punch drunk love

Louis · March 13, 2005

i have a question for anyone willing to answer. there's a scene in punch drunk love where adam sandler's character falls to the ground on his side, and the camera mimicks his movement in a POV shot. basically, the camera starts facing forward normally, then it slowly rotates sideways and hits the ground. the movement is very smooth and it looks pretty great, and i was just wondering if anyone knows how a shot like that is done. it was clearly not done handheld, because the motion was very smooth, and it stops very abruptly when it hits the ground. any speculation is more than welcome as well.

Rob Belics · March 13, 2005

Sorry to piggyback onto your question but I was wondering if anyone knew if there was a meaning behind the occasional flares that occur in the film. iirc, there were five or six long horizontal blue flares at certain points. They were so blatant that I couldn't help but think they had a hidden meaning of some sort.

Michael Nash · March 13, 2005

You can get that type of movement with a 3-axis head. A "normal" head allows 2 axes of movement; pan & tilt. A 3-axis head allows for "roll" as well. There are manually operated heads such as those made by Weaver-Steadman, and motorized heads that are often mounted on cranes. Some heads allow a continuous 360 degrees of movement.

The blue flares are the type of lens flare you get with some anamorphic lenses. In Punch Drunk Love it was obviously a deliberate stylistic choice to include such flares, although the "meaning" is probably open to interpretation. For me I saw it as an impressionistic touch that helped suggest the way Adam's character felt overwhelmed by the chaotic world he was caught up in. The flares kind of visually intrude on the frame, and create a slight distraction and loss of visual "clarity" to the environment, giving the viewer a feeling similar to what the character is supposed to be experiencing. But that's just my interpretation.

Louis · March 14, 2005

You can get that type of movement with a 3-axis head. A "normal" head allows 2 axes of movement; pan & tilt. A 3-axis head allows for "roll" as well. There are manually operated heads such as those made by Weaver-Steadman, and motorized heads that are often mounted on cranes. Some heads allow a continuous 360 degrees of movement.

The blue flares are the type of lens flare you get with some anamorphic lenses. In Punch Drunk Love it was obviously a deliberate stylistic choice to include such flares, although the "meaning" is probably open to interpretation. For me I saw it as an impressionistic touch that helped suggest the way Adam's character felt overwhelmed by the chaotic world he was caught up in. The flares kind of visually intrude on the frame, and create a slight distraction and loss of visual "clarity" to the environment, giving the viewer a feeling similar to what the character is supposed to be experiencing. But that's just my interpretation.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

that definitely answers part of it, but how would they make it look like the camera hit the ground? they'd have to boom down, and have the boom arm touch the ground at the end of the shot, and make it stop abuptly. can that all be done with a motorized head, and if so, wouldn't the motorized head be underneath the camera, and thus make it impossible for the camera to appear as if it is on the floor? i dunno, i probably sound ignorant right now.

Mike Panczenko · March 14, 2005

Regarding the flares, Punch Drunk Love wasn't shot in anamorphic, but Super 35. AC reviewed it in their DVD section, and said they're called "scopitones." I'm getting ready for bed, but maybe someone can google it?

Robert C. Weber · March 14, 2005

PDL was anamorphic, I'm not sure how the AC magazine got it wrong. The behind-the-scenes article on the Fuji website mentions Primo anamorphics. The scopitones were the colorful interludes between scenes created by artist Jeremy Blake.

David Mullen ASC · March 14, 2005

"Punch Drunk Love" was shot in anamorphic on Fuji F-125T film.

From Exposure, Summer 2002 (Fuji Newsletter): "Elswit shot Punch Drunk Love with Panavision cameras and Primo anamorphic lenses."

Boone Hudgins · March 14, 2005

I don't remember the AC article mentioning Super 35, either. It obviously looks anamorphic, regardless.

Michael Nash · March 16, 2005

that definitely answers part of it, but how would they make it look like the camera hit the ground? they'd have to boom down, and have the boom arm touch the ground at the end of the shot, and make it stop abuptly. can that all be done with a motorized head, and if so, wouldn't the motorized head be underneath the camera, and thus make it impossible for the camera to appear as if it is on the floor? i dunno, i probably sound ignorant right now.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I only saw the movie once, so I don't remember that particular shot.

A three-axis head doesn't necessarily have to be under the camera; remote heads are often mounted "underslung" with the head actually above the camera. Some 3-axis heads have a kind of ring with the camera mounted in the middle.

For shots where the lens has to go to ground level, you either dig a hole for the camera or build up a false floor to the set, so the camera can go slightly below floor level.