The Cinematography of 13 Reasons Why

[puredrifting]

Not sure if you have watched it but this series is a very nice adaptation of the book by Jay Asher. My wife is a middle school English teacher and we were both interested in how it would depict teen suicide and its aftermath. From a cinematograpgy point of view, the series was shot by DPs Andrik Parekh and Ivan Strasburg, BSC with the Panasonic Varicam. I have to say, the cinematography is really impressive, the lighting was really well done, the night scenes shot with the native ISO 5000 look pretty nice to me. All of the flashback scenes were shot with anamorphic while the present days scenes were not. The only thing that bugs me are in two scenes, one iw at a high school dance that is lit with all kinds of modern LED lightiong that would actually be used today and there were a LOT of really distracting dark blue/purple outlines and reflections that almost looked like IR pollution where black items render as dark purple. There is another scene shot at a party, same problem, it totally takes you out of the story visually. But overall, the Varicam looks great, lighting and camera movement totally supported the stpry nicely and it is a very well done piece of work. Overall, the show has a sort of dreamy visual quality that I really liked.

Even if you are not a teen or trying to forget high school, this series is well worth a look. It should have been 8-10 episodes, come of the pacing to draw it out to 13 episodes feels sluggish but overall, outstanding acting, solid direction (my old buddy Carl Franklin directed two episodes) and a good script. Kind of a bit Laura Palmerish, mystery, how a death affects a small town type of vibe. Worth watching for the cinematography too.

Panasonic presser with the tech details http://www.panasonicforbusiness.com/2017/04/andrij-parekh-13-reasons-why/

 

[jaypass]

Finished the show last weekend. Totally agree on the pacing, it was way too long. Loved the cinematography though. Unfortunately I watched it on a laptop so I didn't get the full effect, and I definitely didn't catch the purplish fringing in that high school dance scene. Somewhere on this forum, I think maybe the Varicam section, there was a discussion about the entire show skewing towards purple.

The way the flashback/present scenes were shot differently was great. I knew something was different, other then the cooler/warmer tones, but didn't pick up on the anamorphic aspect until I read it in the press release.

Anyway, I definitely recommend as well.

 

[puredrifting]

Yes, really should have been ten episodes or even eight. The talent gave me hope for the future of acting though, all around superb performances, especially the two leads.

**Minor spoliers below...but not really if you know the premise of the series









Watch out for that last episode, it is heart wrenching. My wife couldn't watch it, I did and I have to admit, as someone with a younger daughter, it kept me up last night, so awfully sad. Great filmmaking.

 

[Run&Gun]

Yes, really should have been ten episodes or even eight. The talent gave me hope for the future of acting though, all around superb performances, especially the two leads.

**Minor spoliers below...but not really if you know the premise of the series









Watch out for that last episode, it is heart wrenching. My wife couldn't watch it, I did and I have to admit, as someone with a younger daughter, it kept me up last night, so awfully sad. Great filmmaking.

My GF watched the whole series in about two days and said she was depressed for about 24 hours afterwards.

 

[puredrifting]

Yes, it is depressing but it is also true to life. My wife is a teacher and each year, we lose one or two kids from the local junior high or high school. Sometimes through a car accident, sometimes through a suicide, sometimes even through violence like a stabbing or shooting. It is always a huge, black cloud that hangs over the community when a young life is so senselessly cut short. This series captured that feeling in the community, in no small part due to the beautiful cinematography. If this is the kind of storytelling we can expect from Netflix originals, that bodes very well for them, it was quality filmmaking. Far from perfect but so much more engaging that most of what else is on.

 

[Run&Gun]

From what I've watched on Amazon and Netflix, their original content is very good(Stranger Things, The Man in the High Castle, The Crown...). I'd say with few exceptions, what is on "TV", is better than what is in the movie theaters. I wanted to go to the movies last week and when I pulled up the listings for my local theater, there was only one title that I had heard of. And there were only maybe five different movies listed.

But going back to the real world problem of teen/child suicide, I just don't get it. Yes, it's extremely sad and seems to be a bigger problem now, than ever. I don't recall anyone committing suicide when I was in school. I guess from a very early age, I understood and realized the value of life and that death is real and permanent. I honestly think that a lot of these kids don't comprehend and grasp the consequences of their actions, that death is permanent. It's not something you do and it resets life like a video game. They have been so sheltered and cottled their whole lives that they can't deal with adversity and people being "mean". We see it everyday with stories of millenialls melting down at the slightest slight or bump in the road. I'm not trying to be cold or callous, because some of the things that these kids are subjected to with social media and the internet simply weren't possibilities when I was younger, but life is hard. Life is tough. Life is full of challenges. Society and parents are doing kids a huge disfavor by sheltering them from life. We're not all winners, we're not all special and we can't have it "our way" all the time, every time. Kids must be allowed to develop coping skills to deal with adversity and "bad things".

 

[puredrifting]

Couldn't agree more. Both of my kids are Millenials and they were raised to know they are NOT special (other than to those who love them), they are not entitled and life is a *****, then you die. Still, teen suicide happens and everyone asks, "why?" The girl in the series made stupid mistake after stupid mistake but that doesn't make her death any less tragic, even though it was largely her own fault, she made numerous self destructive choices and had to face the consequences when she could have made better choices and still had a decent life. I really feel for teenagers, their hormones are going crazy which is like almost a decade of being emotionally drunk, their bodies are changing, they face tremendous pressure to succeed, everyone MUST go to college and get a college degree, but most of them are smart enough to see so many kids graduating from college who can barely get a job flipping burgers much less be able to pay their student loans, to get what is often a useless degree. I am not down on college, I am down on the American ideal that shuns craftsman, technicians and the middle class. Every time I try to get an electrician, plumber, contractor to my houses, it's a freaking nightmare, there is an acute shortage of people who can actually do things and repair things. It's so stupid to make going into the trades seem like that is only what failures do while the successful kids ALL went to college. Such a myth. I know a lot of people who didn't get their degree or even go to college who make a pretty nice living. In 2017, a college degree is less valuable than it is has ever been. In my mind, if you want to be a professional, doctor, lawyer, engineer, investment banker, sure, go to college and get the degree. If you don't know what you want to do or want to work with your mind and hands, go to a trade school, get a certification and start working hard. Save your money, invest wisely, buy some real estate, diversify your portfolio and you don't need a college degree to succeed in life, you just have to have a brain and work hard.

Helicopter parenting drives me nuts, it is doing those kids SUCH a disservice but many parents just cannot help themselves. But back to the series and the cinematography, i hope it doesn't come back for a second season although they kind of set it up that way that it could.