The famous first shot of The Godfather trilogy is the extremely slow zoom out from the undertaker's face. The shot begins fully zoomed into his face, with only his forehead and cheeks directly lit. Slowly, as he speaks, the camera zooms out.
The shot finishes behind The Godfather's shoulder. The undertake is positioned just off centre, and the Godfather fills almost the entire left-hand third of the shot. The only lighting is an overheard source which barely lights the undertaker's face.
During the car sequence, Michael Corleone is centred in the shot, portraying his isolation. He is in a car with his greatest enemies with no help. In the background, his enemies are shrouded in darkness, their faces hidden. Only Michael is on show, with a low light illuminating him. In this sequence, the film-makers created the sense of being in a moving vehicle by having the actors sit in a car and lights were moved behind them to portray headlights.
At the undertakers office the lighting is minimalistic. Gordon Willis' lives up to his Prince of Darkness nickname by only lighting the actors, using a single, overhead source. The undertaker's eyes are shrouded, masking his soul.
The same is true for the Godfather himself. His skin shines in the light, but his eyes are masked. It is only by the movement on his face that one can tell his emotions. Even his suit fades into the background.
Almost all conversations in this film take place sat at a table. Once Michael becomes the Don, he dresses in suits and relaxes back in his chair.
The film finishes with a repeat of his opening, an iconic zoom, as Michael is revealed as a true Mafia Don.
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