In a career spanning over 50 years, Steven Spielberg has created some of the most beautiful blockbusters of all time. From the early days of his career, Spielberg gained a reputation as a master of big-screen spectacle with an eye for interesting shots. His direction doesn’t always draw attention to itself, but he has a wide array of filmmaking tools at his disposal which he uses to serve the story.
Steven Spielberg’s best movies combine relatable stories with remarkable visuals. He has worked with several award-winning cinematographers in his time, including Janusz Kaminski, Dean Cundey and Douglas Slocombe. They have all brought their own unique skills to Spielberg’s movies, helping him to achieve his vision. Many of his best shots are now etched in film history, and even his more recent movies are beautiful to watch, although time will tell how they come to be appreciated.
Related 10 Unmade Steven Spielberg Movies That Would Have Been Great
Steven Spielberg’s career would have looked different if he had made some of the movies he wanted to, such as Superman and The Catcher in the Rye.
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10 Sammy Walks Through The Studio Backlot
The Fabelmans (2022)
The Fabelmans 0
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Director Steven Spielberg Release Date November 23, 2022 Cast Paul Dano , Gabriel LaBelle , Seth Rogen , Judd Hirsch , Nicolas Cantu , Michelle Williams , Gabriel Bateman , Sam Rechner , Oakes Fegley , Julia Butters
Throughout his career, Steven Spielberg has always had a mastery of opening shots and closing shots. He knows the importance of beginnings and endings, and he often leaves his audience with a positive feeling. It’s apt that The Fabelmans, Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical story of a young filmmaker, does the same. With the real-world context of Spielberg’s illustrious career, the upbeat ending to The Fabelmans is even happier.
Throughout his career, Steven Spielberg has always had a mastery of opening shots and closing shots.
After meeting his idol John Ford, played by David Lynch, Sammy walks through the studio backlot, physically leaving the meeting but symbolically heading toward a long lifetime of making movies. As he walks away, the camera suddenly tilts up, following Ford’s advice to keep the horizon out of the center of the frame. The jarring handheld motion is a reminder that Spielberg and Sammy are one and the same, both excited kids learning how to weave movie magic.
9 Entering The Mixer
West Side Story (2021)
West Side Story 2
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Director Steven Spielberg Release Date December 10, 2021 Cast Mike Iveson , Ansel Elgort , Ariana DeBose , Yassmin Alers , Iris Menas , Rachel Zegler , Annelise Cepero , Corey Stoll , Josh Andrés , Josh Andrés Rivera , Rita Moreno , Jamila Velazquez , Brian D’Arcy James , David Alvarez , Rory Curtiss Cook , Jamie Harris Expand
Steven Spielberg’s first musical came very late in his career, but he showed a natural flair for the art form. Spielberg’s use of long takes and bold, emotive blocking is perfect for a musical, especially a throwback musical like West Side Story. Spielberg often restrains his direction to allow his performers more room. He frames the fire escapes and street corners of New York like stages.
Spielberg’s use of long takes and bold, emotive blocking is perfect for a musical, especially a throwback musical like
West Side Story.
There are times when Spielberg’s camera swoops around the action to accentuate the lavish excess of the choreography. One of West Side Story‘s best shots begins outside the community center gym, but it eagerly pushes in as soon as the doors are flung open. The camera sweeps around the dancers and takes in the different interactions all around the room, showcasing the vibrant colors and expressive movements.
8 The Drinking Contest
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Raiders of the Lost Ark 2
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Director Steven Spielberg Release Date June 12, 1981 Cast Harrison Ford , Karen Allen , Alfred Molina , Paul Freeman , Ronald Lacey , John Rhys-Davies , Denholm Elliott
Long takes used to be much more common in American filmmaking. These days, they are usually seen as fun stunts, with the likes of Wes Anderson, Alfonso Cuarón and Sam Mendes using them to highlight action sequences. Steven Spielberg uses a different approach, as his oners rarely draw attention to themselves. The drinking contest in Raiders of the Lost Ark is a perfect example of Spielberg using a oner to service the story.
By using a long take as an establishing shot, two close-ups and an insert, Spielberg removes the layer between the audience and the action.
The drinking contest introduces Marion, and the long take transforms what could be a boring scene into a tense conflict. The camera pushes in at the beginning, so the audience gets a sense of the atmosphere inside the bar, and it then follows the movements of the actors’ hands in a gripping back-and-forth. By using a long take as an establishing shot, two close-ups and an insert, Spielberg removes the layer between the audience and the action.
7 Preparing For Omaha
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Saving Private Ryan 10
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Director Steven Spielberg Release Date July 24, 1998 Cast Tom Sizemore , Adam Goldberg , Vin Diesel , Tom Hanks , Edward Burns , Matt Damon
The D-Day landing sequence at the beginning of Saving Private Ryan is one of Steven Spielberg’s best scenes. He makes a few brilliant choices in the action scene to highlight the chaos and the terror of the occasion, such as the underwater shots and the harrowing POV shot as the camera advances upon the German gunners. However, an underrated aspect of the scene is the work that Spielberg does shortly before the Allies land at the beach.
Spielberg uses plenty of close-ups in the landing craft to hide the scale of the battle from the audience until it all unfolds.
Spielberg uses plenty of close-ups in the landing craft to hide the scale of the battle from the audience until it all unfolds. The sound is also dialed down, reflecting the calm before the storm. One outstanding shot starts with a close-up of Captain Miller’s shaky hands reaching for his flask of water, before zooming out to reveal the gray, terrified faces of him and his fellow soldiers. Some pray and some vomit from fear, but most look dead ahead. This shot tells the audience that an incalculable horror is just over the horizon.
6 Schindler Spots The Girl In The Red Coat
Schindler’s List (1993)
Schindler’s List 0
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Director Steven Spielberg Release Date December 15, 1993 Cast Liam Neeson , Ben Kingsley , Ralph Fiennes , Caroline Goodall , Jonathan Sagall
The girl in the red coat in Schindler’s List creates a powerful image. The splash of red is the only color in the otherwise black-and-white movie. Although the meaning of the girl has been debated, the scene definitely marks a turning point in Schindler’s emotional journey. The first shot to feature the girl takes place from Schindler’s perspective high above the ghetto, and she is just a small fleck of red against a violent background.
By showing the girl from such a distance, Spielberg guides the audience’s focus towards her.
By showing the girl from such a distance, Spielberg guides the audience’s focus towards her. She stumbles along the street as bodies fall around her, and there are moments when it seems as though she can’t be touched by any of the surrounding chaos. This makes it even more powerful when Spielberg gradually pushes in to reveal her personal tragedy among countless others. First he uses a long shot, then a medium shot, and eventually a close-up as she hides under the bed, with the color gone from her coat.
5 Riding Off Into The Sunset
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 5
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Director Steven Spielberg Release Date May 24, 1989 Cast Harrison Ford , Sean Connery , Denholm Elliott , Alison Doody , John Rhys-Davies , Julian Glover
Steven Spielberg is often accused by his harshest critics of being overly sentimental. It’s probably true that not many other directors would end a trilogy with their characters literally riding off into the sunset, but it’s hard to argue that Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade doesn’t earn this moment. It’s a joy to see Indy with his friends and his father, leaving their dangerous journey behind them but setting off with the hope of many more adventures to come.
It’s a joy to see Indy with his friends and his father, leaving their dangerous journey behind them but setting off with the hope of many more adventures to come.
The Last Crusade could have and should have been the end to the Indiana Jones franchise, as The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Dial of Destiny don’t quite hit the same high notes as the original trilogy. Spielberg often uses silhouettes and shadows to convey emotions without facial expressions, and the finale of The Last Crusade works much better than any extra dialogue would have.
4 Tintin’s Bike Chase
The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
Close
The Adventures of Tintin 0
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Director Steven Spielberg Release Date October 25, 2011 Cast Jamie Bell , Andy Serkis , Daniel Craig , Nick Frost , Simon Pegg
Steven Spielberg’s first animated movie gave him the license to indulge his most ambitious and impractical wishes as a filmmaker. He makes full use of the medium, especially in the outstanding bike chase sequence. The bulk of the bike chase is one long shot that starts with Tintin and Captain Haddock racing away from the dam as it bursts, before careening through the streets of a fictional Moroccan city.
The scene wouldn’t feel so frantic and dangerous if Spielberg had used more cuts, but animation allows him the freedom to use a oner.
The bike chase is a gloriously entertaining long take, with the camera moving around the action to focus on Tintin, Captain Haddock and Snowy each at different times. The scene wouldn’t feel so frantic and dangerous if Spielberg had used more cuts, but animation allows him the freedom to use a oner. A sequel to The Adventures of Tintin has been stuck in development hell for years, with Spielberg passing off directing duties to Peter Jackson.
3 The T. Rex Appears
Jurassic Park (1993)
Jurassic Park 3
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Director Steven Spielberg Release Date June 11, 1993 Cast Sam Neill , Laura Dern , Jeff Goldblum , Richard Attenborough , Bob Peck , Martin Ferrero
Steven Spielberg knows that the anticipation is what makes horror movies terrifying, so he builds up the arrival of the T. Rex in Jurassic Park expertly. As rain pounds the roof of the car, the children are left in a vulnerable spot right next to the T. Rex exhibit. Spielberg teases the arrival of the dinosaur with a goat’s leg being flung on the roof of the car and the iconic shot of the two cups of water rippling with each booming footstep.
As the camera tilts up to emphasize the intimidating stature of the carnivore, the brilliant practical effects do the rest of the work.
Spielberg conveys a lot of visual information in the first shot of the T. Rex. He shows that the shelter of the car is just a facade, that the T. Rex can swallow an entire goat in seconds, and that it has turned its attention towards the humans. As the camera tilts up to emphasize the intimidating stature of the carnivore, the brilliant practical effects do the rest of the work, bringing an ancient beast to life.
2 Brody’s Dolly Zoom
Jaws (1975)
Jaws 9
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Director Steven Spielberg Release Date June 18, 1975 Cast Roy Scheider , Robert Shaw , Richard Dreyfuss , Lorraine Gary , Murray Hamilton , Carl Gottlieb
Alfred Hitchcock was the first director to pioneer the use of the dolly zoom, using it a few times in Vertigo to create a dizzying experience which reflected the internal state of his protagonist Scottie. Years later, Steven Spielberg used his own dolly zoom that was so effective that some people now refer to the technique as the “Jaws effect.” The shot in question happens when Brody first sees the shark surfacing above the water at a crowded beach.
Steven Spielberg’s use of the dolly zoom was so effective that some people now refer to the technique as the
“Jaws
effect.”
The zoom in on Brody is a disorienting effect which makes him seem isolated and afraid. It perfectly captures his shock at seeing the shark, as his panic response is immediately triggered. Brody isn’t just scared at this point. He also feels some responsibility, since he has already tried and failed to close the beaches. He knows that if there are any casualties, he won’t be able to forgive himself. Sure enough, the death of Alex Kintner hangs over him for the rest of Jaws.
1 Silhouetted Against The Moon
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 3
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Director Steven Spielberg Release Date June 11, 1982 Cast Drew Barrymore , Henry Thomas , Robert MacNaughton
The moon shot in E.T. is one of Steven Spielberg’s most iconic images, and it may be the one which sums up his career better than any other. The shot combines several of Spielberg’s calling cards. It features a bold silhouette, a sweeping soundtrack, and a moment of captivating childlike wonder. In the hands of a less capable director, this shot might not have the desired effect, but Spielberg combines his practical mastery with his magical charm.
The moon shot in
E.T.
is one of Steven Spielberg’s most iconic images, and it may be the one which sums up his career better than any other.
Although he has worked in a variety of genres, Spielberg always seems at home with sci-fi. He has an eye for spectacle and a creative imagination that suits the genre. Spielberg is working on a new UFO movie, and it could retread some of the same territory as E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. With over 40 years more experience, it will be interesting to see how he approaches the movie differently.