Anime Cinematography Blog

In the Episode 7 and  Episode 8 write-ups I talked about the show's great sense of scale and speed, and usage of camera movements and slow-motion. The scene below exemplifies all of that but what stuck out to me happened around the 00:20 mark. The camera tracks Nagate as he avoids another attack, it then pans to the rest of the platoon that are about to enter the Gauna. I thought this was a good use of camera movement to transition from out pivotal moment to another.

Knights of Sidonia uses a variety of camera angles and movements to create intense and visceral action scenes. This was best exemplified by the Mecha battle in this episode. The scene below begins with a high angle shot of a Guana Mecha looking down at a destroyed Garde. This portrays the Gauna as an imposing figure which is further highlighted as the camera quickly moves in for a closeup. About 17 seconds into the video is where the show truly shines as it uses dynamic camera movements to a great effect. The action starts with an extreme long shot of Tanikaze's Garde, which quickly flies into the camera (full shot). The camera switches briefly to a follow shot of Tanikaze then pulls back, pans to the Gauna and moves in for a medium shot. These constant changes create an exciting sense of speed and hectic pace. The scene below shows a good application of slow-motion to transition from fast pace action to a more dramatic shot. Again, notice the great use of dynam...

The next few images illustrate the different ways the show gives a sense of scale.  A long shot of the Gardes formation being dwarfed by the Gauna.  A medium closeup of Nagate with the reflection of the Guana on his helmet.  A point of view shot from Nagate's cockpit.

  Close-up Point of view shot from the cockpit   Establishing shot  High angle deep focus shot Low angle deep focus shot The whole sequence below. Consisted of a variety of changes in camera angles, follow shots and panning.