How to introduce a family dynamic with one single establishment shot
Something I love about the opening scene of the Ruler is how, with one simple shot, you get to establish a lot about each family, their dynamic and their status.
Nathaniel's family is pretty distant with one another. The son and the dad do sit one next to another on a very large couch but they do not share a common body language. The dad takes a lot of space while Nathaniel is hunched, looking down. The mother is in her own corner, on a platform and separated by a rail, and she focuses on her work. The fact that the mom's office is in the living room hints about how, for her, work is more important than pleasure and relaxation.
Also, note how she is on a platform AND on a stool compared to the dad and son. She is purposefully elevated and has the high ground compare to them. She even has a lamp lighting her like a spotlight. She is the decision maker, she holds the power in the family.
The modern and black and white decor adds to this feeling of a cold environment. There is also a lot of straight lines and right angles of the furniture and rare accessories such as the couch, the coffee table, the carpet, the garbage bin(?) the rail, the platform, etc. Even all the books in the library are straight. The floor also appears to be epoxy. Everything has one sole and unique color and feels flat. We can guess the family is snobbish and as a very clear and orderly view of the world (read : black and white view).
Meanwhile, Marc's family sits all together on one single couch. This also allows the camera to be closer to them. This illustrates how intimate there are all with one another. They also all share a similar pose, which have them sit with their feet up on the couch. Which hints that they are also free spirits. They prefer to sit so they are comfortable rather than follow the rules and the establishment.
Their couch is well-used with round corners. We can see that piece of furniture had a long life : the fabric has been thorned at some places and the couch might even be lumpy. It is imperfect and yet they are still using it. It is still comfortable and functional for them. Basically, they won't fix what isn't broken.
Marc's family living room offers an abondance of textures and shapes as well. We have a wooden round coffee table. We see that the blankets have geometrical and lines patterns while The carpet the has more of an organic pattern. We can also see the carpet isn't aligned with any wall or furniture. The wooden floor has an herringbone pattern while the wall is made of bricks. Their library is full of books that are more or less organized. The earth-tones palette also gives off this warm feeling. From this single shot, we can see that that their living room is a very cozy environment and well lived in.
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