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Published On: Aug 20, 2006 12:00 AM
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Aug 20, 2006 12:00 AM
Money Shot
Or, an interesting exercise in
TiVofication
So, right now I am engaging in my typical summer
late-night activity: putting TiVo on pause on the Mariners games while surfing
online. When the half-hour stretch is met, then it starts playing (and, tonight,
that means the incredibly annoying Angels broadcast team), and I leave my office
to fast-forward through the dumb parts of the game (tonight, the Angels hitting
Jarrod Washburn like a pinata and Richie Sexson striking out with men in scoring
position [which, obviously, should be a phrase uttered at every TGI Friday's bar
in America, right?]).
Lather, rinse, repeat.
So, it seems fitting that I discuss something I came across which seems like a grand exercise in fun film crit.
[After writing that sentence, it was actually time to catch up with TiVo and the M's ran Lackey out of town, scoring 5. It was really a thing to behold as you watched a pitcher melt in front of you, and there was nothing the Angels could do, since their reliever wasn't ready yet. Beautiful. For a change.]
I had never heard of the site before--Reverse Shot--but I will definitely keep tabs on it.
Anyway, the edition is all about analyzing one shot (this is where the TiVo comes in, see?). Authors take one shot, and then, in a sense, pull back: they provide context (both within and without the film), and also discuss why they chose the shot. I haven't seen many of the films discussed, but some articles make me want to see films again, particularly Mulholland Dr., which I love though I think I really need to see at least two or three more times to get into it. Also, I loved being reminded about Safe, because it's such an interesting film.
These articles made me wonder, first, if I had any shots that particularly stuck in my mind. I think one is from The Sweet Hereafter: it's a flashback during the story he tells his daughter's high school friend that features Zoe as a toddler and him holding her. To me, it encompasses the entire loss-of-innocence theme of the film, but also is just beautifully shot (as is the whole film). The other shot that came to mind was from 28 Days Later (btw, I got Rick to watch the first 30 minutes, so the goal is to get the whole film viewed by 2010). It comes fairly late in the film, but is a shot of Jim in the rain (I don't want to give away too much), and not only shows off the digital video (with the raindrops clearly visible as almost mercury-like drops), but also shows Jim's rage in a very startling way. God I love that movie. Oh, I just thought of another one. It's in V for Vendetta, and it's one of the times Sutler is screaming at his minions on the big monitor. There is a close-up of his mouth that shows these horrible teeth, and to me it just stood out as something repellent, like that anything that came out of his mouth was bile. Lots of great shots in that movie though.
I wonder if such criticism or at least such attention to a single shot will increase with digital media, and the ability to literally go frame by frame, in a way we hadn't been able to do so before. Perhaps it will encourage/force directors to pay more attention to each shot in ways they hadn't necessarily done before.
Any shots you can think of?
Lather, rinse, repeat.
So, it seems fitting that I discuss something I came across which seems like a grand exercise in fun film crit.
[After writing that sentence, it was actually time to catch up with TiVo and the M's ran Lackey out of town, scoring 5. It was really a thing to behold as you watched a pitcher melt in front of you, and there was nothing the Angels could do, since their reliever wasn't ready yet. Beautiful. For a change.]
I had never heard of the site before--Reverse Shot--but I will definitely keep tabs on it.
Anyway, the edition is all about analyzing one shot (this is where the TiVo comes in, see?). Authors take one shot, and then, in a sense, pull back: they provide context (both within and without the film), and also discuss why they chose the shot. I haven't seen many of the films discussed, but some articles make me want to see films again, particularly Mulholland Dr., which I love though I think I really need to see at least two or three more times to get into it. Also, I loved being reminded about Safe, because it's such an interesting film.
These articles made me wonder, first, if I had any shots that particularly stuck in my mind. I think one is from The Sweet Hereafter: it's a flashback during the story he tells his daughter's high school friend that features Zoe as a toddler and him holding her. To me, it encompasses the entire loss-of-innocence theme of the film, but also is just beautifully shot (as is the whole film). The other shot that came to mind was from 28 Days Later (btw, I got Rick to watch the first 30 minutes, so the goal is to get the whole film viewed by 2010). It comes fairly late in the film, but is a shot of Jim in the rain (I don't want to give away too much), and not only shows off the digital video (with the raindrops clearly visible as almost mercury-like drops), but also shows Jim's rage in a very startling way. God I love that movie. Oh, I just thought of another one. It's in V for Vendetta, and it's one of the times Sutler is screaming at his minions on the big monitor. There is a close-up of his mouth that shows these horrible teeth, and to me it just stood out as something repellent, like that anything that came out of his mouth was bile. Lots of great shots in that movie though.
I wonder if such criticism or at least such attention to a single shot will increase with digital media, and the ability to literally go frame by frame, in a way we hadn't been able to do so before. Perhaps it will encourage/force directors to pay more attention to each shot in ways they hadn't necessarily done before.
Any shots you can think of?
Posted: Sat - August 19, 2006 at 11:59 PM |