Blocking: Dynamic opposites

This study will go over a blocking concept from the shot below. Notice their rotations:

The concept at work above is creating dynamic opposite movement. Subjects rotate in opposing directions and create a type of visual tension/interest. I made a gif to illustrate:

This rotating dynamic opposite movement can also apply to subject & camera. An example from Kingsman:

This concept is often used by Micheal Bay. Notice how the head rotations counter the camera rotation:

In an example first brought to my attention from Every Frame a Painting, the counter rotating bomb and camera from Pearl Harbor.

The next extension of this concept also comes from Pearl Harbor. I noticed something I don’t think I’ve seen in an airplane shot: the camera moves backwards as the planes go forward. This made me realize another form of dynamic opposite movement: Forward and Backwards.

I still wasn’t sure what the most effective use was for this camera movement. But a shot from Lovely to Look At got me a little closer.

When the camera moves in the opposite direction of the dancers, it clicked for me the both the movement and subject blocking make the subject feel like they’ve traveled a greater distance. I made a gif for the concept:

To show how effective this concept can be, I will show two of my favorite shots from 2018:

One of the most dynamic examples of this concept is from The Last Jedi. When Kylo recedes from camera (advances in Z), the camera moves backwards in Z, Kylo then approaches the camera, and the camera advances towards Kylo. The focal length can also aid this technique by warping distance.

The second 2018 example is from Apple. The camera moves backwards as the wall progresses in positive Z space, adding even more space between the receding wall and the camera.