12 Angry Men - Wow

best TV/doc shot ever?

best TV/doc shot ever?

Check out the episode of Connections (1978) I think its Volume 8: Eat, Drink and Be Merry

Host James Burke starts off talking at the base of the Saturn V rocket at NASA, which is laying on its side (it's 360 feet long), and they follow him -- uncut -- all the way as he walks and talks down to the end of the rocket about the rocket really being just a big thermos flask with liquid oxygen and hydrogen in it. And how all the steps it took to get there. Amazing series, frankly.

He then reaches the end of the rocket and the camera pans around to reveal, in the distant background, a rocket upright on its pad apparently ready to launch.

Without breaking dialog from his original story, he then says "and when you put this all together you get... that!" and he points at the rocket on the launchpad, and it friggin' takes off! I mean, he points at the damn thing, and it goes off into space! On cue!

They had one chance to do this take right... I've been to seminars where people talked about this being one the longest shots in TV documentary history.
 
12 Angry Men was directed by Sidney Lumet, who worked closely with DP, Boris Kaufman, and Art Director, Bob Markel, to design a set and camera direction to make the room more and more confining as the show progressed.

Kaufman changed his focal lengths toward longer and longer glass from one scene to the next and dropped the camera elevation progressively down from high-eyeline shots to low angles to further build tension.

e
 
Yeah, Touch Of Evil's opening shot is so killer! I can't believe the studio went against Welles orginally and wanted to put title credits and music over it! Ack! Are they insane! Thank goodness for the restoration version! It's a great movie.
 
overlandfilms said:
12 Angry Men was directed by Sidney Lumet, who worked closely with DP, Boris Kaufman, and Art Director, Bob Markel, to design a set and camera direction to make the room more and more confining as the show progressed.

Kaufman changed his focal lengths toward longer and longer glass from one scene to the next and dropped the camera elevation progressively down from high-eyeline shots to low angles to further build tension.

e
Exactamundo.
Lumet wanted to show their sense of entrapment/claustrophobia. In his book, Lumet says, "Not only were the walls closing in, but the ceiling as well."

This has to be one of the greatest feature directorial debuts ever in the world of film. Beautifully shot on all levels. :thumbup:
 
overlandfilms said:
12 Angry Men was directed by Sidney Lumet, who worked closely with DP, Boris Kaufman, and Art Director, Bob Markel, to design a set and camera direction to make the room more and more confining as the show progressed.

Kaufman changed his focal lengths toward longer and longer glass from one scene to the next and dropped the camera elevation progressively down from high-eyeline shots to low angles to further build tension.

e
wow very interesting, no wonder you feel the heat in that room more so in the old version than the new
 
Mesuge said:
Jiri (George) Voskovec as juror #11. Big star prior WWII in Europe..
aw i know that name but i forget what he looks like. it's amazing when people mention movie and you start remembering things.i mean lines and shots how the memory gets jolted
 
Back
Top