifically kept for intimacy (as shown in the awkward moment when Mike tries to sit next to Marge). Their life is moral, comfortable and homely, they are contrasted with the cold world outside, the warm domesticity of their home contrasting with the cold stark whites of the North Dakotan landscape. Marge is a good person, as she says to Peter Stormare at the end (echoing the sentiment of No Country’s Ed Tom Bell) ‘I just don’t understand it’ she can’t quantify the idea of killing for a little bit of cash. Her and Norm represent the rare truly good person in a Coen brothers movie. They are always surrounded by images of nature, everything in their life is peaceful, in their homely scenes the pace of the edit slows (in their introductory 3 minute scene there is one cut) even the filmmaking is at ease in their presence.

Fargo is a cinematographic masterpiece, every element of its cinematic approach is so carefully and effectively calculated - every frame is worth analysis. But by removing almost all camera movement from their film the Coen brothers offer a stunning analysis of the effectiveness of framing and lens choice in cinematography. Fargo is stripped down to the basics: a camera and composition. It is worth studying for anyone who wants to learn the art of cinematography, it’s Deakins most beautiful and calculated work and one of the Coens most chilling masterpieces. 

Written by Jonah Prisk | IG: @jonahprisk