The car ambush scene from Alfonso Cuarón’s dystopian 2006 film Children Of Men was recently picked by Michael Harvkey as one of the ten best long tracking shots ever filmed (violence, language and spoiler warning).
It’s a riveting piece of cinema (although not without its detractors) that takes place almost entirely within the confines of a compact Fiat Multipla, custom rigged to within an inch of its life with an Oscar-worthy combination of tracks, swivel head and camera:
The car ended up being a special purpose car, built with a rig developed by Gary Thieltges of Doggicam Systems. It was piloted by a stunt driver lying near flat in front with space for another at the other end when driving in reverse. The car ‘shell’ was mounted to appear normal but with a complete rig overhead allowing the director and DOP to travel along above the actors.
What’s perhaps most interesting in light of Harvkey’s list is that despite appearances, the shot is actually an elaborate special effect, stitched together by the boffins at Double Negative from six takes filmed at four locations.
The rest of the list is worth a look too, with the work of Scorsese, Tarantino, Godard, Altman and Welles among the other picks.
Lots of bokeh in this great video for local band Artisan Guns’ single Autumn, directed by Tim van Dammen and Tim Flower from Blur and Sharpen. (via Hayden Hunter)
Saman Keshavarz directs this visually arresting if bleak video for Cinnamon Chasers’ “Luv Deluxe”. It’s shot in the first-person, like that famous Prodigy video, using a face-mounted Canon 5D2.
New York 2008 by Vicente Sahuc. Filmed with a Casio EX-F1 at 300 frames per second, but the secret to the slow, gliding shots is the one-two punch of roller skates and the Merlin Steadicam. (via Kris Lane)
For those of you who have not seen Let the Right One In, I highly recommend that you do. As a person who usually avoids modern day vampire-centric films, this one seriously blew me away with its unexpected and genuine love story.
Loved this film. So restrained in the telling, beautiful to look at, and really more of a relationship story than it is a vampire tale. The two young leads were phenomenal, particularly Lina Leandersson.
Fifty People, One Question: Restored by Benjamin Reece. Don’t miss this. (via Darren Wood)
The Typesetter, a short film by Willoughby Sharp. Lovely, ghostly monochromatic visuals.
The famous ‘unease’ of New Zealand cinema comes as much from how our films look as their subject matter.
— Dan Salmon on Duncan Petrie’s new book Shot in New Zealand: The art and craft of the Kiwi cinematographer (Random House, 2007).
Cinema is a matter of what’s in the frame and what’s out.
— Martin Scorsese
