007 Film-making 101

chrisisall

Here are my list of rules; see if you agree with them...

Lush, sweeping establishing shots are a must.
Camera movement should be steady- hand held is only to be used for close-quarter combative moments.
Editing should include mostly lasting shots and so called rapid-fire editing reserved for hand held footage (see above).
Production design should focus on forcing perspective to create a 'bent' look to the villain's lairs.
Music must be orchestral, avoiding electronic ques. A haunting, somewhat echoing quality is to be strived for to reinforce the sometimes dreamlike/nightmarish aspects of Bond's adventures.
Indoor and night time lighting should be stark contrasts (especially in tenser moments), avoiding smoke effects unless at the gambling table or in the boudoir.
CGI must be kept to a minimum, lest the hunter/gatherer portion of the audience's visual cortex will reject it as unreal, ruining the illusion. Modelwork is definitely preferable for extended FX sequences.

Hmmm... what did I leave out?

myworldisenough

You are indeed sounding like an old school, traditional perfectionist! Can't argue with what you say though, sounds good to me!

chrisisall

myworldisenough wrote:

You are indeed sounding like an old school, traditional perfectionist!

Thanks- amateur film-maker from way back. :)>-

QBranch

Agreed on all the above. If I were to direct a Bond film, these are some things I would take into account:

Only use CGI for what cannot be done with models/miniatures.

More lasting shots, more relaxed shots during stunt sequences, and quick cut editing only when required. Looks like that's sorted with SF.

Handheld cam for fights only- however I would extend its use to 1st person perspective running or for falling objects/vehicles flying off cliffs. The shot of the car flying off the range in the QoS PTS had an interesting messy/shaky look to it. Not sure if that one was handheld or not.

I also liked the car mounted camera on the DBS, and how it jolts when the car comes to a halt. Basically, I want to see more interesting angles when filming vehicles chases, especially those inspired by memorable car chases i.e. Mad Max, Bullitt etc.

Also, more Dutch angle shots, especially looking down at characters as they walk across rooms, and looking up at the villain while he's carrying out his scheme- or just while he's engaged in some memorable monologue. Cut the latter scene with shots of Bond doing some awesome stunt while he's coming for the villain, and you have a nice villain speech/action sequence.

Black and white/flashback scenes to be used sparingly... very sparingly.

Film to have slight grain effect during violent, bloody fights i.e. Obanno stairway fight in CR. When he's kicking his legs, the film quality appears sharper and grittier.

More fading of one scene into the next i.e. Vesper drinking the martini fades into the casino table. Simple effects like this give the film a classic old school vibe- and that's a good thing.