American Beauty 1

Towards the end of the film Hall tried to have the presence of rain in almost every shot, in order to stress how everyone's worlds are being broken down. Even in interior shots when a window cannot be visible, light is shone through the windows or through rain boxes to produce rain patterns where he wanted without lighting the entire scene. Although this light actual looks rather unnaturally bright in some instances, it produces a strong contrast and reminds us of the rain at all times.

 Rain patterns appearing on Ricky's face and the pillow.

 Again they flicker on the ceiling behind Lester.

The unrealistic 'porch light' used as contrast. We can also see how the rule of thirds is being used in all of these shots.

The Cinematography of American Beauty is also used to show the perspective of characters a great deal, yet subtly. At the end of the film, Lester recollects some of his fondest memories and as he does this they are shown visually with a slow left to right tracking shot that slowly fades between each image seamlessly. These seamless transitions help give us the feeling of these memories flowing together seamlessly for Lester.

 

In Lester's fantasies soft lighting is used to highlight the dream-like state he is in. Also, within these scenes there is very little colour apart from that of the roses, as these symbolise his lust for Angela and so this contrast is used to highlight these (his emotions).

This shot below is constructed beautifully and over-exaggerated to try and highlight how dull Lester's office life is as all the furniture and walls are grey, the same overheard lights and cubicle lights are repeated creating bland monotonous lighting. We also see how insignificant he is in this long-shot as his cubicle is in the middle of a sea of cubicles.

This shot provides similar insight, but into Lester's family life and we can see grey colours once again. The decor and lighting is very simple (the candlesticks being used as the key light and the wall lights as fill - mostly natural lighting) which is used to contrast their not so simple family life, and the scene is framed so symmetrical to also make them seem like the perfect family, which we learn they are not. Janey is placed between her parents to make a statement about how she is stuck between them in life.

Once again the flowers are here, not only the brightest colour in the room, yet centred and strongly lit. This is a regular theme of red representing the 'beauty in the world' Lester talks of as red appears throughout. Here it is being used to symbolize the beauty of family and these characters are unaware of it just as they are unaware of these flowers throughout the scene that our eyes are being so predominantly drawn to by Hall.