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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Elysium - Shot on EPIC

maarek said:
Shaky fight scenes are the work of lazy people. Do a haphazard choreography and then just shoot a bunch of angles, hide everything and add huge sounds. If it's supposed to be chaotic, why are the sound effects always crisp and precise? Because you can't see shit and without sound people would have no idea what's going on.

Mostly directors get bored in the editing room after watching the same stuff for hours and then they want it to be "MORE INTENSE! MORE CUTS!" forgetting that first-time viewers don't have that clarity that someone who knows what's going on does. There's a way to make handheld look great (example: Children of men.)
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Maarek,

besides your OUT OF PLACE comment of "Lazy People" I agree with you on all else, entirely!

But it is no the work of Laze people, it is simply their choice, like it or not it is yours and any one else, I personally dislike it too so very much, to the point that the few films that have this particular style of "Look I am shooting with a Video camera in first person shit" like JJ's horrible "MY OPINION" Cloverfield movie shot to replicate one individual shooting the thing live on his video camera, could not watch it, tried two times, same result, it made me want to trow up, and I sure don't go to movies to trow up, so I agree with you again on that not been a cool thing at all, and not sure were it begin been seen as a cool thing to do on cinema, but it isn't one at all.

BTW, I love, absolutely love all other JJ's work!!


Yet it remains the creative decision of the Director, and no one should call them Lazy because of their artistic decision, just like it or do not like it, don't insult an other fellow Filmmaker!
 
You are a very diplomatic man Ketch. It is an enviable trait.

You cook. If we were to view shaky cam as spice, would your opinion be that Elysium is too spicy? Is this flavor wholly unpalatable to you? No bait, no hate but genuine curiosity. :-)

KETCH ROSSi said:
Maarek,

besides your OUT OF PLACE comment of "Lazy People" I agree with you on all else, entirely!

But it is no the work of Laze people, it is simply their choice, like it or not it is yours and any one else, I personally dislike it too so very much, to the point that the few films that have this particular style of "Look I am shooting with a Video camera in first person shit" like JJ's horrible "MY OPINION" Cloverfield movie shot to replicate one individual shooting the thing live on his video camera, could not watch it, tried two times, same result, it made me want to trow up, and I sure don't go to movies to trow up, so I agree with you again on that not been a cool thing at all, and not sure were it begin been seen as a cool thing to do on cinema, but it isn't one at all.

BTW, I love, absolutely love all other JJ's work!!


Yet it remains the creative decision of the Director, and no one should call them Lazy because of their artistic decision, just like it or do not like it, don't insult an other fellow Filmmaker!
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Bob Gundu said:
Whats interesting is that Shaky cam in the theatre can be so disorienting, but on a small screen at home, it can be palatable. I wonder if they were targeting the small screen experience?
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An interesting question. OTOH allow me to ask you this; Was the scene in question meant to be disorienting? Who's point of view is represented in it and was the technique effective in communicating that point of view? Was it too disorienting, distracting or otherwise calling too much attention to the camera? That is my metric.
 
maarek said:
Shaky fight scenes are the work of lazy people. Do a haphazard choreography and then just shoot a bunch of angles, hide everything and add huge sounds. If it's supposed to be chaotic, why are the sound effects always crisp and precise? Because you can't see shit and without sound people would have no idea what's going on.

Mostly directors get bored in the editing room after watching the same stuff for hours and then they want it to be "MORE INTENSE! MORE CUTS!" forgetting that first-time viewers don't have that clarity that someone who knows what's going on does. There's a way to make handheld look great (example: Children of men.)
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There is absolutely nothing lazy about shooting tons of different angles and literally sprinting with actors to give the image a chaotic look and feel.

You are comparing two completely different movies in terms of shooting style. It isn't about which style is right or which is better, it is about choosing what helps tell the story. It is all about catering to the story and directors vision, it is our job (as a D.P or Operator) to be the prism that the director can view his film through. There are no right or wrongs. Obviously "Elysium" was shot with a much more off the cuff shooting style, super high energy that I think really matched the story. That being said, I completely agree with you about allowing the viewer to have some orientation of where they are and what is actually happening.
 
My example would be Hunger Games, where one could easily argue that the material lent itself to a disorienting shooting style. My nit would be that they overused it, to the point where, IMO, the story beats that had the most to gain from wild camera moves didn't get as much "pop" from the affectation as they could have. Just one person's take.

Cheers - #19
 
Nice to see a real 4K movie (ok, 3.5K) from a 4K projector, even the sfx looked 4K. 70mm is back and I love it.
 
Scott Crawley said:
You are a very diplomatic man Ketch. It is an enviable trait.

You cook. If we were to view shaky cam as spice, would your opinion be that Elysium is too spicy? Is this flavor wholly unpalatable to you? No bait, no hate but genuine curiosity. :-)
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Thanks for the kind words Scott, I do always try to be as courteous and respectful to others as I would like others to be to me...

But it did not always was so... Since as teenager I was bullied a lot... From my twenties on, I used to bully every one, especially those that were bigger then me, so not to be bullied at... And worked out every single dispute punching and elbowing my way thru... Then I grew up and got out of that circle and moved to the USA... ;)


Now as to your question... If I was cooking then CLOVERFIELD for me would have been a Dish that after testing I could not do other then throw it in the trash declared noon edible because so dam spicy, worst then Mexican food/Indian food together (no offense to neither cloture, I just simply CAN NOT heat spicy (hot) foods)...


As for Elysium... Can't form an opinion on it as of yet since I have not seen it at this time, but because I truly like the concept I hope that it is not in line of Cloverfield as far as shaky camera movements, and that I can enjoy it's viewing, also because I do like Matt.
 
I am the middle of three siblings who currently has two small boys of my own, so I know what it is like to be unheard and referee. Patience can be in short supply these days. Thank you for your sharing some of yours. ;-)

I don't remember seeing Cloverfield. I will have to give it a look for context.

Thanks

KETCH ROSSi said:
Thanks for the kind words Scott, I do always try to be as courteous and respectful to others as I would like others to be to me...

But it did not always was so... I used to bully every one, especially those that were bigger then me, and worked out every single dispute punching and elbowing my way thru... Then I grew up and got out of that circle and moved to the USA... ;)


Now as to your question... If I was cooking then CLOVERFIELD for me would have been a Dish that after testing I could not do other then throw it in the trash declared noon edible because so dam spicy, worst then Mexican food/Indian food together (no offense to neither cloture, I just simply CAN NOT heat spicy (hot) foods)...


As for Elysium... Can't form an opinion on it as of yet since I have not seen it at this time, but because I truly like the concept I hope that it is not in line of Cloverfield as far as shaky camera movements, and that I can enjoy it's viewing, also because I do like Matt.
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I had high hopes for this one...

Technology is there...
 
Will Keir said:
I had high hopes for this one...

Technology is there...
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+ 1, very disappointed. Looked good, but no where near as good as District 9 in every category but cinematography. I walked out of the theater saying, "man, that was cheesy." I was so excited for this film and had such high hopes. Jodie Foster was horrendous, and I laughed at Sharlto Copley a couple of times cause he's not the image of a badass I had in mind. Oh well, lets hope Chappie and District 10 live up.

As an aside, did anyone else have an ad for the new mac pro prior to the previews? I was kind of surprised. I work for Muse so I knew their song was being used for the ad but didn't expect to see it in the theater before the film.
 
I had some visions of cheese too that were mostly related to Ms. Foster's appearance and I am extremely interested to better understand why we felt that way. I didn't sense artifice in her portrayal, and while the character did not seem to be written in a detailed manner, her motives while simple were universally understandable. Why then did we react negatively?

I have an always growing appreciation for how much the actor is at our mercy and how our technique (or lack thereof) can break performances. This really appears to be the case here.

You are articulate Matt, and your opinions are often well considered. What was it about the character, or the presentation of that character that put you off? Everybody who felt this, please add.

Matt Ryan said:
+ 1, very disappointed. Looked good, but no where near as good as District 9 in every category but cinematography. I walked out of the theater saying, "man, that was cheesy." I was so excited for this film and had such high hopes. Jodie Foster was horrendous, and I laughed at Sharlto Copley a couple of times cause he's not the image of a badass I had in mind. Oh well, lets hope Chappie and District 10 live up.

As an aside, did anyone else have an ad for the new mac pro prior to the previews? I was kind of surprised. I work for Muse so I knew their song was being used for the ad but didn't expect to see it in the theater before the film.
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Where or how can I find a 4K projection of Elysium? I am traveling tonight to the U.S.
 
Saw it this evening.

Looks like a lot of Jodie Foster's lines were originally delivered in French and then for some reason ADR'd back into English. She speaks excellent French in real life.

Sure, the ending could have been a bit shorter, less mawkish, and there were times when Blomkamp let the actors get away with some lazy acting. But overall there was enough magic in there to keep us interested. I'm still a big fan.
 
Her accent when she spoke English. She sounded funny, annoying, even obnoxious. Sounded like she tried for a new mix of English and French, but came off sounding like a fake old world accent. It wasn't believable as part of the speach of a real organic person. Maybe she didn't get enough time to get it down, too concerned about her look perhaps?

Her French was very good. Tres Bien.

Scott Crawley said:
You are articulate Matt, and your opinions are often well considered. What was it about the character, or the presentation of that character that put you off? Everybody who felt this, please add.
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Scott Crawley said:
I had some visions of cheese too that were mostly related to Ms. Foster's appearance and I am extremely interested to better understand why we felt that way. I didn't sense artifice in her portrayal, and while the character did not seem to be written in a detailed manner, her motives while simple were universally understandable. Why then did we react negatively?

I have an always growing appreciation for how much the actor is at our mercy and how our technique (or lack thereof) can break performances. This really appears to be the case here.

You are articulate Matt, and your opinions are often well considered. What was it about the character, or the presentation of that character that put you off? Everybody who felt this, please add.
Click to expand...

Honestly, I think the voice was the major issue of her performance. It felt like I was watching a cheap stage play when she spoke. I was also a bit taken out of the film when she activates Kruger to shoot down the illegal immigrants ships. So how often do these immigrants make an attempt and why decide to shoot down these specific ones? When she says to deport them, we see a bunch of other immigrants in a holding "cage" waiting to be deported as well. So again, why shoot down these specific ships? Back to Jodie Fosters voice, it sounded like she was a foreigner trying to do an American accent if that makes sense. The way her voice came off was like she was trying to sound elitist in tone, but it just came off as cheese.
 
That was amusing. Unanswered questions are fine, even great. I like to do some filling in the blanks. Breaks in logic are harder to forgive though... at least for me.

I liked Kruger. Copley impressed the hell out of me. He's a fucking chameleon.

Bob Gundu said:
You guys might get a kick fro this article.

Seven Unanswered Questions We Still Have About Elysium

http://www.vulture.com/2013/08/unanswered-questions-we-still-have-about-elysium.html
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"Does Jodie Foster's evil plan make any sense?"
It does actually. The President of Elysium controls the robot security forces. The computer enables that access and control. Those forces control everyone. Military coup complete, dictator installed, God Mode enabled.

"Does Kruger's evil plan make any sense?"
see evil plan #1

"How rich are Elysium's rich?"
Rich enough. Next question.

"Why are all of the houses on Elysium so empty?
Taken a step further: Does anyone actually live on Elysium, or are they just at pool parties all day?"
​
Yes, But some still work on earth exploiting the masses and extracting their pounds of flesh. See: John Carlyle

"Would everyone on Elysium really be okay with that ending?"
It doesn't matter. They are sheep.

"Would everyone on Earth be really okay with that ending?"
See previous answer.

So that leaves us where we started, with Delacourt's
accent.

I just realized something while looking at her character's name... not simply that it is French but that it is "de la court". duh. I always feel stupid when I miss these things the first time. Kinda like Kruger being S. African, but he was German S. African. :-)​
 
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