Blocking: Creating and Breaking Patterns

I was re-watching The Force Awakens, and I came across a concept that I had to dig into more. The concept is: how to create surprise by breaking an established pattern.

For example, in Rogue One, in the close-up shot of the shadow, the established patterns is: rise up and down a hill. This pattern is broken when the shadow is cast over flat land:

This variation can create surprise and add momentary visual interest.

In The Force Awakens, the established pattern is: having the camera at between ground level and 100ft in the air. The pattern is broken when the camera framing looks like it’s low in the atmosphere to a pan revealing it above the clouds, diving down to land:

I usually forget how much blocking can be used to subvert the audience’s expectations - and I’m excited to learn more!