Eternal Sunshine of the spotless mind

[Lavern Templeton]

During the scene where Joel (Jim Carrey) is revisiting a memory of being a child playing underneath the kitchen table, he appears to be the height of a four year old. I heard this was a trick done within the camera, but I have not found an adequate explanation for this perspective shift. Any thoughts?

[David Mullen ASC]

During the scene where Joel (Jim Carrey) is revisiting a memory of being a child playing underneath the kitchen table, he appears to be the height of a four year old. I heard this was a trick done within the camera, but I have not found an adequate explanation for this perspective shift. Any thoughts?

 

They did build some enlarged set pieces though I don't recall that specific shot well-enough to describe how it was shot.

 

You can also do forced perspective tricks to make someone look smaller, by putting them in the background but making it look like they are the midground or foreground and using enough depth of field to hold the planes in focus. The classic example is the photo that looks like you're holding your friend in the palm of your hand.

[Lavern Templeton]

Thanks, David.Yeah, Gondry and Co. were pretty clever with the set pieces. (I love the idea of an enlarged kitchen sink they could take a bath in.) I suppose this was a technique used for the hobbits in LOTR as well, no?

[Lavern Templeton]

Thanks, David.Yeah, Gondry and Co. were pretty clever with the set pieces. (I love the idea of an enlarged kitchen sink they could take a bath in.) I suppose this was a technique used for the hobbits in LOTR as well, no?

[Michael LaVoie]

On the DVD they describe how the kitchen table was built with the foreground legs being longer and the floor sloping downward on the camera side. This is to make it appear larger than Jim.

[John-Erling Holmenes Fredriksen]

Yep, you should see the documentary on the DVD, they explain it pretty well there. Michel moves around the set to show how the perspective-trick works.