“Structurally, that’s a nightmare”, said Whedon, citing this as one of the reasons he found it “a very difficult screenplay to write.” Indeed, an earlier version script (the ‘kitchen sink’ draft) had run to 190 pages long. This was complicated by the fact that all the characters already knew one another, meaning they had to be introduced to the audience, without having the characters introduced to one another. Read more: Joss Whedon’s Wonder Woman: The Movie That Never Was Whedon felt it was important “to give people a real sense of where they are by going through the entire ship room by room. So, while the first reason for the shot was to provide a sense of safety, the second was “to show the layout of the ship,” which was considered the tenth character (trivia: River Tam’s feet were considered the eleventh character). Even those who had seen it in the original run might need a refresher, not to mention those coming into it cold. “This,” said Whedon, “is when you know you’re home.” Why it was done: reintroductionīut of course, the movie had to appeal to a wider audience than just those who were already intimately familiar with the cast and crew. The shot was intended “irst of all to make people feel safe.” The Serenitytheme was intended to be “very mournful and very home-made” in contrast to the more “electronic” music that came before. This is the first time we are reintroduced to the ship and the entire crew, and comes after an audacious triple-leveled expositional opening which takes the form of “a man watching a video of a girl having a dream” ( Inceptioneat your heart out!). Read more: Why Joss Whedon Left the Batgirl Movie It was not, according to Whedon, them “trying to do a shot that says ‘Oh, look what we can do with a steadi-cam” (but also, look what they can do with a steadi-cam!) The reason was that he wanted “to give a sense of safety in space.” There were a number of reasons why it was felt a single-shot was appropriate at this point. In order to make this transition as smooth as possible, the same hallway in which the cut takes place, was actually built on both sets. Everything before is shot on one set, everything else, on the other set. This meant that they had to be built side-by-side, making the hidden cut necessary in order to fulfil Whedon’s vision of an unbroken introduction to the crew and the ship. Read more: The Nevers Full Cast Revealed for Joss Whedon’s New SeriesĮven though each of the sets were designed and built contiguously, it was not possible to build one set on top of the other. But, there is a very good reason for this. It is a bit of a strange, blurry move, and here is where the bodies are buried. You’ll notice that when Mal and Simon are having their walk and talk, they head down a corridor, where the camera does a quick pan to Simon. How it was done: the cutĪlthough ostensibly a single-shot, the sequence does actually contain one cut. This consisted of Moore “reaching up and squeezing in or out a few mils”, with Peter Green (the first camera assistant) responsible for ensuring everything was in focus. These were done by hand, “more from an aesthetic perspective” than a technical one. Read more: 5 Best TV Episodes Written by Joss WhedonĪ careful examination of the scene will highlight a series of slight camera zooms, happening throughout. “Joss was constantly challenging me on this movie,” said Moore, adding that the writer/director admitted at the wrap party that he “didn’t think the ship tour shot could be done, mostly because of the small hatchways, staircases.” Read more: The 25 Best Buffy the Vampire Slayer Episodes This steadicam rig was operated by Mark Emery Moore, who had previously worked on films such as Reservoir Dogs, Outbreak, Starship Troopers, and most recently San Andreas, amongst many others. How it was done: the tech/shootingįor the tech-heads, the sequence was shot using a PRO rig, with a Panavision XL camera system, 400ft mag, and a mid-range lightweight zoom. It is a great, and often under-appreciated shot, providing a powerful lesson in economic story-telling, and highlighting the value of using the right technique for the task at hand. In the end, writer/director Joss Whedon (making his feature-length directorial debut here) opted for a single-shot lasting approximately four-and-a-half minutes, which simultaneously gives us insight into the characters, the ship, and provides a sense of familiarity with the place they call home.
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