The Camera Eye? Movement, Perspective, and Identification in the Cinema

One of the most intuitive beliefs about cinema is that the camera stands in for the viewer’s gaze on the world. This is especially true when the camera is in motion. From cell phone videos to horror films to documentaries to animation, filmmakers have exploited the ways in which we identify with the moving camera. This talk argues that this belief is mistaken but also productive: filmmakers as diverse as Welles, Hitchcock, and Dreyer achieve their unique effects by playing with our desire to occupy the position of the camera.