Supercut: Extreme Close-Up – Eyes
“Eyes are the window to the soul”
The Extreme close-up is a clever and meaningful shot that transcends your traditional camera angles. By showing nothing but an eye, you’re forcing the audience attention, forcing them to see how a character reacts emotionally to a situation. Void of any other stimulus, you’re drawn into the scene in a very personal and intrusive manner. If done right, it can be a crowning moment. Think of Hitchcock’s Psycho, as we pan into a extreme close-up of Janet Leigh’s dying eye, or Marilyn Burns crazy bulging eyes as she awakes terrified, tied to a chair in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. These moments add poignancy to the scene, enhancing it in only a way that an extreme close up can deliver.
In the below video, we have put together a supercut of over 30 different extreme close-ups of eyes, highlighting the powerful and emotional embracing technique.