Have you noticed the color war between Oz and Sofia? Drop a comment below.
And if you are Oz Cobb? Watch your back. Because the camera certainly is. 9/10 Best episode to study: Episode 3 ("Bliss") for the nightclub lighting sequence. the penguin cinematography
Whenever Oz is lying (which is always), the cinematography suddenly goes warm and soft. A single streetlamp will halo his head like a saint. A car’s headlights will wash out his face to look innocent. He uses light like a weapon. Have you noticed the color war between Oz and Sofia
More importantly, the camera lingers on Oz’s eyes during moments of humiliation—not triumph. In most crime shows, the anti-hero gets a heroic low-angle shot when he wins. In The Penguin , Oz gets a shaky, handheld close-up when he loses. The DP is telling us: This isn’t a power fantasy. This is a pathology. There is a fantastic recurring motif: false light. Watch your back
If you are a filmmaker, watch this show for the lighting ratios alone. If you are a fan, watch it for the way the city itself becomes a snare.