Lost Art of Filmmaking represents my attempt to highlight examples of film language that no longer seems to appear on the radar of a majority of working filmmakers.
Each column, I’ll choose a clip from a movie that demonstrates a ‘lost art’ of some sort, ask you to watch it, and then go into detail about why this particular slice of movie is worth bringing back into focus…
This is what I’m talking about. This is what the LAOF series is all about.
OK Go is a band that became famous for its’ viral video “Here We Go Again.” That video was genius in its’ simplicity. Choreography on treadmills. If you need a reminder… take a look.
Here It Goes Again – OK Go Treadmill Video
Simple, right? I would’ve embedded it, but couldn’t find a clean version for y’all.
Now, they’ve come up with another one.
You know how James Cameron ripped off THE TERMINATOR from Harlan Ellison, and made a really great movie out of a not-so-large budget? Then when he made a sequel, he made (at that time) the most expensive movie in history and and topped his first one ten times over. Remember that?
That’s how I look at this video for This Too Shall Pass. Well, except for the plagiarism.
It emphasizes everything I look for in a terrific fluid master shot: creativity, motivated camera movement, lack (or apparent lack) of CGI, great blocking, and an excited feeling of “how did they do that?” It’s also a dream video for Rube Goldberg fans.
Here’s the video. Enjoy it five times in a row.
I love that. I love how they smash the t.v. while their old video is playing. I love how they give the crew props at the end. I love the attention to detail. Love it.
Break it down. The band members have to reposition themselves to their next mark without the camera seeing them. I have visions of them running over cables and props, out of breath, and trying to appear completely composed and lackadaisacal when the camera pans over them.
Break it down. Think of the sheer logistical and technical effort involved in building these Rube Goldberg contraptions and having them all interconnect in such a way as to support a fluid camera shot.
Break it down. Think of what happens when just ONE of ANY of those contraptions doesn’t perform correctly. A domino doesn’t fall right. A thing doesn’t hit another thing correctly. And what about those human contraptions – what if they mess up the words? What if the illusion fails because they just miss a word? I mean, just how long would it take to reset all that stuff? How many times did they have to DO this before it worked???
(It also points out the lack of creativity the Goonies showed when building their doo-hickeys… although they might’ve made up for it with the Truffle Shuffle… but I digress…)
A MINOR EPILOGUE
Now, someone’s going to be a fartknocker and say “how can this be a ‘lost’ art if it’s brand new?”
There are many definitions of the word “lost.” The one that I think applies best to this columns is as follows:
lost: (adj.) not used to good purpose, as opportunities, time, or labor; wasted.
Music videos often represent the perfect arena for filmmakers to challenge themselves and push the envelope. It’s hard to be able to do that in a long-form feature. Many videos feature musicians strutting for the camera, with big booties rubbing on the lens, flashy lights and quick cuts… and they all amount to a juxtaposed cacophony of chaos (say that three times fast).
But some directors use this opportunity… and never forget, it is ALWAYS an opportunity… to push their boundaries and try to define their true voice of personal expression. Spike Jonze… Michel Gondry… David Fincher… Mark Romanek… and yes, even Michael Bay.
They used their videos ‘to good purpose.’
Now go back up and watch that video again. You know you want to.