Birdman (Or The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance) is one of the most cleverly creative films of recent times, placing you right in amongst the cast as if you were one of them.
Birdman is a film about a 'washed up' film actor attempting to make a creative comeback in theatre. Having previously played the part of cinema superhero Birdman, we follow main character Riggan in his attempt to bring his reimagining of a theatrical short story into life on stage.
One of the most immediately notable features of this film is the way in which it is shot. It is made to seem as though the whole story is filmed in one shot, with no cuts. Whilst this is not actually the case, the way in which the editing conceals the cuts creates a convincing illusion.
The majority of the film is contained to the theatre in which Riggan is putting on his play. The camera is used at an angle and height similar to that of the human eye, providing a first person sense of being amongst the actors. We are guided through the theatre from this point of view, following the characters around as if one of them.
The majority of the film is contained to the theatre in which Riggan is putting on his play. The camera is used at an angle and height similar to that of the human eye, providing a first person sense of being amongst the actors. We are guided through the theatre from this point of view, following the characters around as if one of them.
It is this combination of setting, first person view and continuous take which helps to provide such a unique feel to Birdman. You begin to invest in the characters, their mental states, their concerns, ambitions and history. You start to care about them and the relationships they have with one another as if you actually know them.
The characters are only one side to this film though. The other half is the setting. As previously stated, most of the film is set within the single setting of the theatre. Due to the clever camera usage, you begin to get a sense of the layout for the building and the way that the corridors twist, turn and stretch out, as you are lead from room to room to stage to room.
The characters are only one side to this film though. The other half is the setting. As previously stated, most of the film is set within the single setting of the theatre. Due to the clever camera usage, you begin to get a sense of the layout for the building and the way that the corridors twist, turn and stretch out, as you are lead from room to room to stage to room.
The interesting thing about this, aside from it being so fluidly presented, is that every so often, something may throw you off. Just as you begin to understand how things link, one small detail might change and force you to recreate your understanding of where you are.
You will find yourself noticing seemingly random events happening in the background, be it an odd character walking by or a mysterious movement at the end of a corridor. Passive events like these begin to show how alive even a simple corridor can be.
To help draw you in further, the film makes use of a soundtrack style which seems often under appreciated and rarely used in modern cinema. The music accompanying the film is composed almost entirely from drums. This allows the pace and environment to be altered and intensified at any moment from a simple change in beat.
You will find yourself noticing seemingly random events happening in the background, be it an odd character walking by or a mysterious movement at the end of a corridor. Passive events like these begin to show how alive even a simple corridor can be.
To help draw you in further, the film makes use of a soundtrack style which seems often under appreciated and rarely used in modern cinema. The music accompanying the film is composed almost entirely from drums. This allows the pace and environment to be altered and intensified at any moment from a simple change in beat.
Birdman is a brilliant presentation of the often unseen side of private life, in an often unseen side of a public building. It helps to bring you, as a viewer, into a complex world of theatrical people in a theatrical setting and present them in a theatrical way. It does all of this whilst causing you to invest yourself in every aspect of what is happening. It takes a potentially ordinary setting and flips it round into showing raw personality, expressing the extraordinary life that goes on around you, even amongst the most ordinary of corridors.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwTEhzrX-n4
www.businessinsider.com/birdman-how-it-was-filmed-2014-10?IR=T
www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_Uev21HXgE
www.indyweek.com/arts/archives/2014/10/31/movie-review-birdman-soars-despite-some-turbulence
www.businessinsider.com/birdman-how-it-was-filmed-2014-10?IR=T
www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_Uev21HXgE
www.indyweek.com/arts/archives/2014/10/31/movie-review-birdman-soars-despite-some-turbulence