Caleb Deschanel

Caleb Deschanel : The problem with singling out one shot is that it goes against what I believe movies should do. A film is a sum of its parts and one shot is only as strong as what has come before it. The Godfather points that out really well. It's mostly done in these very straight-on medium shots. Then you come to the scene where Marlon Brando gets shot. He's buying some stuff at a store and he sees these guys coming down the street after him and he takes off. As he's running, the film cuts to this high angle-looking straight down-and that's when Brando gets shot. That frame, which is amazing, would not have meant nearly as much if the whole film hadn't been done in this eye-level, medium shot approach. To pick out a single shot in a movie is to deny that the shot is important because of the style already established.

MM: Cause and effect within the film.

CD: Very much so. A single shot is only as strong, or weak, as the other shots surrounding it. I think if you look back at the many famous shots in movie history which people cite, you'll find a visual scheme leading up to that one moment.