Keeping Martin Campbell as Director
Gassy Man
USAPosts: 2,972MI6 Agent
I know that Martin Campbell has already said he is not interested in being the director for the next Bond film, but -- gasp -- I find myself wanting him to be.
I was sharply critical of what I thought was a lackluster, workmanlike style for the much overrated "Goldeneye," going so far as to say he directed it like a made-for-cable movie. I won't hold him responsible for the awful bluescreen effects nor the script that brought things up rather than actually explored them nor Pierce Brosnan's too casual hairdo and boring clothes nor Eric Serra's stunningly atonal soundtrack. I just think Campbell's sense of setups and camera positioning were about on par with someone who shoots weddings or tourist video for a living.
That said, his sense of sweep and grace in "Casino Royale" put him in an entirely different class. The camera not only moved like it should when it should, heightening the sense of action, but he even found a way to give us some very effective "vista" shots of the land and city scapes, something so many modern films gloss over (generally using instead a brief, tight establishing shot followed by a closeup of a couple buildings or a doorway). He used closeups only when necessary, did some effective dolly shots, and managed to somehow present the fight scenes with just enough "blur" so that the film avoided an "R." It helped that he had some fine actors to bring the scenes to life, but I can't say enough about the improvement in his sense of style.
Bravo! If he's reading this, perhaps Mr. Campbell could reconsider, or perhaps the producers could do more to encourage him to stay. Oh, and keep his second unit team and Stuart Baird for the editing, too.
I was sharply critical of what I thought was a lackluster, workmanlike style for the much overrated "Goldeneye," going so far as to say he directed it like a made-for-cable movie. I won't hold him responsible for the awful bluescreen effects nor the script that brought things up rather than actually explored them nor Pierce Brosnan's too casual hairdo and boring clothes nor Eric Serra's stunningly atonal soundtrack. I just think Campbell's sense of setups and camera positioning were about on par with someone who shoots weddings or tourist video for a living.
That said, his sense of sweep and grace in "Casino Royale" put him in an entirely different class. The camera not only moved like it should when it should, heightening the sense of action, but he even found a way to give us some very effective "vista" shots of the land and city scapes, something so many modern films gloss over (generally using instead a brief, tight establishing shot followed by a closeup of a couple buildings or a doorway). He used closeups only when necessary, did some effective dolly shots, and managed to somehow present the fight scenes with just enough "blur" so that the film avoided an "R." It helped that he had some fine actors to bring the scenes to life, but I can't say enough about the improvement in his sense of style.
Bravo! If he's reading this, perhaps Mr. Campbell could reconsider, or perhaps the producers could do more to encourage him to stay. Oh, and keep his second unit team and Stuart Baird for the editing, too.
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