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300 the Movie


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I'm going to be watching it tonight but I heard that although the visuals are amazing the story and dialog fails to deliver. The dialog that worked for the comic supposedly doesnt work very good on the big screen. The battle scenes ramp from real time to super slow motion at various points, supposedly it is meant to "bring you into the characters head".

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I realize the trailer is compressed for net viewing, but I swear I saw scan lines and artifacts that should'nt been visiable even in that format. I would have to talk to someone who saw it first hand before I go to see it.

 

I went and saw 300 today. Visually, the film is definitely stunning. The scan lines and artifacts must have been aberrations in the trailer you watched because the print I saw was perfect. 300 is definitely an effects film and serves as a text book example of effects work and the DI process of finalizing a look. The script was kind of lame and certain depictions of good and evil were a bit crazy in terms of perceptions of culture, but, overall, it's a fun popcorn movie.

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Just came back from screenng 300 with some friends.

 

Visually very artistic, cinematic, and visceral. Great lighting, tone and textures. Framing is very effective and aids the story very well. There are a lot of influences at work here but Classical Art, especially Color Palettes and that sense of Epic Story, are very strong.

 

The story is a good and solid one, and for the most part delivers good dialogue, with one caveat: anachronisms. This is probably a result of its origin and I do think it could have been stronger if certain things were "fixed". Comic book dialogue is always weaker on screen; a problem SpiderMan does not have since on that film the filmmakers create their own story.

 

Good acting, intensity is always high for the most part. Great choreography for the battles and everything flows well. Good pacing and I do think good directing.

 

Grain is obvious on the film but is not that distracting and does lend a texture to the film which may have been deliberate.

 

The sound design is also very good and the score as well, though its got some similarities to LOTR in composition and emotional tone.

 

I must say, this film is highly energetic and I was very inspired by what I saw.

 

I would have loved to have seen some of this on an actual set on location but I'm not complaining!

 

Definitely going to see this again!!!!

 

Just my 2c,

 

Krystian.

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I saw it yesterday, I wouldn't say the story is "solid", but visually it's FANTASTIC with excellent characters. I will say it moves along swiftly so there's not a dull moment throughout.

 

Maybe a bit less "slow motion action" would have made it more gripping during some of the battle sequences, but I was very happy with the experience. I'm considering going to see it on IMAX...has anyone seen it there yet?

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The story is a good and solid one, and for the most part delivers good dialogue, with one caveat: anachronisms. This is probably a result of its origin and I do think it could have been stronger if certain things were "fixed". Comic book dialogue is always weaker on screen; a problem SpiderMan does not have since on that film the filmmakers create their own story.

 

Good acting, intensity is always high for the most part. Great choreography for the battles and everything flows well. Good pacing and I do think good directing.

 

 

I feel the movie is consumerism at it best. The story and acting were all one note, very little nuance or dynamic in either. If the intensity of someone's performance is high, how does that make it good? If anything, I found it all kind of shallow. The performances were servicealbe, but not much more beyond that. Dialogue and it's delivery was always screaming and shouting. Imagine, if someone you knew, spoke to you like that all day long. It wouldn't take long for you to tune out. I know this is a comic book adaptation, but as stated before, comic book text rarely translates well to screen. But that is the least of it's woews.

 

In order for the story to match the truely phenominal visuals, we as the audience need to empathize with at least one of the characters. Zack Snyder tries to do this when the captain lost his son. I did not feel his pain. Isn't death in battle what they lived for, longed for? Granted the son was cut down while not actually in battle, but he was at war, and that is what happens during war, they die. So for the father/captain to react so intensely, then to go on to say that he feels nothing but hate and will continue to kill, just nailed it home for me. The 300 was nothing more than a sexed up car and underware comercial. Had the captain said when he comes back from grieving, to the King, that he has fought so much and can do it no longer, because his son's death has beaten him. That he is bested by the grief he now feels and Leonidas is sympathetic to this, then it would have been a good film, no perhaps a great film. If the filmmaker only had the balls to show us that the Spartans were people too, let us not forget them, then he would have a hit. Instead, he has a hit because of cheap hollywood tricks; sex, slow mo violence and ultra flashy imagery. Too bad the 300 is just the status quo, when the people the story was about were anything but.

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I can't quite agree Chris. The film has its origins in a comic book yes, and therefore will always retain very strong ties to the published work, especially as this is a realization of the comic book on screen - very unlike Spider Man where they recreate the character and the world he lives in - and as such there are elements from the comic book which do not make a smooth or realistic transition to the screen. The film is "Frank Miller's 300".

 

With that said, all movies are about consumerism to some extent, why single this one out? Anything being sold is about profit, whether it is art or something practical.

 

The acting was not one-dimensional, though I will agree there could have been more of an attempt at development and growth amongst the 300, more bonding during their battle. It is perhaps an indication that actors have yet to be given a tool to aid their visualization of what the director is going for, and within their minds seeing a vistually blank set around them must in some way weaken their potential for performance. The acting was better than Sin City however, and I think very credible within the parameters of the story.

 

As for the death of the captain's son. I'm not sure a Spartan could react in the way you describe and I think, one of the main reasons for the way the actors had to act of because the Spartan way was a hard, harsh, and very violent one. Very extreme and living for violence, at least that's what the history books suggest. So, I cannot fault Zack Synder for the material's inherent violence. As for the Spartan's being people, sure they were but they were arrogant, haughty, and very full of themselves - again the history books suggest this. I'm not saying the overreaction of the captain was correct, it was actually against what the Spartans had been portrayed as, but the narration says that and what you see is a father not a Spartan. Was it perfect or enough to fill the void you suggest, no I don't think so either but it seems to fit in with the Spartan way of life - extremes of behavior and a lack of love.

 

Synder embraced the arrogance, and violence, and tried to make these things into something more through the use of the motion effects, after all we've all seen real time combat, so he tried to do something a little different. Perhaps there was too much of it, but for this film it works.

 

I believe it was more of a deliberate attempt at a pantomine or ballet within the choreography and pace of the movie's battles.

 

As for simple consumerism, I think the artistic elements throughout the film show it's more than that. Many of the compositions contain references to classical works of art and the structure of greek aesthetics, especially the lighting and color palette. Look at the last scene Leonidas is in, as the camera moves away you see what could have been a masterpiece done by a greek artist or one influenced by greek art.

 

Is this a perfect movie? No it isn't. But accept it for what it is and you can see it is a radical shift in the way movies can be made or done, or approached. Some evolution and progress, in a positive way and that is always good for cinema and its evolution as an artform.

 

I think Zack Synder tried for something different and he succedded, I totally enjoyed this movie and I think it will influence filmmakers to think in different directions and to use more non-traditional influences as they craft their work.

 

Just my 2c,

 

K.

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I saw it this afternoon. I agree with most of the observations I've found here so far. I guess this movie requires leaning towards a veiw of the artist's intent. It's obvious that they were going for a visual presentation. So, slim story and monoconceptual dramatics are understandable. Did it deliver on the visuals? Damn skippy it did! WOW, what images. They used darn near everything off of my art school's list of elements of design. I could even forgive the badly hidden propaganda and inaccurate history. Even the over-belabored time shifting and over done blood spewing didn't wear too thin for me. All in all, I'll notch this one pretty respectably high on my cinema-as-art-o-meter.

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I saw the movie last night. Apparently it's on track to make between 65 - 70 million dollars this weekend. Which will make it the largest opening weekend ever in the January - April window. So kudos to Snyder and the rest of his team.

 

Now for my review. :)

 

First off, I consider myself 'left of mainstream' and I love action, popcorn movies, and the odd art film. This being the case, I was really looking forward to 300.... I have to admit I was disappointed.

 

As everyone has already said, the film's visuals are wonderful. They are so different from anything else you would ever see in a North American theatre that it is truly a treat.

 

However, the dialogue is near laughable, the acting is all one note (King Leonidas yells virtually every single line he has), and the movie fails to really connect on an emotional level (it works only as visceral entertainment).

 

The film is candy for your brain - it's brightly colored, it's chewy, it's sweet, and it's digested fast enough to leave you wanting more but it sure as hell ain't good for ya.

 

The film is entertaining but it had the potential to be more than just entertaining. Don't get me wrong, I think Snyder has a fantastic career ahead of him (and he's already got a pretty darn good one behind him). My problem is that I wanted this to be more than a one-note action rollercoaster with the odd 'man's man' propaganda slogan yelled out at me.

 

Beautiful film though - and I've never seen grain/noise look so pretty and add to the overall atmosphere of the movie in a more organic way.

 

Evan

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I was not too thrilled. The action and visuals as every one has said, amazing.

 

I was curious about how they severed limbs in this movie. As I've never done anything like that I'm curious as to how it was done. Were those particular men cg? or was it live action with cg painted in. Or better yet did they actually cut off these peoples legs, arms, heads, etc. :-P.

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My review:

 

I was prepared to hate it and was pleasantly surprised. I'm not really going to review the plot because this is a cinematography forum.

 

GREEN SCREEN: I think of the "green screen" movies this is the best so far (including the star wars ones). First off, I suspect the director was good at giving the actors a sense of where they are and what is going on in addition to where they are in the story which makes a big difference too. From a Visual Effects point of view, I can't underscore the importance that many of of the sets were live and most often the blue screen was used for the larger landscapes and skies rather than entire sets (which has been most filmmaker's inclination... it makes a huge difference. The abs were apparently not done in post. :)

 

FIGHTING: Visually - I thought the fighting scenes were really fantastic. It is what I would lean towards if given this type of situation. It was a nice balance of watching the grace of the motion and then seeing the specific of what is actually going on. The gore was pretty intense, but so comic-book styled that it wasn't terribly offensive. I didn't squeam and I'm a guy who can't sit still for a movie like Hostel (which I couldn't get through). People could debate the morality of which is better for hours I'm sure. Limbs could be done by roto'ing out the existing limb and putting in a CG limb. All of this stuff was excessively planned and rehearsed. If a blade has to go through an arm, you can be sure the blade was not there originally... or the arm was not.

 

COMPARED TO THE COMIC...errr GRAPHIC NOVEL: I was thinking while watching the movie "Wow, they probably plucked this right from the pages of the book." However, after I saw the movie, I looked at the books and I must commend the filmmakers because I think they really took it way beyond the book. The level of aesthetic beauty in the movie is all in it's own. While definitely inspired by the book as conceptual art, the realization of it is a huge compliment to all the key artists involved across the board. I hope they receive many production design awards.

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Is it just me or does anyone else start to feel that they are doing well in the world of cinematography, until they see this?

 

I mean.. I've been practicing lots of stuff and learning about cinematography for several years. But I'm not sure I could ever compete with this. This just doesn't get anymore stunning.

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Is it just me or does anyone else start to feel that they are doing well in the world of cinematography, until they see this?

 

I mean.. I've been practicing lots of stuff and learning about cinematography for several years. But I'm not sure I could ever compete with this. This just doesn't get anymore stunning.

 

Visually stunning, yes, almost overpowering -- but the limitations of this approach must be obvious as well. Wouldn't make much sense for a typical drama like "Breach" or "Zodiak" or a romantic comedy like "Starter for Ten" to look like "300", would it?

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Visually stunning, yes, almost overpowering -- but the limitations of this approach must be obvious as well. Wouldn't make much sense for a typical drama like "Breach" or "Zodiak" or a romantic comedy like "Starter for Ten" to look like "300", would it?

Sure, eye candy visuals aren't necessarily 'better' than high quality visuals from dramas like Road to Perdition (thriller/drama) but in all honesty, they seem the hardest to produce.

 

I've gone out with my SLR and shot some nice images with the existing light. And I'm confident that I've almost gotten the best image possible, from that situation.

 

However... the images that I find hardest to produce are, the eye candy shots. i.e. Sure the exposure and composition were great. But it didn't have the same 'stunning' look as some other peoples photography. Where they managed to 'alter' elements.

 

I've found there are two different types of cinematographers. The ones who can make things out of nothing (make stuff up, i.e. Sin City). And the ones who can produce the best from what there is. (Conrad L. Halls style of work)

 

I suppose it comes down to what you prefer. Realism or stylized.

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Not to knock the cinematographer's contribution, especially for lighting the actors, but in these "painted" realities, a lot of that work is done by the post people. There was something similar in the 1930's/40's when so much work was done on soundstages that very wide shots had matte paintings, driving shots had rear-projection (which was even used for whole scenes for backdrops) but nothing to the extent of these modern CGI movies. Back then, you'd be looking more at early Disney animated features for that kind of look.

 

I love painted scenes too, but it's limited to certain types of movies and it goes beyond what a cinematographer alone can accomplish. And it's pretty expensive to make "virtual reality" movies like "300" or "Sin City". Seems cheaper at first because you hardly have any sets, just a lot of greenscreen, but wait until you get into post...

 

So your "two types of cinematographer" thing doesn't really make sense. Two types of movie reality, maybe, but not two types of cinematographers. I mean, look at Larry Fong (who shows up here now and then) -- before "300", he shot "Lost" on TV, a very different sort of photography.

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Not to knock the cinematographer's contribution, especially for lighting the actors, but in these "painted" realities, a lot of that work is done by the post people. There was something similar in the 1930's/40's when so much work was done on soundstages that very wide shots had matte paintings, driving shots had rear-projection (which was even used for whole scenes for backdrops) but nothing to the extent of these modern CGI movies. Back then, you'd be looking more at early Disney animated features for that kind of look.

 

I love painted scenes too, but it's limited to certain types of movies and it goes beyond what a cinematographer alone can accomplish. And it's pretty expensive to make "virtual reality" movies like "300" or "Sin City". Seems cheaper at first because you hardly have any sets, just a lot of greenscreen, but wait until you get into post...

 

So your "two types of cinematographer" thing doesn't really make sense. Two types of movie reality, maybe, but not two types of cinematographers. I mean, look at Larry Fong (who shows up here now and then) -- before "300", he shot "Lost" on TV, a very different sort of photography.

Well that's why I've always preferred 'raw' photography as opposed to photoshoped material. A lot of people my age have produced far more stunning photos, but it's only because they used Photoshop to style them. I try not to use Photoshop in any of my photography now.

 

However, it's not just the 'post-production' element that changes the image.

 

When comparing:

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/51231452/

 

to this:

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/51296535/

 

It's easy to see that the first image is more stylized and suited towards films like 'Sin City', and that the second is more suited towards a drama like 'Eastenders'.

 

However.

 

What, was the hardest image to make?

 

They are both good in their own right but I'm certain that the first image was harder. Being able to manipulate and change images in that way, optically.

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