The Shining is pretty much the only other film I can think of that you could make a comparison for. They're serving different purposes, of course. The Overlook is purposely designed to be an impossible maze, whereas Hill House is way more tangible, like you say. But the comparison is important because they're both using spatial awareness to tell a story and you're aware of it as a viewer in both cases. Makes you wonder what Flanagan will do with Doctor Sleep. Granted, it's a very different story to The Shining, but Flanagan is probably the best filmmaker out there who can bridge the gap between the two and make it feel like a really fluid successor. After all, Kubrick is all over his approach.
Okay, well, I would have called it "distance", but spatial awareness or interior space if fine too
Of course it's present in any visual medium, but are they using it to tell some of the story?
George Miller using it to spice up the car chases in the Mad Max series (or is there another term for that?)
Many slasher chases. cutting back and forth to build tension, not super artistic or anything, but still specific use
Could point things out in maybe 2 out of 10 movies where space affects the... hmm, how to say, "the very nature of what's going on." (Alien, Tremors, Cube series, Flight of the Phoenix (citing the original))
So to say it's used in HoHH, that is pretty interesting, might have to give it a go sometime
Of course any film needs to have a designed sense of space. Otherwise what are we even looking at? But I think where Hill House excels is that it's using what is most commonly a necessary form of staging to get the job done as a means of telling a story. Telling us more about the characters. Blocking is like the first thing you have to get down if you ever want to be director, but it doesn't just have to be blocking for the sake of getting through the scene. Another recent, great example of this was The Hateful Eight. I had some problems with the film, but look at the way Tarantino uses the location and the audience's awareness of said location to tell a story. How what's going on in the background of every scene is just as important as what's in the foreground. The staging in that film is impeccable.
Unfortunately a lot of modern filmmakers just doesn't fully utilise these techniques at their disposal. It's what separates good filmmakers from great filmmakers. Those who merely want to shoot the scene as efficiently as they can without any real thought put into the mechanics of the thing, and those who understand that film language and form is every bit as important - and can compliment, telling a story. Flanagan is such filmmaker, which is why it's totally justified to hype the guy and celebrate his work. As lovers of the medium, why wouldn't we?
@Willowfang the opening of Alien is in line with what we're talking about. The camera sets the stage for the location and familiarizes us with it so that later on we can consciously or unconsciously make sense of what we're seeing, whereas with The Shining the idea is to confuse and convolute our perspective. This is essential to building tension because in the case of Alien, the cold, quiet setting becomes infiltrated and we feel like something is just around every corner. It's familiar and not at the same time.
Shout at the Devil, Dr. Feelgood, Home Sweet Home, and Kickstart My Heart. That's why. Prototypical mid 80's Hard Rock band with the right sound and hits at the right time. Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee are also personalities that have been out there, so they've stayed somewhat - relevant is a strong word, but around - at different periods since their prime.
If you know Motley Crue's story then they are without doubt one of the craziest Rock N' Roll bands in history. The Dirt and The Heroin Diaries are amazing reads.
Comments
Does Doctor Sleep have potential? Haven't read the novel myself. Kinda weird having a Shining sequel though...
Of course it's present in any visual medium, but are they using it to tell some of the story?
George Miller using it to spice up the car chases in the Mad Max series (or is there another term for that?)
Many slasher chases. cutting back and forth to build tension, not super artistic or anything, but still specific use
Could point things out in maybe 2 out of 10 movies where space affects the... hmm, how to say, "the very nature of what's going on." (Alien, Tremors, Cube series, Flight of the Phoenix (citing the original))
So to say it's used in HoHH, that is pretty interesting, might have to give it a go sometime
It was the cow...
Unfortunately a lot of modern filmmakers just doesn't fully utilise these techniques at their disposal. It's what separates good filmmakers from great filmmakers. Those who merely want to shoot the scene as efficiently as they can without any real thought put into the mechanics of the thing, and those who understand that film language and form is every bit as important - and can compliment, telling a story. Flanagan is such filmmaker, which is why it's totally justified to hype the guy and celebrate his work. As lovers of the medium, why wouldn't we?
@Willowfang the opening of Alien is in line with what we're talking about. The camera sets the stage for the location and familiarizes us with it so that later on we can consciously or unconsciously make sense of what we're seeing, whereas with The Shining the idea is to confuse and convolute our perspective. This is essential to building tension because in the case of Alien, the cold, quiet setting becomes infiltrated and we feel like something is just around every corner. It's familiar and not at the same time.
Time travel, cause and effect, manipulations...
It was the cow...
Ramsay Snow from Game of Thrones is playing Mick Mars. Priceless.
I mean, they aren't that big here. But they're huge over there. I just don't get it.
I was never a fan but I love rocknroll bio pics and this looks a riot. I've read excerpts of The Dirt and its a wild story.