Lights, Camera, Checkmate!

Written by: Leow Jia Wen, Jolene (20-E1)

Designed by: Leow Jia Wen, Jolene (20-E1)

I’d been bored out of my mind in December when I decided to begin watching The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix. I remember being instantly  stunned by the cinematography of the show,thinking that the cinematographer Steven Meizler was a genius artist. If you aren’t aware, cinematography refers to the decisions that go behind a film’s visuals — including decisions on camerawork, lighting, and more.

Aesthetic Quality

The first thing that caught my eye was simply how aesthetically pleasing each shot was. The Queen’s Gambit employs numerous techniques to achieve its visual aesthetic. For example, its use of extreme close ups in their shots grabs the audience’s attention, drawing our eyes to the main character, Beth Harmon’s (very pretty) face of contemplation. The show is full of shots like this that play up each character’s subtleties, making the viewers feel a part of the tension. 

Another aspect that gives The Queen’s Gambit a visually pleasing quality is its use of light to hint at depth,clearly demarcating the subject matter’s silhouette. Take a look at this next photo: the bright overhead lights put the main character, Beth Harmon, completely into focus - the background obscured and blurred into the shadows, hinting at the crowds of people watching Beth’s chess match. Beth also lies directly on the two-thirds’ line.This deliberate, uncommon angle is such that the audience is completely focused on Beth’s contemplation of her next move. The cinematography in every shot of The Queen’s Gambit  allows the audience to feel as though there is something more to each frame, and invites us to ponder over Beth’s actions even more.

There is also something to be said about how the camera moves. The show does not excessively cut away, and instead has many long takes that move along with the  characters. Shots like this feel more natural and allow us to breathe with the show. The show intentionally makes its cuts this way, rather than cutting away and breaking the audience’s immersion into the world they are creating.

Making Meaning

Of course, I wouldn’t have exclaimed that Steven Meizler was a genius just for his ability to film aesthetically. His real genius lies in how every shot is not just aesthetic, but also woven with layers of meaning. As I said before, the cinematography in this show feels intentional, and leaves the viewer (or me, at least) wanting to parse through for hidden meanings.

The way the camera frames its characters adds layers to the story that they are telling. For example, in this shot, young Beth Harmon is stepping into a new and unknown home for the first time, and the wide shot makes her feel especially small, especially with the added double frame of the arches boxing her into the shot. In this way, Beth’s apprehension and discomfort is reflected in the framing of the shot.

This feeling of being trapped in this new environment is highlighted in other shots as well — my favourite being this shot in which Beth is filmed through the staircase. The railings of the staircase look like prison bars, and thus reflect her feeling trapped in this house, and her own mind without chess.

There’s also a  shot of Beth in the orphanage, from before she discovers chess. Again, Steven Meizler uses the surroundings to make her appear caged in. What’s particularly genius about this shot is that after that, Beth walks around what is currently caging her in frame to discover the game of chess, essentially reflecting her freeing herself.

Another example of The Queen’s Gambit’s genius is their use of windows to create subframes in their shots. Here, Beth is completely alone in a foreign country, playing the match of her life, whereas her opponent is at home with friends to help him. To reflect this, Beth stands alone, in darkness and in the frame of a small window, while her opponent and his friends stand in the frame of a bigger window, talking among themselves in the light. The use of the windows to create these subframes accentuate Beth’s isolation.

Lastly, one of my favourite examples of this show’s excellent cinematography would have to be the final handheld long take of Beth walking through the park into a crowd of people playing chess, after having won the world championships. The fact that this long take is handheld gives it a much more comfortable and natural touch, reflecting Beth’s now carefree mindset, since she is now able to put aside the stress of playing competitively. This last shot is the only handheld shot in the whole show, and its shaky rawness helps conclude the show on a light and burden free note that Beth now finds herself in.