The evolution of film happens mainly through cinematography.
The fundamentals of a good story don't change. It may be rearranged a bit. But stories are made up of time-tested principles. And the concepts and characters might change to suit the current culture.
But it's the camera work that propels filmmaking. The lenses, the angles, the perspectives...
In 1975, the film Rocky was one of the first films to feature the Steadicam. This hand-held camera device was used to capture the smooth shot running alongside Rocky during his training run up the stairs.
A different camera angle can cause the audience to sit deeper in suspense or be overwhelmed with emotion.
I remember watching Lakewood Church on TV many moons ago and being awed by the "behind and to the side" camera angle of John Osteen preaching to his congregation. Turns out, his son Joel was behind that creative perspective...
It's why we're shooting experimental footage of STORY this year. Forget jibs and straight-on shots. We're going for perspectives that have never been seen before.
Love it! That Lakewood shot was always one of my faves too!
Posted by: Damon | August 23, 2010 at 10:57 AM
i'm glad i wasn't the only one who noticed it.
Posted by: Ben Arment | August 23, 2010 at 11:04 AM
That reminds me of an old movie called "The Train". When they were filming a train wreck, they had one camera left over, so the director said "Dig a small pit next to the rail, and put it there."
The result was one of the all time classic shots with a wrecked wheel landing close by, still rotating in the air.
Posted by: Mike O | August 26, 2010 at 10:13 AM
that's a great story Mike... love that
Posted by: Ben Arment | August 26, 2010 at 09:26 PM