Dutch angle

The "Dutch" in "Dutch angle" is held by some to be a corruption of the German word Deutsch (meaning "German") due to the supposed popularity of the shot in silent-era German films. Alternatively, the adjective "Dutch" is thought to indicate something out of the ordinary (compare Dutch uncle, Dutch treat or Dutch auction) or, as in this case and the similarly named Dutch roll in aeronautics, something which is out of line. == Method ==

The Dutch angle is a shot in which the camera has been rotated around the axis of the lens and relative to the horizon or vertical lines in the shot. The primary use of a Dutch angle is to cause a sense of unease or disorientation for the viewer. Dutch angles are often static shots, but in a dynamic (moving) Dutch angle shot, the camera can pivot, pan, or track along the established diagonal axis for the shot. == History ==

The earliest recorded occurrences of the camera technique is to be found in the Edwin S. Porter American film Dream of a Rarebit Fiend (1906), itself based on Winsor McCay's comic strip of the same name, already known for its use of surrealist and oblique angles in its drawings. The angle was widely used to depict madness, unrest, exoticism, and disorientation in German expressionist films, leading to one possible theory of its name "Dutch" (Deutsch). Montages of Dutch angles are often structured such that the tilts are horizontally opposed in each shot – for example, a right-tilted shot will be followed with a left-tilted shot, and so on. Russian film director Dziga Vertov's 1929 experimental documentary Man with a Movie Camera contains uses of the Dutch angle, among other innovative techniques pioneered by Vertov. In Hollywood's classic age, one filmmaker who used Dutch angles often was Alfred Hitchcock, whose early career included time at UFA studios in Germany; examples include Suspicion (1941), Notorious (1946), Strangers on a Train (1951) and The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956). The 1949 film The Third Man makes extensive use of Dutch angle shots, to emphasize the main character's alienation in a foreign environment. Director Carol Reed has said that William Wyler gave him a spirit level after seeing the film, to sardonically encourage him to use more traditional shooting angles. Dutch angles were used extensively in the 1960s Batman TV series and its 1966 film spin-off; each villain had his or her own angle, as they were "crooked". Power Rangers used Dutch angles frequently under former stunt coordinator and executive producer Koichi Sakamoto. The Dutch angle is an overt cinematographical technique that can be overused. The science-fiction film Battlefield Earth (2000), in particular, drew sharp criticism for its pervasive use of the Dutch angle. In the words of film critic Roger Ebert: "the director, Roger Christian, has learned from better films that directors sometimes tilt their cameras, but he has not learned why". Dutch angles are often used in horror video games, particularly those with static camera angles such as early entries in the Resident Evil and Silent Hill franchises. Similar to their use in movies, these angles are used to bring about a feeling of unease in the player. == Examples ==

File:South African War Memorial, Newcastle upon Tyne, 25 February 2006.jpg File:A hard push - Far Rockaway Skatepark - September - 2019.jpg File:Seattle Sun (218456237).jpeg File:Niagara Falls 1.jpg File:HK Shek Tong Tsui Hong Kong Plaza blue sky.JPG File:Maaza Mengiste Puterbaugh 2013.jpg == See also ==