Double Indemnity Frame Analysis
In this frame from the film Double Indemnity, the director (Billy Wilder) is able to successfully create a highly focused concluding scene to the movie as well as Walter Neff’s life by using lighting, positioning, and a unique presentation of Walter. Billy Wilder uses the lighting and positioning of the camera to focus the viewers eyes on Walter Neff as he spends his final moments on Earth. Wilder positions the camera in a way such that Neff is the sole focus of the scene. In a funeral you walk into the Church, and the deceased is in the casket upfront and center with nothing surrounding it except for flowers and pictures, that’s besides the point. Similarly Neff is in the center of the frame with nothing surrounding him. It forces the viewer to only pay attention to Neff while he confesses. This sole focus on Neff is furthered by the use of lighting. Wilder uses the lighting to block out everything behind Neff. All that the viewer is able to ...