Once Upon A Time (2011-) is an American TV drama created by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. The directorial style usually used by the directors of the series, mainly Ralph Hemecker, Ron Underwood, Dean White, and Romeo Tirone, is one which highlights the emotions of the characters, helping the audience to identify with and emotionally connect with them. This fits with the fact that most of the storylines are driven by the character's emotions.
Screen Direction:
Because of our culture of writing and reading left to right across the page, studies have shown that this has affected how audiences perceive the direction characters move in on the screen. If a character moves left to right they are seen as the good guy, but if they move right to left they are seen as the bad guy. This is the same with looking, which can help audiences interpret what characters are thinking or feeling. Looking left to right can be interpreted as a character feeling optimistic, looking towards their future, with the opposite interpretation for right to left with characters feeling negative.
For example, in this scene (from episode 6x22, directed by Ralph Hemecker) Henry enters the back of Mr. Gold's shop from the right and walks towards the left, so the audience could interpret him as being the bad guy as he has entered the shop as an intruder, without Mr. Gold's permission to be there. This could shock the audience and prepare them for a bigger revelation, as typically Henry is one of the show's heroes, whereas Mr. Gold is one of the main villains.
However, this direction later changes when Henry uncovers what Mr. Gold has been hiding in the back of his shop. This confirms to the audience that Henry is the hero and Mr. Gold is a villain, who could be planning something evil that Henry will later have to overcome.
This also fits with the direction the characters are looking. Henry ends up looking left to right as he is looking to the future, considering that others are in danger and can be saved if only they both team up and try to do the right thing. Although, Mr. Gold is looking in the opposite direction so is selfish, only thinking of himself and his present state.
Closed framing with Henry still visible in a close up of Mr. Gold whilst he is trying to convince him to do the right thing also shows he is momentarily trapped by Henry, and thinks about doing the right thing. As Henry tries to convince him further, the camera zooms in more and more so Henry disappears from the shot, showing Mr. Gold is not convinced and has begun thinking solely about himself again as he is now the only person in the frame.
Emotional distance and framing:
Framing is also used to highlight character's reactions. As the main character and hero, Emma mostly acts as the point of audience identification. This is shown by how her emotions are heightened using tight framing when she reacts to a situation such as in this clip from episode 6x02, directed by Ron Underwood:
By focusing the audience so closely on Emma's reaction, they think about what she might be thinking and feeling in that moment, and therefore almost place themselves in her shoes. While zooming in, Emma also changes position from the right of the screen to the centre. As she is the main character she is the only character who is frequently positioned in the centre, symbolising her position as 'The Savior', the balance between light and dark magic.
However, when she meets the villain who is prophesied to kill her, he stands opposite her in the middle, him having as much dark magic as Emma does light, upsetting the established balance and creating a new one (in episode 6x22, directed by Ralph Hemecker).
This unsettles the audience as the villain is intruding into the position where the hero is normally placed, but also foreshadows that he could kill her so she won't be there to be positioned in the frame, and he can replace her.
Camera movement and emotion:
Often when the camera tracks characters, the movement of the camera mirrors their emotions.
For example, in this clip (from episode 4x03, directed by Morgan Beggs), when Emma is tracked whilst chasing the unknown criminal the camerawork is shaky. This reflects Emma's confusion, which is also the audience's as they don't know who the criminal is either, and also the speed and intensity of the chase. The audience is continually with Emma throughout the chase as even when she falls the audience see the ground getting closer as if from her point of view.
This is similar to a scenario in a later episode (6x21, directed by Steve Pearlman), when Emma becomes a patient in a mental hospital due to a curse. Therefore, when she walks across the hallway the camerawork is wonky, and therefore disorientating for the audience, mirroring Emma's own disorientation as she is no longer sure what is true and what is fiction.
Even when she sits down later on in the scene, the camerawork becomes canted as is the style of German expressionist cinema, which aimed to show emotions by working against conventional perspectives.
Select focus/ Rack focus:
As scenes in the show usually feature a large group of characters assembled at once, select focus is used to highlight which character is talking, and should therefore have the attention of the audience, shown in this picture (from episode 6x20, directed by Ron Underwood):
However, backgrounds are also frequently blurred in the show because of selective focus, as this further emphasises the character's emotions by isolating them from their surroundings. This also avoids the audience focusing only on the intricate details in the background, instead of the actor's performances.
Rack focus is used in a similar way as shown in this clip (from episode 1x18, directed by Dean White), but this also shows a transfer of power. In this scene, Regina realises her mother may have set her up, in order to get her to marry the King. When her mother finally tells her she is proud of her, the change in focus allows the camera to linger on Regina's reaction, allowing for identification and the audience to think, but also to focus them on her moment of realisation as her mother's grip on her begins to falter. However, the focus at the end of the scene turns the audience's attention more firmly to Regina as she walks towards the camera, which could be seen to symbolise her walking towards the future. This is important as it is the pivotal moment that leads to Regina becoming the Evil Queen, so the power her mother currently thinks she has over her will change, making Regina more powerful and therefore more important to the story.
A, I, and L patterns:
To position the large groups of characters so it is not confusing for the audience, A, I, and L patterns are used. For example, in the picture below (from episode 5x20, directed by Ron Underwood), the heroes are arranged in one I, opposite the villains arranged in another I, meaning together they form an L shape. This distinguishes the heroes from the villains as they are positioned on opposite sides and creates a sense of opposition between the two groups.
However, this divide becomes less distinct when Emma, the main hero, is threatened by the villains. This leads to her getting closer to them as she becomes the point of the A shape the heroes are now arranged in, making the divide less distinct and unbalancing the frame, foreshadowing that by upsetting the established balance, the villains could win.
Use of colour:
Colour is also used to distinguish between hero and villain (see more about colour theory). For example, Emma as 'The Saviour' is usually represented by bright colours, dressing in a red leather jacket and owning a yellow car.
Because red symbolises danger, and blood, the red of Emma's jacket foreshadows the violence she will have to face to protect and save the town. It also reminds the audience of the prophecy that Emma will fight the final battle, because of the association of violence to war. However, red is also associated with fire, so it could be said this colour represents Emma's powerful position, her strength as the only person who can save the town, and her determination to do what is right to protect those around her.
Yellow is a positive colour, representing Emma's optimism that if she does the right thing, everything will work out in the end. As it is close to the colour gold it also shows that she has the honor of the people around her as they trust her intellect. Although, yellow can also symbolise cowardice and deceit, reminding the audience of Emma's past as the car is stolen, and Emma has been known to run away from her problems before finally deciding to face them.
This contrasts with the villains of the show who wear black, symbolising the darkness inside of them and showing their opposition to the hero who is dressed more colourfully. Black is associated with elegance and mystery, representing that the villains have some authority over what happens in the story, but that the things they cause are usually negative because of associations with fear and death. The fact black is associated with the unknown represents how the audience are often unsure of the villain's motives and intentions.
However, because the character of Regina (pictured above), transitions from being the Evil Queen in the fantasy realm to one of the heroes in the real world, elements of lighter colour are gradually added to her costume to symbolise how she is becoming a better person.
Parallel shots:
Because many of the characters have two personas, one in the real world shown in the present, and one in the fairy tale world shown through flashbacks, when the jump from one time to the other is made parallel shots are sometimes used to show the contrast between how they were, and how they are now.
For example, in these two shots (from episode 1x11, directed by Bryan Spicer), the character of Sydney is shown as the man in the Evil Queen's magic mirror in flashback, which then jumps to the present with him still being framed in a mirror. This shows that his situation has not changed much from then to now, as he is still under Regina's control, the closed framing showing it is difficult for him to escape as it has been this way for a long time.
High/low angles:
High and low camera angles are frequently used to show power.
For instance, this low angle shot of Regina (from episode 7x10, directed by Ralph Hemecker), emphasises the fact that she is the most powerful, so is the only person who is capable of saving them all. This is because the audience must look up at her, so makes her seem taller and therefore more significant than her surroundings as she is in a position of authority.
The opposite of this is the low angle shot shown here, (from episode 5x20, directed by Ron Underwood) as in this situation Emma is running from a bail bonds woman as she has committed a crime. Therefore, she is seen as small and vulnerable, because the audience are forced to look down on her. This suggests that her authority is being questioned and that she insignificant compared to the other character who is in control. It could also be said she is looked down upon as her actions have been morally incorrect whereas the other character appears to act morally correctly.
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