10.29.2009
10.26.2009
Four and a Half Minutes That Changed Film History
Orson Welles' Touch of Evil has an opening scene that changed the way films were shot. Welles used precise timing, mind-boggling coordination, and a crane, to film an amazing four and a half minute tracking shot to open his 1958 film.
The shot starts on a bomb being placed in the trunk of a car. The camera follows the car into the street. As the camera moves back we pickup Charlton Heston walking with his date. Though we’re concentrating on Heston, the bomb is still in our minds. The sheer length of the take heightens the tension for the payoff at the end. On its first release Universal placed the opening credits over the shot, which severely retracted from its power and suspense. In a re-release Welles original version of the scene was re-instated.
Literally changing an aspect of film making, the use of tracking shots have sometimes been used to try to one-up it, Psycho, for example. The opening shot of Robert Altman's The Player is a loving homage to the Welles shot. The opening of Joss Whedon's wonderful film Serenity begins with a five minute tracking shot that introduces us to the ship and the crew. Technically it's two tracking shots, spliced in the middle with some CGI, but I'll cut him some slack. (Whedon also did a great 6 minute tracking shot in an early episode of Angel, though I don't remember which one.)
My favorite tracking shot has to be in Children of Men*, but you can't beat Orson Welles for sheer genius and innovation. Mental Floss has a good list of others you can check out.
YouTube - Touch of Evil Part 01 of 11
You can watch the rest of the movie here.
*This clip is R rated and contains spoilers. If you haven't seen it, go rent it now! It's one of the best films this decade.
The shot starts on a bomb being placed in the trunk of a car. The camera follows the car into the street. As the camera moves back we pickup Charlton Heston walking with his date. Though we’re concentrating on Heston, the bomb is still in our minds. The sheer length of the take heightens the tension for the payoff at the end. On its first release Universal placed the opening credits over the shot, which severely retracted from its power and suspense. In a re-release Welles original version of the scene was re-instated.
Literally changing an aspect of film making, the use of tracking shots have sometimes been used to try to one-up it, Psycho, for example. The opening shot of Robert Altman's The Player is a loving homage to the Welles shot. The opening of Joss Whedon's wonderful film Serenity begins with a five minute tracking shot that introduces us to the ship and the crew. Technically it's two tracking shots, spliced in the middle with some CGI, but I'll cut him some slack. (Whedon also did a great 6 minute tracking shot in an early episode of Angel, though I don't remember which one.)
My favorite tracking shot has to be in Children of Men*, but you can't beat Orson Welles for sheer genius and innovation. Mental Floss has a good list of others you can check out.
YouTube - Touch of Evil Part 01 of 11
You can watch the rest of the movie here.
*This clip is R rated and contains spoilers. If you haven't seen it, go rent it now! It's one of the best films this decade.
10.24.2009
Held by the Taliban. A Harrowing and Amazing Five Part Series in the NYTs
This is a must read.
I can't recommend this series enough. Held by the Taliban - A Times Reporter's Account. This is a five-part series offering a first-person account by David Rohde of his seven months as a captive of the Taliban in Pakistan.
10.23.2009
Your good enough your smart enough and gosh darn it people like you!
Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) humbles Hudson Institute representative over health care bankruptcies.
Via- Boing Boing
10.22.2009
Really Amazing Color Photos From Pre-Bolshevik Revolution Russia
The Denver Post shared these photos on it's blog. The photographs of Russian chemist and photographer, Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii, show Russia on the eve of World War I and the coming of the revolution. From 1909-1912 and again in 1915, Prokudin-Gorskii traveled across the Russian Empire, documenting life, landscapes and the work of Russain people.
Man and camel loaded with packs; between 1905 and 1915 Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii Collection (Library of Congress).
Old church of Saint Nicholas the Wonder Worker, Nyrob; 1910 Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii Collection (Library of Congress).
Georgian woman standing on a carpet, outside, near a tree; between 1905 and 1915 Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii Collection (Library of Congress).
Dagestani types, Man and woman posed outdoors; between 1905 and 1915 Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii Collection (Library of Congress).
To learn more about the Prokudin-Gorskii, the process he used to create the color photographs, and see his collection, you can visit the Library of Congress, who purchased his glass negatives in 1948.
Man and camel loaded with packs; between 1905 and 1915 Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii Collection (Library of Congress).
Old church of Saint Nicholas the Wonder Worker, Nyrob; 1910 Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii Collection (Library of Congress).
Georgian woman standing on a carpet, outside, near a tree; between 1905 and 1915 Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii Collection (Library of Congress).
Dagestani types, Man and woman posed outdoors; between 1905 and 1915 Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii Collection (Library of Congress).
To learn more about the Prokudin-Gorskii, the process he used to create the color photographs, and see his collection, you can visit the Library of Congress, who purchased his glass negatives in 1948.
10.02.2009
Anne Frank: The Only Existing Film Images
The Anne Frank House, in Amsterdam, has released this short 20-second video snippet from the life of Anne Frank. The video was shot in 1941, a year before Frank and her family went into hiding.
Video Link
The girl next door is getting married. From her window, Anne looks down as the wedding couple emerges. She looks back at someone in the room, and we see her smile. Maybe her mother asks her if the bride looks pretty. The mundane conversations of an ordinary life.
Looking, for just a moment, at that happy girl, my heart fills. And then, my heart jumps, I know what's coming for Anne.
But, on that bright day, with a couple beginning a new life, Anne must have thought that life was grand, the world outside was full of love and happiness and hope, and it was good to be alive.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
