Man on Wire
Man on Wire directed by James Marsh was a good example of many of the recent techniques we have discussed in class, especially interviewing styles. As well this film caught my attention and held it the whole time by effectively using set-ups and pay-offs.
What added a great deal of interest to the storytelling was the use of verite interviews in the film. An effective example of this is when Philippe is describing what happened once they arrived on the top floor of the tower. The filmmakers combined a sit-down interview with an active interview as well as a reenactment. In the active interview we see more enthusiasm and energy from Philippe as he relives this suspenseful moment in his life. The verite interview resulted in not only a more visually interesting representation of the event but also allowing Philippe to get up, move around, and use props, brought more of his personality out and helped us better understand him. From this I saw exactly what I recently attempted to do, both a sit-down and active interview. For me this was a good example of the usefulness of them both as well as how to edit them together. The film made the two interviews as well as a reenactment flow together so that it did not fell jumpy or unnatural.
The director made me care quickly about this story all the way to the end of the film. First the director chose a great story to tell. But more than that the way they structured the film caused me to actively engage with the film. Choosing to reveal many set-ups in the introduction to the films hooked me right from the start. Then returning to that main story periodically throughout the film continued to give me the pay-offs and create more set-ups that kept me asking questions and wanting to know how they managed to achieve this feat. Thus the balance of giving the audience set-ups and pay-offs throughout the film and balancing it with enriching backstory and details created a very interesting story even more engaging.
For me this film was both a great example of the use of interviews, active interviews, and reenactments to tell about an event many years passed and effective storytelling that kept me wanting to watch.
I definitely agree with what you said about the way they did Philippe's interview. I loved how active it was. It was really a lot of fun to see him jumping around and telling the story with all his animation and energy. I also felt like it really allowed us to see into his character and personality too. I also like what you said about how the film switched back and forth between Philippe's back story and the actual day on the towers. You were really right about it creating a series of set-ups and pay-offs that kept us interested throughout the film. I also thought that the archival footage used was really cool. It provided us with a more in depth look at Philippe, his team and everything it took for him to really get prepared to perform such a feat. We really saw how passionate he was about what he did. It also allowed us to see his flamboyant and fun-loving nature. The reenactments of the film also helped to keep it intriguing although some of them were a little weird and seemed a little forced or overdramatized. Overall though, it was a super entertaining look into one man's life and passion.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great example of using all the tools in the ol' belt, you know?
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