Greig Fraser's Cinematic Techniques In The Movie 'Lion'

In the movie Lion, the cinematographer includes many creative shots and camera movements to enhance the audience's emotions and tell the story from a certain point of view. Cinematographer Greig Fraser captures these shots in order to display the emotion and piece together the stories through Saroo’s memories. One of the major techniques he uses to film these shots and make it more realistic is by taking the actors height into consideration. For instance, the memories Saroo has of himself as a child, those shots are filmed from the perspective of a three foot tall child. In order for Fraser to enhance the emotion in each shot he uses techniques like height, camera movement, close-up shots, and lighting.
Throughout the movie, we not only see but also experience the memories Saroo has as a child. We are able to feel as if we were Saroo at the age of five wandering around Khandwa, India because of the way Fraser shoots the …show more content…
Most of the scenes at the beginning are of Saroo as a five year old. All the shots of Saroo at this age show a lot of camera movement. In an interview with cinematographer Greig Fraser, he states, “as panicked Saroo tries to locate his family; frenetic camerawork reveals his desperation. But as the boy succumbs to his unfortunate reality, the camera surrenders, too, moving into fixed shots” (NoFilmSchool). The “frenetic” camera movement allows the emotion during the train scene to develop and create a mood of desperation and distress. As Saroo grows up, the shots transition to more fixed and stabilized shots in order to give a feel of stability and determination. In the movie Lion, camera movements are important cinematographic techniques used in the film to help express Saroo’s emotions as a young, lost, and frantic child. We see Saroo evolve from this terrifying experience and become a grown calm and connected man, until he begins his scavenger to find his childhood