the cinematography of destiel
so to cope with spn ending, I’ve been re-watching it from the beginning and have just been massively hit by the cinematography of destiel. it’s not something I really picked up on the first time round – I was too busy falling in love with their relationship – but HOLY SHIT. everything about the cinematography of cas and dean’s relationship plays so heavily into romantic cinematography tropes.
we all know that destiel was heavily (heavily) implied through the storyline, the dialogue, that goddamn electric chemistry between jensen and misha and the way they played dean and cas. but (until the finale season ofc), none of that was made explicit, and the showrunners often claimed destiel was just a “fan interpretation” and nothing deliberate on their part in creating the show. after re-watching spn recently (and I’m only up to s9), I’m sorry but I have to say that this is so blatantly bullshit. the directing choices and cinematography of destiel were clear, deliberate choices that were made about how to portray the relationship between dean and cas. and it’s precisely these choices that so clearly places them in a romantic setting right from the start.
as much as the script and their chemistry, the cinematography of destiel is what marks their relationship as undeniably romantic. I mean, seriously. their scenes legit feature all the hallmarks of romantic cinematography. like, things that are literally only ever used to portray a romantic on-screen dynamic???
look at this shit. the soft glow full of warm hues and gentle shadow is the trademark of romantic scenes. there are a RIDICULOUS number of destiel scenes lit this way. in fact, I’d go so far as to say the majority of ones where it’s just cas and dean are like this: driving at night in the impala; countless scenes outside in the dark with soft light behind them like this one; even their goddamn fight scene is lit like a romantic movie scene.
as with stereotypical romantic scenes, this soft, intimate lighting is generally combined with emotional intimacy and vulnerability. this kind of lighting is purposely used for this type of scene because it makes people’s eyes twinkle and thus draws attention to emotional tension and intimacy of expression that are so typical of romantic scenes. I mean, you’d never have a scene with dean and bobby lit like the gif above, would you?
Focus on communication through eye contact and body language
as with romantic movies, with destiel there’s a LOT of focus on non-verbal communication, particularly through eye contact. much more so than with any other relationship on the show, destiel depends on these, as is typical for the portrayal of a romantic on-screen dynamic; it ups the tension between the characters and gives the sense of a fundamentally deeper connection between them that explains their devotion and actions towards each other.
Interaction in quiet, intimate scenes
the scenes where cas and dean are on their own are typically quiet, softly lit environments where they’re completely alone and the outside world fades out, narrowing their focus down to each other. the intimacy of these settings implies in turn the emotional intimacy of their relationship and feelings towards each other. these are all settings where emotional vulnerability is made much more possible, and give the characters the opportunity to give light to versions of themselves that otherwise stay hidden.
again, this is something so typical of romantic cinematography, as it builds the emotional intimacy between the characters and gives deliberate focus to the unique dynamic that exists between them.
Camera close-ups, implying emotional and physical closeness
this has been the case literally since the moment cas and dean first interaction:
this close, intimate camerawork is one of the defining features of the scenes between dean and cas. it places the focus on all that is unsaid between them but is implied, the complexity and nuance of the way they interact and what they feel towards each other. how closely focused they are on each other. the choice to film their expressions at such close range gives space to this in a way that the show doesn’t do with any other characters, even when the emotional storyline between them is important. sam and dean come the closest to this, but even then it isn’t shot as closely as dean and cas’s scenes often are.
this close camerawork provides a kind of intimacy that we don’t see anywhere else in the show apart from in romantic contexts (and even then rarely on the level it is with destiel). this intense focus that draws attention eye contact, expression, connection, and non-verbal communication is another hallmark of romantic cinematography, serving to further emphasise the emotional intimacy between them.
(I could go on forever with these ones, it’s literally the entire show)
romantic movies like to use show not tell to reveal how the characters really feel about each other - typically by using reaction shots of their disappointment/jealousy/pain, e.g. when they see the person they love with someone else. here are SO MANY instances of this with destiel. the reaction shots of dean and cas responding to the other in romantic situations are used ridiculously often, and literally don’t make any sense if they’re not intended to imply a romantic dynamic between them. these reactions are completely irrelevant to the storyline - they only serve to give us information about the cas and dean’s true feelings about each other. THERE IS LITERALLY NO OTHER REASON FOR A DIRECTOR TO MAKE THE DECISION TO INCLUDE THESE.
(don’t even get me started on how quietly heartbroken dean looks in this scene)
other examples: cas’s reaction all the way back in s4 to dean kissing anna, and dean’s reaction to cas kissing meg.
so yeah. those are some of the main things I’ve noticed. it’s also very worth noting that the majority of destiel scenes (i.e. just cas and dean) employ ALL OF THESE KEY FEATURES OF ROMANTIC CINEMATOGRAPHY AT ONCE.
I really don’t think it’s possible, from this, that the showrunners weren’t deliberately hinting at the romantic nature of destiel from the very beginning. the cinematography speaks for itself.
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