Monday, February 9, 2015

Jack Scardino Re: Camera for Interpretation / In-camera editing

The discussion of in-camera editing and use of the camera makes me think of the new film Birdman.  The film is very technical, and exemplifies many cinematic aspects discussed in this article.  Point-of-view, angles, and focal length are critical to how Birdman tells its story.  The wide angle lenses are very noticeable when the camera films in close-up or extreme long shots.  In these instances, the distortion of the image creates a massive depth of field, making faces appear to jump out of the frame at times, and at others making hallways seem long and vast.  Birdman also relies heavily on handheld shots to follow characters in the scenes.  This is because the film is composed as being a single fluid shot from start to finish.

This is probably Birdman's most popular (and successful) technical aspect.  The performances in the film are theatrical, fitting because the story has to do with an actor putting together a Broadway show.  The use of the camera therefore is also somewhat meta in this way, and quickly calls attention to its own use due to the tracking shots and editing.  I wish I could post the Times Square scene from the movie here for reference, because it is an excellent example of in-camera editing and cinematography.  Birdman is too recent a release, however it does remind me of the famous Copacabana long take from Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas.  The camera is used flawlessly in conjunction with mise-en-scene to create an incredibly impressive scene with totally authentic atmosphere.  The positioning of the camera in relation to its subjects and framing in such an exciting environment is highly effective in creating a fly-on-the-wall feel, and of course the direction of all actors and actions in the scene is also very impressive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=OJEEVtqXdK8#t=8

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