Monday, February 2, 2015

Why does David Fincher's CGI flow so seamlessly?

Three things:

• Post color correction
• Limited use of handheld
• Motion controlled camera movements

David Fincher is a maverick in the computerized world of film. He has been an early adopter, time and time again, of cutting edge digital video recording as opposed to traditional celluloid filmstock, which reached the precipice of it's innovation long ago. The Social Network, Fincher's either major motion picture, was one of the first to be shot on the RED ONE 4K camera. Gone Girl was the first Hollywood feature-length film cut entirely in Adobe Premiere Pro CC (Gone Girl was shot on a 6K Red Dragon camera).

A brief lesson on image sensor clarity:

A 4K sensor has 4 times the clarity of 1920x1080 image sensor making it 3840x2160. A 6K sensor has 9 times the clarity of a 1920x1080 image sensor making the 6K 6144x3160.

Here is an image from RED Camera’s website showing this correlation:



So what does this all mean for Fincher’s style?

Let’s say for a moment that D. Fincher shot a movie in 6K, like he did with Gone Girl (a resolution well beyond the capabilities of consumer televisions and other screening devices). He would be able to create post-productions pan, tilts, zooms, and tracks within the frame, on a computer, while still capturing a resolution higher than what our televisions can project to us. Because 6K is nine times higher a resolution then 1920x1080, and a post-production CG tilt only sacrifices small areas around the newly created frame, the resolution would still be high.

In a sense, Fincher is using tools that allow him the utmost amount of creative control throughout the process. Traditionalists might argue that Fincher is neglecting his upfront due diligence and choosing instead to “just do it in post.” However it is evident that Fincher understands how things never quite look exactly as you visualize them in your head or as you draw them on a storyboard.

With this resolution technology Fincher would also be able to stabilize crane, jib, tracking, and car mounted shots with minimal pixel sacrificing. This type of postproduction manipulation in conjunction with motion controlled camera movements and little or no handheld shots creates, in the words of David himself, a camera “without a personality”.

Once CGI is added to the shot, it looks as though it belongs at home right alongside, the omniscient camera. Therefore the audience isn’t drawn out of the narrative like they would if they noticed the CGI. Fincher did a good job of this in Panic Room and an even better job in Zodiac. By the time he started on The Social Network and Gone Girl he had mastered it. I would argue that the creation of computer images in a Fincher frame, post 2009, is both seamless and unnoticeable.


It is almost as though since everything looks like it is computer generated, nothing looks computer generated. One could argue that Fincher has overcome the uncanny valley and emerged on the other side with a trough of tools more advanced and forward looking than any other filmmaker in the industry today.  

Sunday, February 1, 2015

January 2015: Film In Review

Starting this last month I wrote down, in a small notebook, every film or T.V. episode I watched over the preceding 30 days. I will now write a short paragraph explaining my thoughts on each visual representation viewed (excluding T.V. episodes that come from the same series) and give each one a definitive ranking on a 1 - 10 scale, 10 being a representation of the highest quality or just because I fucking enjoyed it.

Films will be in bold
Television shows will be underlined

January 1, 2015: Biutiful

Iñárritu's fourth motion picture outing finds a single father, played by Javier Bardem, in a race with death, personified by his own clairvoyant abilities. Iñárritu chose to shoot this film in his native tongue, Spanish, which proved to be a veteran play from a progressive director. The dull desaturated color pallet of the film's texture and story structure as well as the choice of using all handheld shots, coupled with seamless CGI makes me think that Iñárritu is the David Fincher of modern art cinema (Fincher however uses almost no handheld and almost all motion controlled camera movement).
SCORE: 7.5/10

January 4, 2015: Grand Budapest Hotel

This is the fourth time I have seen this film, and it only gets better with age... like the moldiest of cheeses. A cheese that would undoubtedly announce my arrival in the way L'air De Panache announces Monsieur Gustave H's arrival in this crafty flick from an auteur director. One of the successes of the film is the dense misé en scene that simply cannot be savored in a single viewing. The quick cuts help add to this allure. This is my favorite film of the year. 
SCORE: 9.5/10

January 5-12, 2015: FRINGE 7 Episodes

JJ Abrams proved himself a competent director/producer after the acclaimed TV series' of LOST & ALIAS. He furthered his status as fanboy icon following two engaging outings of the USS Enterprise in Star Trek & Star Trek Into Darkness (Recently he's made those same fanboys cream in their skivies at the news that he would be dipping his... eeeheemm... into the Star Wars franchise). FRINGE may be one of Abrams lesser known endeavors. The show doesn't try to hide it's X-Files roots. In fact one could say that Chris Carter would have legal precedent to charge Mr. Abrams with straight-up plagiarism. Perhaps this is why I enjoy it so much: its "endgame" mythos. 
SCORE: 5.5/10

January 12, 2015: The Imitation Game

The more Harvey Weinstein shoves this movie down our throats with his relentless advertising crusade, the more I want to chemically neuter myself... too soon? Oh well. In this film we see Keira Knightly playing the same character she played in Pirates 1, Pirates 2, King Arthur, Pride& Predjudice, Pirates 3, Atonement, Silk, The Duchess, and Anna Karenina: corsets are not optional. 
This was the year of the biopic, and this is no exception. I would have enjoyed it more if they played up the fact that Turing was a homosexual earlier in the story rather than as an after note. The audience has no time to process and the chance for a cathartic moment is lost to the victory of solving the enigma code. 
SCORE: 6.5/10  => CRAFT SCORE: 8/10  ABILITY TO GRAB AUDIENCE: 5/10

January 13, 2015: CHINATOWN

I watched this film for its story structure and came away loving it for its photography. Roman Polanski's neo-noir is as relevant today as it was when it came out in 1974 or when its based at the beginning of the 20th century. As long as we have women with daddy issues, lands with political corruption, and men who are willing to be too nosey in order to uncover the truth, we will have movies. Which is to say, as long as we are human, we will have film. 
SCORE: 9/10

January 13, 2015: Fringe 1 episode

January 14, 2015: SUNSET BLVD

Wow Billy Wilder, wow. A critique of Hollywood, based in Hollywood, using old washed up, dried-out Hollywood icons. As much applaud should go to John F. Seitz, the D.P. on set , as goes to Wilder. Seitz doing things with the camera that were wholly original at the time, and have since become standard in modern cinema. He uses whip pans as cars drive by. There is also tremendous use of depth of field: getting Norma Desmond's wrist bandages in the foreground and Joe in the background like a sorrowful dog returning to his owner. Finally, the framing creates a subconscious obscurity over the texture of the stock that we have no choice but to be drawn into it. Thank you to Kerry Hegarty, my first ever film studies teacher, for introducing me to this film and director. 
SCORE: 9/10

January 14, 2015: Amores Perros

This was Iñárritu's first major-motion picture outing. Some have hailed it as the "Pulp Fiction of Mexico", however I don't consider it to be as coherent. It is also a bit drawn out and manic at times. Iñárritu has established himself as the master of handheld... over time. This was an experimental film, and one of his first. He was not yet a master of his craft. The film has both pure substance and excessive waste. It was a great first film for a first time director. 
SCORE 7.5/10

January 14, 2015: Selma

The year of the biopic... Unbelievable craft, by a relatively fresh director. This movie has been the bud of some controversy as of late (not to the degree of the other film about a man killed by a sniper...but still). Why I think the film didn't succeed in the way that say, Budapest Hotel did is because Selma lacks the "cool" factor. Pure unabashed entertainment value. We need films that pay homage to the past because they help secure the medium in a relativistic past/present. Selma is one of those films, however there is nothing in it that resonates three weeks later when you are three sheets to the wind, spouting off movie lines in a tit-for-tat battle with your film studies counterpart. Selma is great and it's message is righteous. The film is just not memorable. 
SCORE: 8/10  =>  Entertainment value: 6.5/10  Cultural Meaning 9.5/10

January 15, 2015: American Sniper

Oh Clint, you old dog. I'm not gay but I have always had the ultimate man crush on "blondie" from The Good The Bad and The Ugly. Well I did... until I saw him standing on the podium of the Republican National Convention in 2014. I may subscribe to a political party however I don't publicize it. I find it difficult to level with a filmmaker who puts their bureaucratic dogmatic views on display so transparently. American Sniper is modern-day propaganda. Not once are we privileged to a balanced counterpoint to Chris Kyle's character. All we see is "our boys" being shot by animals wielding drills and killing children. The one character in the film who starts to questions the reasons they are invading Iraq is killed just minutes later. 

Now, I know Clint Eastwood has it in himself to make a movie that shines a light on both sides of the same coin (see Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima), so why has he decided to tow the party line in American Sniper? I believe it to be part of the larger problem plaguing this country. Unfortunately I have neither the time nor inclination to write about the problem, however if you would like to watch a film that more adequately represents the recent wars in the Middle East, I suggest Jarhead by Sam Mendes.
SCORE: 5/10  => Entertainment Value: 9/10,  Message: 1/10


PART II Coming soon

Monday, December 1, 2014

Rate the Films

In this blog I will list all the films we watched during my FST 201 course starting with my least favorite.

13. Carrie by Kimberly Peirce

In an interview of Gus Van Sant I watched while studying My Own Private Idaho he talked about remaking Hitchcock's Psycho and how his vision served as an example of how remakes too close to the original are rejected by the audience. Kimberly Peirce should have taken Van Sant's advice and avoided remaking De Palma's classic.

12. My Own Private Idaho by Gus Van Sant

I understand what he was going for, however in an interview, Van Sant admits that he was unable to see his vision come to full fruition due to budget constraints.

11. Grapes of Wrath by John Ford

Quite dated however it made me a fan of Henry Fonda. It is difficult for me not to enjoy a film about class discrepancy.

10. Saving Face by Alice Wu

A solid idea for a film from a first time director. However the amateurish performance by Lynn Chen and the overuse of metaphoric framing devices were too distracting for the well intended idea to overcome.

9. Wendy and Lucy by Kelly Reichardt

Two words: Michelle Williams. The driving force behind this otherwise overly simplistic film.

8. Towelhead by Alan Ball

Peter Macdissi turns in a perversely entertaining performance as Jasira's father Rifat. Unfortantely, the mixing of genres as mastered by the Korean directors (comedy - horror) is ineffective in Towelhead, which instead aims to mix a coming of age story with a sexual identity one.

7. Alambrista! by Robert M. Young

A timeless classic that is as relevant today as when it came out almost forty years ago.

6. Carrie by Brian De Palma

Sissy Spacek turns in a chilling performance as the emaciated Carrie in De Palma's classic horror story. The director's gaze would serve as a great case study when compared to Peirce's attempt at the film.

5. The Namesake by Mira Nair

I had seen Irrfan Khan in Life of Pi and was extremely impressed by his performance. It was excellent to see him in this film that invites us the idea that we are never to late to be who we want to be and that we are constantly shifting along life's tumultuous path.

4. Fruitvale Station by Ryan Coogler

Coogler shows the respect and prowess of a veteran director, being able to perfectly balance like-ability of Oscar Grant's character with culpability of his actions.

3. End of Watch by David Ayer

The attention to detail by Ayer to understand police procedure and the social hierarchy of South Central LA is echoed by the attention the audience pays to this well crafted and experimental film.

2. Far From Heaven by Todd Haynes

A film students wet dream. Color. Emotionality. Gender Roles. Race. Sexuality. This film has it all.

1. 25th Hour by Spike Lee

My favorite scene from the entire semester comes when Marty Brogan is looking at himself in the mirror and goes on the five minute rant about the different demographies inhabiting New York city. Also I really enjoyed the use of high shutter speed throughout the film.

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Agent X Short


Sangam: Response

Sangam, a short by writer/director Prashant Bhargava is about a lone encounter between two South Asian men on a New York subway. The men share their interests and nostalgia for all things India, including voluptuous women, cuisine and song and dance.

In Steve McQueen's Shame, we are constantly titillated, against our will, with the idea of Brandon, played by Michael Fassbender, potentially having a sexual episode with his sister, played by Carey Mulligan. Luckily the story never goes there however this flirting carries with it a level of tension unsuperseded by any other gambit in the filmmaker's repertoire. We see a similar sexual tension in Sangam. The only differences being that Vivek chooses to make advances based on his feelings that are born from loneliness as opposed to Brandon's sexual addiction. (**It could be argued through psychoanalysis that Brandon too is wrought with loneliness.)

Break.

McDonald's, Maxim, Jockey, Marilyn Monroe and Madonna: all manifestations, in one form or another, of the American Dream. Just as the Sangam river is an area of confluence of many different rivers, colors, and thoughts, so is New York but on it's own terms. Ultimately, the Sangam offers a palatable amalgam of ideas that is all too desirable over the clumsy misguided culture of the consumer driven west.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Carrie: Cars are worth Chasing

In this analysis I will compare the destructive car scenes from De Palma’s 1976 version of Carrie and Kimberly Pierce’s 2013 take on the film.

In De Palma’s film, Billy Nolan’s red muscle car is driven by his revenge thirsty girlfriend Chris Hargensen. Chris attempts to run Carrie over with the car, coming up behind her. At the last moment before impact, Carrie turns around and forces the car off the road into a violent series of flips. This all before the car bursts into a fiery explosion killing both Chris and her intoxicated boyfriend. The entire scene takes less than 30 seconds from the time we first see John Travolta’s drunk mug to the time is fades from the burning car to Carrie walking up to her house.

In Pierce’s film, the scene takes a grueling 2 minutes and 30 seconds to play out. It starts with Chris and Billy afraid of the repercussions they would face if they stuck around town. The couple decides that they will move away and start a new life. They start booking it out of town when Carrie comes up behind their car in the form of a giant crack in the street. The crack gets ahead of their muscle car and forces a sinkhole of sorts forcing them back towards Carrie. It is at this point that Chris decides that Carrie must die and tells Billy to “run her down” (sorry but I can’t picture a teenage girl using the same line that Dougray Scott used in Mission Impossible II, but that is neither here nor there). Right before the car is about to make impact with Carrie it hits an invisible telekinetic wall mounted by the distraught teenager. This forces Danny to either die or be knocked unconscious (it is unclear). Chris, fearful for her own life, then tries to run Carrie over herself from the passenger seat. Carrie holds the car in the air, then when Chris hits the gas she lets the car hurtle into the petro station positioned conveniently behind Carrie. Chris’s face goes through the windshield and Carrie watches as life leaves her nemesis. Then “cool guys don’t look at explosions” happens and the car blows up in the gas station as Carrie walks away.

Let it be know that I preferred De Palma’s film vastly to Pierce’s film. The reason is simple: De Palma’s film was about Carrie and her relationships whereas Pierce’s film was about the relationships then Carrie. The name of the film was CARRIE not “Billy and Chris’ Exploits with a Psychotic Telekinetic Bitch”. Pierce’s film betrays the viewer during this car scene. Leading up to this scene the film does an adequate job of making us sympathize with the ailing Carrie, but when did she turn into a lucid murderous bitch? The thing that is great about De Palma’s film is that Carrie seems to be under some demonic trance when she is killing all of her classmates (this is not the same girl that the gym teacher befriended). Contrasted with Pierce’s film, Chloe Moretz seems to be in the same state of mind the entire time (both before after and during the murders). There is nothing to make us suspect that something clicked in her mind turning her into this monster, rather she just decided “fuck it” once the blood was poured on her head. Also in De Palma’s film, we are fine with Billy and Chris dying because Billy is drunk asshole and Chris drives up behind Carrie in an attempt to run her over. The car scene in De Palma’s film can be considered an act of self-defense in that Carrie is about to get run over. This is reversed in Pierce’s film when Carrie tracks down Billy and Chris who have already decided to leave down. Neither one is in an intoxicated state. They are just young and foolish teenagers. Instead of getting a second chance, they are first tortured then murdered by Carrie. 

Sunday, November 9, 2014

25th Hour: The Rockefeller Laws

53:00 – 55:00

In this scene we have Monty Brogan being interrogated by Agent Flood and Agent Cunningham in a spotless white cinder block room. An unnamed third Agent is standing off to the side. This entire scene is about role reversal. Blacks constitute 43% of the incarcerated population in the US prison system. However in this scene we have the darkest skinned African American, Agent Flood, sitting in the strongest power position across the desk from Brogan. Then we have his partner, Agent Cunningham, in the next most powerful position: standing behind Brogan. Agent Cunningham is half black, half white, whereas Agent Flood is dark skinned, thus a hierarchy is developed.  Finally we have the third Agent, who looks to be white, standing in the background, and he does not say a word for the entirety of the scene. Looking at black incarceration rates it would seem that they are the ones sitting in Brogan’s position almost 50 percent of the time, yet that is not the case in this scene.


When Brogan tells the Agents that he thinks he will get off with “time served”, they enlighten him to the facts of the Rockefeller Laws. Spike Lee layers the irony on thick here because the Rockefeller laws, which send someone to jail for 15 years to life for possession with the intent to sell of two ounces of more of any schedule I narcotic, disproportionately affect the black community over the white. Instead of sticking with the normal tropes and stereotypes of a black criminal and white cops. Lee has instead shown us the white criminal being fucked-over by a heinous statute that usually fucks over blacks. At the end of the scene, Agent Cunningham says, “When you're upstate, takin' it in the culo by a buncha guys callin' you Shirley, you'll only have yourself and Governor Rockefeller to thank for the privilege.” Without getting into Nelson Rochefeller’s entire political career, it should be noted that he enacted the Rockefeller laws in NY so that he seemed less liberal in order to help fuel his presidential aspirations. Just another instance of a white man disrupting the minorities’ homeostatic status in order to fuel his own agenda.