And just like that award season is over and everybody is moving on to the movies that are coming out this year. But I don't want to move on. At least not yet.
Birdman won the Academy Award for Best Picture. And in this post I'm going to tell you exactly why I believe it deserves this award.
Birdman won the Academy Award for Best Picture. And in this post I'm going to tell you exactly why I believe it deserves this award.
Some of my fondest memories from growing up are watching movies with my grandpa. We loved (and still do love) to watch the old classic films, especially Hitchcock films. There are more than a handful of times that I remember watching a movie with him and he would tell me to pay attention to how long the scene was and to watch for the cut. One film that comes to mind specifically for the long shots is Rope, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. My grandpa taught me to look for those scenes that don't cut and still today it is something that I pay attention to in just about every movie I watch.
This was the main reason I enjoyed Birdman so much. The long scenes truly add something special to the film. You realize that the people in the movie, and behind the scenes of the movie, work really hard for it to look a certain way. It's fascinating, in a way, to watch a film like Birdman and think about how much planning went into each shot, especially when the longest shot is twelve minutes long. Here is one scene I found on YouTube so you can see what I am talking about with there being no cuts (WARNING: There is strong language).
This was the main reason I enjoyed Birdman so much. The long scenes truly add something special to the film. You realize that the people in the movie, and behind the scenes of the movie, work really hard for it to look a certain way. It's fascinating, in a way, to watch a film like Birdman and think about how much planning went into each shot, especially when the longest shot is twelve minutes long. Here is one scene I found on YouTube so you can see what I am talking about with there being no cuts (WARNING: There is strong language).
In any other movie the scene would have cut between Keaton talking and the woman's reaction. Then instead of panning down to the glass it would have cut to a shot of the glass and then cut to a shot of Keaton walking out the door. But it doesn't. The camera just keeps rolling and we get to see Keaton act for the whole two minutes and forty seconds. Yes the camera moves around and the angles change but the whole time we aren't interrupted buy a cut. The whole time we get to see the emotion and reactions of the actors.
At about 1:33 you can see the woman flinch when Keaton raises his voice. Another aspect of doing these long shots is that you can also get more of a real reaction from the actors. I'm sure the actress in this scene knew that Keaton was going to yell at her and she knew what the lines were but at that mark, 1:33, that's a genuine startled reaction.
At about 1:33 you can see the woman flinch when Keaton raises his voice. Another aspect of doing these long shots is that you can also get more of a real reaction from the actors. I'm sure the actress in this scene knew that Keaton was going to yell at her and she knew what the lines were but at that mark, 1:33, that's a genuine startled reaction.
The long shots also showcase an actors skill. Typically if something goes wrong they will just edit the film around so it sounds like the actor said the right thing, jumping to different shots every three seconds. But in a film like Birdman the actors had to know their lines and they had to stay in character no matter what happened because it was going to be one long shot, they weren't going to just cut away and do a voice over later on.
Another great scene in Birdman that is also on YouTube is the fight scene. You are able to see the more complicated side to filming without cutting because the actors are walking through hallways to different rooms. This clip is two minutes and fifty-four seconds. So again, I can't even imagine all of the planning that had to go into this scene to make every camera shift perfect. (WARNING: There is strong language again)
Another great scene in Birdman that is also on YouTube is the fight scene. You are able to see the more complicated side to filming without cutting because the actors are walking through hallways to different rooms. This clip is two minutes and fifty-four seconds. So again, I can't even imagine all of the planning that had to go into this scene to make every camera shift perfect. (WARNING: There is strong language again)
In a scene like this one, where the situation is already tense and you know that Keaton just wants to hit Norton, the fact that it never cuts makes the scene ten times more attention grabbing, and it's almost like you are in the scene with the actors walking right beside them. Throughout the whole movie there is this feeling of "being there." Because there are not any rough cuts in the scenes it feels almost more relatable, like you are apart of the movie.
Now let's talk about something that I am very bitter about. Emma Stone was nominated for her role as supporting actress. But did she win? No. Did she deserve to win? ABSOLUTELY. Just watch this clip: (WARNING: Again with the language)
If you are a Patricia Arquette supporter, I hope that this clip changed your mind. There is no denying that Stone's performance in Birdman is like nothing she has done before, and least nothing that I know of. Her role in Birdman actually sort of shocked me because I really wasn't expecting it! This is the one thing from this year that I will never forgive The Academy voters for. They made a big mistake by not giving the Oscar to Emma Stone. I really hope that she will continue to do more serious roles like this in the future because she really did do a great job!
Birdman is a very special movie and I am so glad that it was awarded the Oscar for Best Picture. It really is a one of a kind movie. If you haven't had a chance to see it yet I would strongly encourage you to do so.
Well that is it for my Oscar themed posts until next year! I do plan to still talk about movies, whether its my favorite movies or movies that I have recently seen for the first time. I will be back with another blog post on Friday! So I hope you will come back to check that out! And as always leave a comment and let me know what you thought about Birdman or just say hi!
Caitlin
Well that is it for my Oscar themed posts until next year! I do plan to still talk about movies, whether its my favorite movies or movies that I have recently seen for the first time. I will be back with another blog post on Friday! So I hope you will come back to check that out! And as always leave a comment and let me know what you thought about Birdman or just say hi!
Caitlin