About the way romanogers scenes are shot
This is a little analysis I came with last night. I will solely focus on angles and shots.
Let’s start with the church scene in Civil War. What struck me back then was how the scene was almost entirely filmed with low-angled shots (the only exception being the shot of Peggy Carter’s photo frame).
As you can see the camera is clearly placed low and therefore allows us to have a direct, unobstructed view of the characters. It also creates a very intimate vibe.
It gets even more intimate with close-ups (still low-angled) such as below
The background is blurred and all the attention is put on Natasha’s facial expressions.
I recall thinking back then that it was a very intimate, raw way to film their conversation. And too intimate to be friendly connotated.
Now, after watching Infinity War, I stared with big eyes when I found the same technique used to shoot a ScarletVision scene:
As you can see, we have the same features: low-angle and close-up.
Wanda and Vision are a couple and it can’t be more intimate than that. So the fact that the Russos shot the Romanogers scene in a very similar fashion proves that the two pairing at put on the same level: romantic.
As a reference, I decided to rewatch the kiss scene between Steve and Sharon in Civil War in order to compare. And it’s a whole different vibe:
Here we have behind-the-shoulder shots which creates far more distance and therefore does not allow the viewer to get emotionally invested. Really strange way to film a scene supposed to build up to a first kiss. From the start, you can tell St*ron is not depicted like ScarletVision and Starmora (and Romanogers).
There is no-close up and every shot we get is obstructed by the other character appearing in the frame (unlike the Romanogers scene). As a director, your aim should be to build anticipation where the kiss is the culmination of it. But not here. The viewer is now allowed to get closer and it is therefore difficult for them to engage emotionally.
In my opinion this definitely confirms that the directors never meant to make this relationship believable, and furthermore I’d say it was their intention to make the kiss feel awkward, distant, not organic.
One more thing: this scene does have one low-angled close-up and it’s a significant one. It’s the one where we see Steve’s reaction to the kiss
As established, he doesn’t exactly looks overwhelmed (as his answer “late” confirms). How weird is it to shoot a whole scene from a distance only to have one close-up where he character does not look thrilled.
Again, I believe this was all done on purpose in a way to let the viewer know that St*ron isn’t romantic. I don’t think the Russos failed at building their romance, they deliberately chose to build it wrong, in a way that it feels wobbly and not believable even to us.
How do I see things? Natasha is the real love interest, not Sharon. Their relationship is far more developed and deep and it shows in the way their scenes are shot. Clearly, the Russos have a specific way of filming romantic scenes and they readily use it when it comes to Romanogers scenes just like they would with ScarletVision and Stamora.
