Home Alone 1 And 2: 20 Easter Eggs, References & In-Jokes
14 The Camera Angles Mirror Kevin's Growth
The visual style of a movie is an important and often invisible tool used to key the audience into the tone of the film. Even a relatively daft movie like Home Alone put thought into lighting and camera placement; which in this case is used to chart Kevins growth from scared boy into booby-trap making badass. In the first half of the movie the camera is often looking down on Kevin, which is particularly noticeable whenever he's talking to an adult. Wide angles are also used to make the world seems bigger, and make Kevin appear smaller. But he toughens up considerably over the course of the story, learning to look after himself, do the shopping and even rig traps. During this transformation the camera gradually starts coming down to his level, and towards the end its looking up at him to reflect his personal growth. Its a subtle touch that most people wont pick up on, but its there for the real film buffs to notice.
