Munich's style

N

notwithstanding

Member
I thought it was really interesting how Spielberg made Munich look and sound like a 70's movie. Not only was he capturing the esthetic, style, atmosphere of the 70's itself, but also re-creating the conventions of 70's-style cinema. Like using an optical zoom-out, rather than a dolly-out, which gives you that distinctly 70's feel (a technique used before filmmakers decided zooming out was cheesy). It even sounds and is paced like a 70's film. The choices of angles and shots and edits, etc. Curious if you guys also noticed some specifically 70's styled shots/angles.
 
I totally agree with you. Spielberg is easily one of the most influential directors to me, and I love how each of his films are very different and unique when compared to his earlier works. Munich really stood out among his other stuff. Like you said, the zoom outs, composition, editing. He is incredible with period films and this is another excellent work from him. and darnit, Eric Bana deserves a lot more credit than he is getting for his role.

I also love the halos around highlights that Spielberg and Kaminski have been throwing into their newest films.
 
Do you think the "halos" on the light are something he's adding to all his films? Or was it used to deliver the 70's look. I'm sort of interested in the specific choices they made as cinematographers to create that 70's feel. Like "Three Days of the Condor" or early James Bond. Munich felt like those films in the way it was shot and cut.
 
i noticed the halo look too. Munich had alot of it. i'm sure you can lend some credit to DreamWorks for that. I dont think it was some filter.
 
I think the halos were achieved with Schneider Classic Softs. Using one with the DVX alone might be difficult cause you'd proably have to leave the lens wide open to keep the lenslets from coming in to focus. It might be more effective on a 35mm adapter like the Cinemek or M2 - and with that route you could also do the classic behind-the-lens net diffusion that Kaminski loves.
 
I posted about this at cinematography.com and they agreed it was Schneider classic softs and behind-the-lens nets (among other things, like a possible leach bypass.)

So good call. And yeah, it was cool.
 
I'm watching "Making of Munich" on TV (KTLA) right now :thumbup:

Wow! After watching this, I have even more respect for Spielberg. The way he and Janusz set out to give it a look is amazing. Kaminski sure sings the praises of Spielberg. :thumbsup:
 
notwithstanding said:
Like using an optical zoom-out, rather than a dolly-out, which gives you that distinctly 70's feel (a technique used before filmmakers decided zooming out was cheesy).
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Actually, Steven hates zooms. It was Janusz Kaminski who convinced him to use them.

I also agree about the softs and nets. Janusz used a bleech bypass. Really high contrast for deep blacks, bright/blown whites, but everything in between, drained, smeared and under-saturated inaccurately. Essentially, a black and white (silver-retained) film, upon color (color dyes) fill. There are a lot of plug-ins to simulate it for video.
 
notwithstanding said:
Do you think the "halos" on the light are something he's adding to all his films? Or was it used to deliver the 70's look.
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I think it's just been a stylistic choice between Spielberg and Kaminski in their more recent films together. If you look at the last 4 or so films they've done together, you'll see the halos.
 
David G. Smith said:
http://www.theasc.com/magazine/feb06/munich/index.html

Here is the AC article on Munich. The halos were a combination of lens choice (Cookes), filtration, stock and processing procedures. Janusz knows his poo poo.
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ah, I never got a chance to read this article. Thanks David.

Janusz really does know his stuff. I think him and Spielberg are an awesome director/cinematographer duo. Definately one of the favorites. Munich is one of my favorite films of the past few years. No doubt.
 
Lawsuit_Boy said:
Janusz really does know his stuff. I think him and Spielberg are an awesome director/cinematographer duo.
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Don't forget Michael Kahn on editing, Walter Murch on sound design, John Williams as composer and Branko Lustig as producer. That's an all-star team. Just add talent and mix!
 
CineAlta said:
Actually, Steven hates zooms. It was Janusz Kaminski who convinced him to use them.
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Yeah, I think that's what is interesting about this and other stylistic choices in the film. It's a convention we ALL hate. It's "dated"...which is exactly why I think they used it, and I think it's an interesting technique to actually mimic the filming style AS WELL as evoking the era in production design. Like "meta filmmaking" if you will. It has this psychological effect that you're not just watching an event that took place in the 70's but it's as if the film was MADE in the 70's.
 
Blaine said:
Giving it an almost documentary feel.
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Well...I sorta thought it gave it a cheesy, 70's movie feel. Even the edits and pacing. Like that sequence at the plaza cafe when the guys were waltzing with each other. Just felt like a 70's movie. Not real. Not like the 70's really was. But like the 70's was IN THE MOVIES. I think I'm probably making more out of this than anyone else is intersted in--but I do think this was driving some of their cinematographic choices.
 
there's a really good article in the new issue of millimeter magazine about the coloring of munich (and king kong too), i've yet to see the film, but hopefully i'll see it soon. if someone wants to see the article i might be able to scan it in and post it
 
notwithstanding said:
It has this psychological effect that you're not just watching an event that took place in the 70's but it's as if the film was MADE in the 70's.
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Precisely!
 
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