In all honesty, I did not come into the screening for RRR with an open mind. Professor Zinman tried his best to hype the movie up to us in class but I already knew that there was no way that I would like, or more importantly even stay awake, during a three hour long film in a foreign language; so I brought a full water bottle of Diet Coke with me to help me try to get through it with caffeine. Little did I know how much of a banger this movie was going to be. Once again, Professor Zinman gave us an absolute gem and I loved all 187 minutes of it. I had a very skeptical idea of what the movie would be like, especially after the video we watched in class of the two men singing a song in another Indian film… wasn’t my cup of tea, and I didn’t think I could handle a whole screening of that. But every song and dance, war scene, bad CGI, everything was so beyond entertaining in RRR. I was smiling the whole time, and in hindsight, I would’ve been just fine without my caffeine. One of my favorite scenes was their big dance performance at the castle party, so for my searcher research I found a video of the director talking about the process of putting the Naatu Naatu scene together. It was so elaborate and exciting to watch, so I think it was super interesting to hear about the choreography and thoughts behind the creation of that specific scene. He talked about the use of costumes, like snapping the suspenders, and how even though it was a great upbeat song for the audience, that it was also a fight scene between the groups and how the choreographer used that concept. Just an incredibly interesting video about how much effort went into that moment and how many different aspects were intertwined to make it such a great movie.
Tag: #Searcher
-
Sound & The Influence of Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws” on “Nope”
In one of his interviews, Jordan Peele claims that he got a lot of inspiration from Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws” for his movie “Nope”. The correlation between the two films didn’t quite register with me at first, but after watching this YouTube video that breaks down specific scenes and sounds from both movies, it’s a super cool comparison and you can definitely see the similarities that they share.
A major focus of the video is the sound aspect of Nope – it consists of mostly diegetic sound throughout the film, which adds to the realistic feel of the movie and makes us feel more immersed in the events that take place. During the beach scene in Jaws, the audience is on edge knowing that there is a shark attack brewing. The background noise consists of normal sounds that you would hear on a beach, people talking, waves crashing, radios playing, etc. But then we hear a scream coming from the water and our anxiety rises, thinking that it’s the shark’s new victim. We quickly find out that it’s just a girl screaming because her boyfriend lifted her up out of the water, but that sound triggers us to think of the worst and adds to the suspense. The same can be said about the scene in Nope where OJ is standing outside in the dark with Ghost. It has an eerie wind sound, the horse sneezing, and overall it’s quiet but diegetic and normal; then a loud noise comes from the house, which again makes us frightened about what that means. We see that it’s just Emerald playing music to dance to, but that sudden introduction of a new sound scares the audience and keeps them on edge for something horrible to occur. The diegetic sound and focus on otherwise overlooked day-to-day noises heightens our senses and gives us a “calm before the storm”.
Another cool part of the sound in Nope was the creation of the noise coming from the alien thing (I’m still not exactly sure what to call that creature). It was supposedly a combination of screams like you are on a roller coaster, and screams like you are getting eaten by some mysterious entity that flies around like a hungry UFO, which makes for a very uncomfortable noise. At first from a distance the sound could be interpreted as just wind, or the normal noise that a flying saucer would make, but as the story goes on, we learn that it’s much more than that and gives the sound more attention and meaning. It eventually conditions the audience to start to feel anxious whenever that noise sounds in the film and it’s a super cool addition to the already creepy creature.
Overall, the video has great insight into the movie and certain elements that I definitely missed on the first watch, so I highly recommend watching it!
-
Wes Anderson’s Vision Behind The Grand Budapest Hotel
While looking into how Wes Anderson made The Grand Budapest Hotel, I came across a 2014 YouTube interview with him (ScreenSlam). The interview provides important insights into Anderson’s cinematic approach and the artistic decisions used in the film. This new perspective will help us form new opinions on the film and gain more insight into the planning process that goes on behind every film.
Anderson starts the interview explaining that the movie is “partly inspired by Hollywood movies, maybe from the 30s that were set in places like Warsaw and Prague, and Budapest” (Anderson). This connection helps the audience feel a strong sense of nostalgia throughout the film through the use of vibrant colors and detailed set designs.
Hollywood films from the 1930s that were set in Central and Eastern European cities often reflected some political tension and a playful kind of storytelling. Directors such as Alfred Hitchcock and Frank Borzage created works that influenced Anderson (TIME). In the film Rear Window, Hitchcock had an elaborate setting that greatly influenced the story. Similarly, Anderson describes the hotel as a “character” that is essential to the film.
Anderson’s use of camera angles, color palettes, and framing makes the atmosphere of The Grand Budapest Hotel unique and magical. Additionally, Anderson notes the importance of collaboration with his actors, as they brought the film’s unique characters to life.
Although the interview provides an overview of Anderson’s artistic style and filmmaking process, it does not deeply explore the film’s themes (such as nostalgia) or broader cultural implications. Nonetheless, it helps us understand the hard work behind the film’s unique aesthetic.