This weekend I finally saw Cloverfield. If you aren’t in any of my classes than you should know that I have had a ban on discussing the movie since its release. The only thing you were allowed to say is whether or not you liked it. I did have one person say they threw up, so I put her in the “like” column. Side note: Any time a movie causes you to have a physical (as well as emotional) reaction, it has to be good in some way.
If you have not seen this film, stop reading. Go see it and then come back.
Let me tell you that this film fits right in with our discussions about documentary film, especially the Cinema Verite/Direct Cinema style. So I thought my entry today could just highlight some things that I found interesting about Cloverfield as it relates to our classroom discussions.
The Mystery Box. I found this film to really fit into the presentation that producer JJ Abrams made to TED. This film really does contain the Mystery Box. Even from last year’s trailer, we go into the theater knowing the action starts with something you, the audience, and the film’s characters can only guess at. The film’s use of the single camera perspective causes the story to be void of the usual omniscient view (the big picture). It keeps us out of the loop of what is the cause of all that is happening and shield us from guessing what is to come. A little at a time, various characters “claim” to have seen “it”. I especially love when Marlena says in a trance like voice that “it” eats people…leaving you to guess as to what eats people. The single camera shot does an amazing job of slowly revealing that our guesses at what is happening are reality. In the Observations on film art blog, David Bordwell does an amazing job of discussing this form of restricted narration.
Hand held cameras. I just recently showed my classes the train depot scene from The Bourne Ultimatum. The cinema verite style with its dizzying pans, zooms, quick cuts keeps you on the edge while trying to keep up with Bourne. Unlike Ultimatum, Cloverfield contains relatively few cuts since the story is told from perspective of the video camera. But the styles quick movements and incredible sound do an equal job of keeping you off balance throughout the entire film. The character of Hud, or “Document”-tarian, does a great job of video taping everything while his world is literally crashing around him. Like a good student of film, he is conscious to turn the camera toward the events. The fact that Hud’s videography talents seem to improve over the course of the film is also impressive.
Filmmaker is a friend. In an effort to define Direct Cinema, Albert Maysles has said that “It’s not “fly-on-the-wall”. That would be mindless. You need to establish rapport even without saying so but through eye contact and empathy”. One of things we talk about in class is the amount of truth you are really capturing with a camera in the room. We all know that our actions change when a camera is recording. I believe that Albert Maysles is saying that if you have an established rapport with your subject then you will get closer to the truth. In this film, the camera does not effect the subjects because Hud is a popular friend. They respond to him as a friend and not some stranger hired to make a video. We see evidence of this when Marlena asks Hud for a business card thinking that he was a hired hand. Only when Hud confesses that he is just a friend does she act more truthful (by walking away). Additionally, he does not try to be the fly-on-the-wall. He is very interactive while “documenting”. It is that interaction that causes us to become endeared to him.
The inevitalbe. The film begins with overlays that describe what we are about to see as government property. With screen overlays, we are told that what we are about to see occurred in an area “formerly known as Central Park”. This gloomy foreshadowing is another way of saying that the events in the film have already occurred and that we, the viewers, are survivors of what is about to unfold. Essentially,we are watching a film about the showing of a film. What makes this different is that everything that occurs in the film has already happened and that the events are inevitable. There is not hope of changing the choices the characters make. There is no yelling at the screen to “go the other way” or “don’t do it”. At the time of our viewing the characters have already met their fates (whatever fate that may be). It is like we are voyeurs watching someone’s life unfold. Sad.
Reusing tape. One of the truly gifted things about this movie is that bulk of what we are watching is recorded over an event that, at times, we would rather watch. Part of this story is that these characters are taping over a wonderful day in Coney Island. There is a great scene where Hud stops recording to rewind the tape and show something he thinks he has captured. Because he has to rewind, watch, and fast forward before recording again, we get a little glimpse as to what is being erased. These little glimpses of days gone is in sharp contrast to the chaos unfolding. Anyone that reuses tape can testify to how weird it is to playback a tape and see flashes of past projects, past students.
Cliche. We are starting to see this style more frequently in films. I can compare some of this to The Bourne Ultimatum and even the Blair Witch Project, but there are others out there in recent release, as well as coming soon. I would suggest that if you plan to copy the style, do it soon before your viewers dismiss your work as cliche.
The Sequel. This style opens itself to sequels. As told in the Statue of Liberty head scene, there was more than on camera/camera phone at work that day. Director Reeves has also mentioned that there is a shot of another man filmming from the Brooklyn Bridge. It has been hinted that it is the intersection of two films.
All this from the first viewing. All day, I have wanted to re-watch this film. I want to stop the tape, rewind, and pause it to try and see things that I missed because I was looking left instead of right. This will be a must own for me. Additionally, this film cements my opinion that J.J Abrams is a genius. What are your thoughts? Want to point out something you saw in the final shot? Comment on the viral campaign? Comment on the style?
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