Mr. Robot: The Best TV Series Cinematography That 99% of People Missed

By moneyredpill | MoneyRedPill | 21 Mar 2020


As I rewatch this series for the first time from the pilot to the finale, I can't help but recollect how far under the radar such an outstanding TV show has come and gone, in such a high-demand multimedia world we live in, no less.

For anyone unfamiliar with Mr. Robot, the 4-season series follows Elliot Alderson, a NYC-based cybersecurity engineer and hacker with unclear desires to crash an enormous multi-national conglomerate, E-Corp ("Evil Corp"). The show follows Elliot's journey and struggles as he plans to anonymously disrupt E-Corp's clasp on people's lives and rediscover a 'forgotten' past with major implications on his plans, efforts, and acquaintances.

The writing is excellent, smart, clever, modern, and leaves one clamoring for more. The character development is deep, complex, and progressive, for most characters, including but far from limited to just Elliot.

351665157-14ec3cf06018707cf536d3ccfd90dcde166b986d18f535e52e19f9153b9e1328.jpeg

The show stands out in a lot of ways, but perhaps its most unique characteristic is its use of unconventional, provocative cinematography. Director of Photography (DP) Tod Campbell's camera direction produced scenes that proved sharp, provocative, intense, and creatively mysterious. Compared to traditional cinematography standards, Mr. Robot's signature shots featured off-centered framing and shortsighting, which inverses the norm and positions the character at the edge of frame with little to no "lookspace" facing the other, off-screen character. This accentuates how distorted Elliot's world is and the prevalent feeling of loneliness. One would also notice a huge amount of excessive head-room above characters, positioned to portray the heavy weight resting on the characters as well as isolation. In confluence, these unconventional, unexpected camera shots and angles assist in garnering the viewer's attention and illustrating the confusion and disassociation of Elliot. It also wonderfully emphasizes the characters' lack of clarity of their own standing with other characters, amid heightened paranoia and uncertainty throughout the series' plot.351665157-98d56ea9304e645363ac2a148d95aeda2873c4d67771dfea905dbd41a0ed94ef.png

Writer/Director Sam Esmail's storytelling methodology is something we haven't really seen in TV or Cinema, so it's exciting to be in the forefront on this new era of visual storytelling. Beginning with the pilot, the story is narrated by Elliot to a seemingly physically-absent but consciously present viewer. However, as this pattern continues, it becomes increasingly questionable as to whom exactly Elliot is speaking to; the viewer, another character, a character's spiritual presence, or his own consciousness? Esmail is really paving the way for such storytelling to be possible.

Watch Mr. Robot here with free trial.

351665157-a384d568d2ea54630dea6e6db41c36b5b0040256e788cb5891ed5bb1fac94786.jpeg

How do you rate this article?

2


moneyredpill
moneyredpill

Check out our briefings on Financial Independence, Entrepreneurship, and Investing at MoneyRedPill.com.


MoneyRedPill
MoneyRedPill

Unrefined Financial Independence information for the unawakened Entrepreneur, Self-Employed, and Freelancer, deep inside you.

Send a $0.01 microtip in crypto to the author, and earn yourself as you read!

20% to author / 80% to me.
We pay the tips from our rewards pool.