When scriptwriting will allow it I also write for a website called Planet Origo, where I review movies and try to contribute articles in the pop-science genre. So far I’ve focused on the concept of film style in a number of different ways, and all the articles can be found here.
Planet Origo is dedicated to science fiction and fantasy, and later in the year we’ll get started on a feature series about the “other” sci-fi milestones, meaning those you don’t always find on the Top 10 list.
The two most important attributes for a film critic are knowledge and passion. Pål Bang-Hansen is possibly the greatest film critic Norway ever fostered, and a perfect example of both. Now he has passed away.
I have spent much of the week desperately trying to plot a heroic journey across the North Atlantic, based on widely differing source materials. Memo to self: draw before you write.
And it is certainly better to deal with logistical challenges (who does what where and when?) early in the process, than saving them for the final draft, as me and Pål learned on our previous script Nidarholm.
Our local cinema centers are finally going completely digital. The work to convert every single one of the theaters in Trondheim starts in March, and about half of them will be fitted for 3D projection as well.
I’m thrilled! Let’s keep the cinema clubs for celluloid, nostalgia and the old indie vibe. Let’s leap into the digital age with our commercial cinemas. With Avatar pointing to the ideal future of cinema technology, the digital projection (2D and 3D) is what people will be happy to pay for.
I saw The Road the other day. The film itself left much to be desired, and the celluloid print was a joke. Patchy and uneven colours, a less than satisfying sound reproduction (although that might be down to the terrible score…), in a theater perfectly capable of flawless digital projections.
A decade ago people ridiculed George Lucas for filming Star Wars on digital cameras. I liked his reply: When people ask me if the time is right for this, I say we should have been doing it 20 years ago.
Amen. Let’s go!
You have all seen Raiders of the Lost Ark. There’s a sequence where Indiana Jones has lowered himself into the Map Room in the desert, and he has placed the staff of Ra in the right position. He’s waiting for the sun to align itself with the medallion at the staff’s head and show him the location of the Well of Souls, resting place of the Ark of the Covenant. Harrison Ford’s face displays intense excitement and emotion as the sunbeam edges closer to the mark, and finally ignites the secret location. How did Steven Spielberg direct Ford in the scene? By music.
Spielberg often used a boom blaster to direct scenes in this movie. In the case of the Map Room he had selected a piece of classical music that composer John Williams would later mimic in his original score. The piece articulated the emotional experience Spielberg wanted the character and the audience to have at that point, so he simply told Ford to react to the music and not think about it.
Other directors are known to use music on set. Peter Weir certainly comes to mind. It can help the performances, and lessen the need for rationalizing characters and action. But it can also be a useful tool in writing. Personally, I rarely write without music. The challenge is to find background music that fits the story, the characters, and maybe in particular the emotional experience you hope to create for the reader/viewer.
When Pål and I worked on the latest draft of Nidarholm (Norwegian pdf available in the downloads section), I found help in Elliot Goldenthal’s score for Alien3. On our current project I am still trying to figure out what might spur me on, although I often return to John Williams and Vangelis.
The quest continues.
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