Preview: Perspective Illusions
In many films you will find perspective illusions. These illusions are used in order to make objects appear further, closer, bigger or just smaller then they are in reality. The film Top secret (1986), Jim Abrahams et al. contains many nice examples.

TelefoonWatch this telephone scene. It starts as a close up. A telephone is ringing with three characters in the background. One of these men walks to the telephone (in the direction of the camera) and lifts the receiver. At that moment we realize that the size of the telephone is completely out of proportion. In another scene, a wristwatch is used. First we see a close up of the watch. The next shot reveals that it is a giant watch.

In the wonderful film City Lights (1931), Charlie Chaplin, the director plays with perception of size in yet another way. What appears to be small can become tall.

2 Video [Viewing duration = 00:22:30] 51
2.1 Light 51
  Three Basic Colors. 51
  Why is the Sky Blue? 53
  Color in the Film 54
2.2 The Human Eye 55
  Cones 57
  Rods 57
  Recognition by Color (Mainly Cones) 57
  Recognition by Motion (Mainly Rods) 58
2.3 You See with your Brain 59
  The Jumping Eye 59
  Two Eyes 60
  Expectations 60
2.4 Visual Illusions 61
  Perspective Illusions 61
  Illusions of Motion 62
2.5 Lighting 63
  Dynamics of Light 63
  Shadows 63
  Smoothening of Contrasts 64
  High-key Lighting 65
  Low-key Lighting 66
2.6 People in the picture 66
  Where Heterosexual Men Instinctively Look at 69
  Where Heterosexual Women Instinctively Look at 69
2.7 Summary 69
  Appendix 1: Contrast Illusion 71
  Notes 71
  References 72