As Eli and Daniel meet again after many years, Eli brings Daniel a drink. During this scene, Eli is standing while Daniel is sitting showing how the power has shifted to be in Eli’s favor. But, Eli bends down to give Daniel his drink also showing that he still serves Daniel and thinks of him somewhat highly. When Daniel is yelling at Eli, the lighting is used to create shadows upon Daniel and give light to Eli. The shadows on Daniel show the evil inside of him and how he still has greed and cruelness within him. The light on Eli shows us how he has changed and become innocent in this scene. Daniel is also standing, which gives him more power as Eli is tilting his head down. This gives him a sense of vulnerability. Also, during the rest of the scene, the two are rarely in the same shot at once showing separation and distance among them throughout these years. It shows a sense of disliking between the two men and hostility.
Paul Thomas Anderson has a great way of conveying information without the use of dialogue at times. There Will Be Blood started with no dialogue for the first few minutes of it and was still able to establish ideas. He showing the meaning of the film and how a greedy man climbs his way up, growing with power. He shows us this through many cinematic techniques, but especially through camera angles, lighting, and through the composition within