In the first movie “Children of Men” one of the main elements we talked about was the filming technique of a long shot. We learned about the difficulties and barriers that long shots created but we also learned how much of a pay off they created for movies. One thing I found that pertains to this, involves the oscar winning movie “Birdman”. There is a long shot in this movie that reveals the tough elements that “Children of Men” faced. I found it very interesting in a clip I came across, where actor Edward Norton, who stares in “Birdman”, is being interviewed by Jimmy Kimmel, were Norton talks about how terrifying it was to shot the scene because he did not want to mess it up. I loved the way Norton describes it and talks as a true human being who was afraid to make a mistake, because one mistake would ruin the entire shot. But after watching the clip I definitely agree that the long shot effort was completely worth it.
I agree. Even though long shots take even more time to organize and shot than normal shots, it is worth it in the end. I feel it makes the viewer feel that it is more real time without as many interruptions. It makes me wonder if films just use long shots sometimes to add a sense of intensity or make the film more interesting. It also makes me wonder when a film is going in knowing they are going to be taking long shots if that plays a role in what actor or actress they have to choose and what specific characteristics they have to have besides not being afraid to make mistakes.
I also agree. I think there is an interesting irony to long shots in film. For one, as Edward Norton mentioned on Jimmy Kimmel, they take an immense amount of effort to execute. However, once they are finished they bring this intense sense of realism to the viewer. So I find it very interesting that Edward Norton was so nervous to expose any human error to the long shot when a long shot reminds viewers of their own human error, because the shot feels so realistic. I guess what I am trying to say is that I find it funny that Edward Norton wanted to make a long shot perfect, when a long shot reminds the viewers of the imperfect world we live in.