Stylistic Trends in the Industry
by Saro Varjabedian
At the 80th Annual Academy Awards, presenter Alan Arkin said that “the nominees this year show the golden age of cinema is very much alive.” Without trying to put words into his mouth, what Alan Arkin may have been referring to is that the artform that is cinema has continued to evolve. After all, cinema as an art is still very young in comparison to all the other traditional artforms. Therefore, it makes sense that this young art should continue to grow and develop. And the one aspect of cinema which may lend itself to develop more readily than any other aspect of film is its cinematography.
Consider some of the trends seen in recent years. It is no surprise that the popularity of reality TV and the movement of documentaries garnering commercial success have impacted the cinematographic style of recent narrative films. That impact is reflected by the trend towards a more realistic look (e.g. less lighting) with a more “objective” camera. The “objective” camera stylistically acts as if the camera is there to record the unfolding of the story rather than to recreate it shot by shot. In 2006, Children of Men brilliantly epitomizes the use of the “objective” camera with its long takes and handheld camera work bringing the horror of the future a reality that makes all the events of the film all the more horrific.
Another movement in the industry which started in the 90’s and has now entrenched itself into the business of film is the commercialization of independent films. After the major studios took notice of the commercial viability of independent films, they saw fit to jump on the bandwagon and developed their own independent production/distribution divisions to capture the independent market. The result of this movement is that studios are now seeking films that take artistic risks and break all the rules of conventional cinematographic practice set by traditional Hollywood filmmaking. Maybe the most striking example from 2007 of a movie breaking all the rules was Janusz Kaminski, ASC’s work on The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Can you imagine pitching that concept to a Hollywood studio executive twenty or even ten years ago? “We’re going to shoot the first third of the film from the perspective of a paraplegic’s one functional eye.”
And what is the next stylistic trend in cinematography? Well, I couldn’t say, but one thing is for sure. As long as cinematography continues to push the boundaries and evolve stylistically, the golden age of cinema will never come to an end.
Saro Varjabedian is a New York based director of photography and has worked on numerous independent films, music videos and corporate videos. He has recently finished production of the music video for the band KHZ and is currently in production for the spec of “Art House Film.” Saro can be reached at www.sarodp.com.
Featured in StudentFilmmakers Magazine, May 2008 Edition.
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