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VISUAL LANGUAGE – WAR OF THE WORLDS

By J.R. Hudson ⋅ September 5, 2008 ⋅ 2 comments

No introduction is needed in this latest Visual Language article. Yall know the deal. Let’s get started and then let’s get to the shots.

Steven Spielberg and Janusz Kaminski. Masters. This film went into pre-production in August 2004, with shooting dates of December 8, 2004 through March 7, 2005. It was released, June 29, 2005. Thin about that and the scope of the film. 10 Months from Pre-production to Theatrical Release. This is because these guys know exactly what their doing and why it’s so important to understand the art of filmmaking.

The Machines.

War of the Worlds is a 2005 science fiction disaster film based on H. G. Wells’ original novel starring Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning. It was directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Josh Friedman and David Koepp. It was released on June 29, 2005.

If you are serious about learning the art of film’s visual language, keep in mind this Quote from Steven Spielberg:

“I’m more interested in concept shots and money shots than I am in tons of MTV coverage, which certainly takes a lot of time. But if I can put something on the screen that is sustained where you get to study it and you get to say, ‘How did they do that?’ That’s happening before my eyes and the shot’s not over yet, it’s still going and it’s still going and my God, it’s an effects shot and it’s lasting seemingly forever. I enjoy that more than creating illusion with sixteen different camera angles, where no shot lasts longer than six seconds on the screen. To pull a rabbit out of a hat, because you are really a smart audience and you’re in the fastest media, the fastest growing new media today and you know the difference between sleight of hand visually and the real thing. I think what makes War of the Worlds, at least the version that we’re making, really exciting, is you get to really see what’s happening. There’s not a lot of visual tricks. We tell it like it is, we show it to you, and we put you inside the experience.”

War of the Worlds

I want you to look for certain elements and techniques, as I have noted in the breakdown.

Camera Angles – One of the hardest things to absorb is the 180/30 Axis and Line rules (Google it), Spielberg wields his wand and smacks the line around, using angles that flirt with the line.

Hand Held – The camera is the mind of Tom Cruise’s character. His mind races, as does the camera. The camera dictates to the audience and Tom what we’re going to do next.

Alright check it out, I have to get back to writing my feature.