The cinematography and the composition of Westworld shots can tell a lot about the characters and the story. I loved watching the series so far and while watching, took notes of the shots I liked most and thought that perhaps you will find them inspiring/beautiful too.
By the way, I did a post on cinematography on Mr Robot and there are more to come so stay in touch. I am a busy camera woman/editor so those posts don't come very often but I am doing my best!
So, as a quick summary for those who don't know, Westworld follows the story of Dolores who lives in a curious amusement park, designed for rich visitors. Dolores is not alone, she lives in a world full of creatures like her - machines, who look and behave like real people. The problem arises when Dolores and other robots start to behave in unpredictable/unprogrammed ways.
Dolores
Dolores is beautiful (just saying!). She has a routine which we follow and go through with her. This is the first shot which we learn about Dolores from. There's something god-like about the way the cinematographers of the series decided to shoot her. In this example, the camera is looking down on her from straight above. As if someone was watching her. She is often beautifully lit, surrounded by sunlight, sun flare and other lights above her. I interpret this kind of a sign, a suggestion that something non-machine-like is happening.
In this shot, for instance, the light looks like an aureole - film-makers have loads of money, there's no way this light was chosen accidentally or without much thought put into it.
A similar situation below.
Westworld HQ
The headquarters building has multiple areas, some of them very bright (for the customers) and some really dark, for the staff. I think this way of displaying the spaces is very clever because viewers get a clear separation between the outsider's view (bright, clean, modern, perfect and observed) and the darker, moodier place where mistakes are made. I am no expert, but I think this is how all big companies work, therefore this is no genius idea, but I still thought it was clever.
Dr. Robert Ford
There's something wrong with this man. No spoilers, but the shots speak for themselves. There is something very disturbing about this character and Anthony is just superb by delivering it! Often cinematographers use reflections, mirrors to suggest the dark side of a person and I believe that this is the case of Westworld and Dr Robert's shots.
This shot (below) is particularly interesting to me due to its background. Again, we, viewers, need to remember that in big productions such as this, everything happens for a reason, even standing by that table, camera looking at the wall with heads. Reminds me of an army which is behind Dr Robert's back, looking after him OR becoming a threat in the future. Anyway, I am looking forward to learning more about him.
Man in Black
Man in Black is a mysterious man, who is super aggressive and loves killing, shortly speaking. Very often the camera would look upwards to demonstrate the superiority and strength of this character. Staright forward move, not much to analyse here!
All in all, as I was collecting these shots, I realized that cinematography of Mr Robot is much more interesting than Westworld. Different stories told by different pictures and composition. Luckily, the story is fascinating and soooo weird, it makes my mind go crazy after I watch every episode. And don't get me wrong, I love them both!!! :-)
Happy watching!