Comparative Directorial Styles: Edlund, Rohl, Singer, Scgricca, and Manners
This originally was intended to be a small comment for spnematography’s episode discussion for “Reading is Fundamental” (7x21), but it grew into something bigger and took me too long to post in a timely manner for the discussion prompt. So, weeks months later, here it is. Whoops, deadlines.
( The meta fairy visited... )
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I love your vids, btw. :)
there's a depth and serenity about some of his work that makes the viewer feel involved
YES! The use of deep space! I think that's the one thing that above all else makes for striking visuals. Like you said, it's cumulative effect is to draw in the audience and make them a part of the scene. Just stick in some close-up shots and there you have it. Manners excelled at this. I'd love to write a meta just on deep space so I could blab about "IMToD" all over the internet.
it somehow makes the editing, without those rack shots, seem far more "jumpy and jarring". I guess to some the "clip, clip, clip" adds something, ( ... )
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I hope you do keep making more of them - I've really enjoyied finding spnematography and similar posts, think ash48 sent me over initially.
As my vidding muse kind of upped and left - of course I'd be only too happy to clip for you, it's no problem at all. If nothing else it's making me view things with an entirely different eye, noticing more of the visual habits of the different directors and who knows maybe something I learn will inspire me next! I ( ... )
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I'm hoping to find the time to finish some specific director meta, so I will send you a message if I need clips because it's so hard to talk about specifics of a scene without being able to readily show it.
maybe something I learn will inspire me next!
This is why I adore fandom. Inspiration (and enthusiasm) are contagious.
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Edlund, I felt, was possibly too close to the script to give us some interesting interpretations on it.
Three words: M. Night Shyamalan. ;)
I agree with everything you said.
Edlund also wrote the first episode he directed. The only explanation for the tandem credits (in my mind) is that Edlund wanted to direct scripts he wrote so that he'd be intimately familiar with the material and wouldn't have to assimilate someone else's (written) work. Based on some of his interviews and JP talking about him as a director, he strikes me as sort of an (wonderfully quirky, hilariously dark-humored) intense, thought-process driven person who would want to sort of wholly digest any script he was directing. Not that any of that has any bearing on the fact it probably wasn't a wise decision to write and direct the same episodes, but I sort of ramble when it comes to this show.... *points to icon*
Especially in his first episode. He showed a willingness to make some ( ... )
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Bwahhhhh! OMG. I know. Too long and too dense and numbered figure captions for something that's not professional and won't be actually published is so nerdy. *is a nerdy nerd* But I just was feeling so mentally constipated and needed something non-RL to concentrate on intensely, and this is what happened. It's not the director meta that I've been endlessly talking about for years (*shakes fists at self*), but I figure it was a good way to at least warm up for them.
this is a really tough scene to block and shoot to keep it interesting
I agree. Scenes like this in a small space, with very little scripted movement and so much talking probably distinguishes newer directors from more experienced directors. I hope this meta didn't come across as a big, fat negative boo parade for Edlund's directing because that wasn't my intent. I'm sure directing is HARD.
Singer's slow zooms always make me want to go DUNDUNDUNNNN. ;)Now that I look for them, they totally crack me up. Seriously, in an ( ... )
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Btw, afaik Edlund drew comics for a while and I have to say that I could see the way he shoots relate to how one would layout panels.
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You may want to check out the spnematography comm. It's SPN + cinematography. Besides past posts, there's also an archive of cinematography-related SPN posts dating back to S1: http://spnematography.livejournal.com/434.html
Edlund drew comics for a while and I have to say that I could see the way he shoots relate to how one would layout panels.
Good point! This makes complete sense.
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. . . and yes, I much, MUCH prefer it when the camera is on the move. Maybe it's because I grew up watching Brian DePalma and Spielberg do their thing, but I'm happiest when the camera is more than just a locked-down observer. Static shots are boring. Give me movement!
(If you haven't done so already, I'd really be interested in a similar meta analysis of JA's (soon-to-be) three episodes -- I'm really curious as to how much of Manners's style Jensen adapted into his own.)
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I also like the dramatic effect of a moving camera, esp. when it moves around in a scene almost like a person itself, making it feel like as a viewer you're in the action. I found that Manners excelled at that and seemed to know how to exploit it at just the right emotional moments.
Brian DePalma and Spielberg
OMG. The Untouchables! And I don't know to this day how Spielberg visualizes those action sequences in his head ... some of the Indian Jones sequences are just crazy.
I'd really be interested in a similar meta analysis of JA's (soon-to-be) three episodes -- I'm really curious as to how much of Manners's style Jensen adapted into his ownI'd love to see an analysis of JA's directing style as well (I'd equally love to write one). :) I've been blabbing informally about his and Manners' style here and there since last season when 7x03 debuted. I think you can really start to see some similarities, and the hospital scenes at the beginning of the episode show that particularly well. Maybe I' ( ... )
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Yup. Manners is a hard act to follow -- not too many newbie directors are going to look good compared to him.
Speaking of DePalma, yup, Untouchables rules, but what about his 10-minute tracking shot in Dressed to Kill? Talk about being part of the action. :)
then I'd have an excuse to rewatch old episodes.
LOL, you need an excuse? ;) I went back and re-watched "Weekend at Bobby's" just to see how JA did on his first directorial outing, and wow, swooping cameras, tracking shots, pulled focus, crane shots, and the overall feeling of the episode . . . Jensen's definitely taken a page from Kim Manners. Now I'll have to backtrack and rewatch 7.03, too.
Oh, I LOVE stuff like this -- so glad I happened upon this post -- I'll be stalking your LJ for sure!
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