So here’s a fundamental question:

When you’re judging a shot, What’s the first thing you look for?

Is it balance?

Leading lines?

Golden ratio?

Color? Light? Shapes?

I think these are all essential, and they’re all part of good images.

But there’s one thing I always notice first

Movement

--For me, Kurosawa is the Beethoven of movie directors

--It's that recognizable full sound that Beethoven had

--that is so unmistakable

A Kurosawa film moves like no one else’s

Each one is a masterclass in different types of motion

and also ways to combine them.

Over a career spanning half a century he made 30 films

and in all of them, the movement is surprising and cinematic.

Wow. If you’d like to see the names of the films, press the CC button below.

So what types of movement did he like?

First, there’s the movement of nature.

In every one of his films, the background of the shot

features some kind of weather.

Wind

Water

Fire

Smoke

Snow

One advantage of this approach is that shots have a lot of visual interest.

Even when people are still, there’s rain in the background to draw your eye.

--Rain is a real emotional trigger that works in any film.

--You know, anything that’s excessive because it gives you

--another layer that the audience can relate to sensually.

Second, there’s the movement of groups.

Kurosawa films usually feature large groups of people who band together

or split apart.

Crowds like this are really cinematic. When you put this many people in a shot,

any emotion feels big.

If you want a good reaction shot, try using four people

Or twenty-five

And if you want something really big...

Which brings us to #3: the movement of individuals.

One of my favorite things about Kurosawa is that

that his blocking is unrealistic and exaggerated.

If someone is nervous,they pace left and right.

If they’re outraged, they stand straight up.

And if they’re ashamed

He would often tell his actors to pick one gesture for their character

and repeat it throughout the film.

That way, the audience can quickly see who’s who and how they’re feeling.

Number four: movement of the camera.

One of the hallmarks of Kurosawa’s style are his fluid camera moves

that go from close-up to full shot to OTS in a single unbroken take.

I did another essay about these shots, called the Spielberg Oner,

but what’s important here is that every camera move has a clear beginning

middle

and end.

Just by itself, this camera move tells a story.

And last, there’s movement of the cut.

Kurosawa is one of the few directors who worked as his own editor.

One of the reasons his movies just flow is that he tends to cut on movement.

Often, you’re paying so much attention to someone who's moving

that you don’t see the edit.

When he finishes the scene, he switches the rhythm

usually by ending on something static.

and then cutting straight into movement.

By switching up the rhythm, he keeps you on your toes,

because you can’t guess the next cut.

So with all that, let’s break down one scene and study the motion.

This scene is from Seven Samurai. I won't tell you what it䏭 about.

See how long it takes you to figure it out. Ready?

The first shot shows the whole village, then just the important characters

then just the samurai.

Right about here...

most people get what’s happening.

As Kikuchiyo sits down his mood ripples outwards to affect the whole village.

Notice how much the wind adds to the scene. Even when people are still

there’s that little bit of wind to spice up the frame.

So that’s pretty straightforward.

Now let’s jump 60 years into the future. This is The Avengers.

Here, we start with a camera move into an establishing shot. But this time...

--These were in Phil Coulson's jacket.

We get dialogue right away.

Throughout this scene, the only things that move are the camera and Nick Fury.

Even though we have weather outside and actors in the background

none of them are used.

Notice that the camera movement doesn’t have a beginning or an end.

And there’s no variation. Each shot goes in the exact same direction

--Maybe I had that coming.

But in Seven Samurai...

The camera moves have a distinct beginning middle and end.

And each shot changes direction from the previous one.

As he climbs up, Kurosawa uses the movement of the flag

to cut smoothly into this angle:

all seven samurai and their banner, together.

This scene has every type of movement

carefully pieced together and spaced throughout.

The weather.

The group.

The individual.

The camera.

The cut.

But this scene tells its story mostly through dialogue

--called the Avengers Initiative.

Sure, the camera moves. But it’s pointless movement.

For all the money that was put into it, this scene feels flat

--It's an old-fashioned notion.

But how could you improve this scene? Well...

if you know what the scene’s about, try to express it through movement.

Start with the character. How are they feeling?

Is there any way the actor can convey that by moving?

Okay, maybe that's too much. Let’s be more subtle.

Take the feeling that’s inside the character

and bring it out through the background.

If a character is angry and menacing, you can do this

Or if she's simmering with resentment.

Another option is to contrast one person against the group.

So if somebody suffers a very public humiliation, this works.

Or if they’re looking for a needle in a haystack

You can use camera movement to convey excitement

You can cut on movement to show surprise

And you can combine every type of motion into one amazing image

By the way, you don’t need to put every type of movement in every shot.

That’s just tiring.

But there’s a nice middle ground with lots of variation and subtlety

and you won’t know what works best until you try it.

If you combine the right motion and the right emotion

you get something cinematic.

--But just for me, I look at his movies two or three times a year

--just to feel, oh wow, that’s why I wanted to be a filmmaker

--and look what I’m doing now.

--Special effects, and then another movie about special effects

--and then a third movie about special effects.

Now pick any of his films. Go to any scene.

And watch how everything moves together

--You know, it’s the visual stimulation that hits the audience.

That’s the reason for film.

Otherwise, we should just turn the light out and call it radio.