RATCHED | FRAME BY FRAME
down to catch them secretly holding hands during a dance sequence in episode 5 – these are touches that lift it above the psychodrama, and why I feel the show was the hit it was,” he says. Throughout the episode, there are flashbacks and flashforwards. When Mildred informs Betsy about her plans to euthanise her brother, Edmund, the frame alternately cuts to a forecast of how it would happen. “Lots and lots of discussions were needed to blend those important sequences. They were very carefully planned – especially in later scenes, where split screens and sliding panels were used to show passing elements, such as a car or an actor in motion,” says Dennis. The marionette show, used as a way to fill in the holes of Mildred’s past, cutting to moments from Mildred and Edmund’s disturbed
Camera angles often captured the characters’ points of view
childhood, required meticulous framing on set. “We had to be mindful of the staging of the puppets and the actors, matching their eyelines so that the sequence would flow,” explains Dennis. “I actually called Tristan Oliver, the amazing stop-motion DOP of Fantastic Mr. Fox and Isle of Dogs , to get insight into the photography of scaled puppets so that they integrate well with the live action. He was so helpful, and it was an honour to speak with him.” Camera angles often captured the characters’ points of view, with steady
NOVEMBER 2020 | DEF I N I T ION 09
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