章 93: Chapter 93 Birdman Skills
When Ethan appeared in front of Rob, he noticed that the three of them were indeed frowning in deep thought.
"Director, Ethan says he has an idea," Colleen called out directly when she saw them, pushing Ethan to the forefront.
"What?" Dion raised an eyebrow, looking a bit surprised.
Rob clapped his hands together. "Really? I was just about to ask you. You're good with long takes, right? I saw the MV you shot for Nelly, and it was impressive."
Before recommending Ethan for the team, the director had reviewed his cinematography skills. It was after seeing the MVs Ethan shot for Kelly and Nelly that Rob decided to bring him on board.
As for Avril's new song?
Unfortunately, they'd been so busy preparing for Chicago over the past few months that they hadn't had time to follow the music scene or catch the sensational MV everyone was raving about.
"Yes, I do have some ideas, but I'd like to hear the director's original approach first," Ethan said.
"Alright, here's what I had in mind…" Rob began, eagerly explaining his concept.
"My ideal sequence involves the camera following the nightclub manager from behind as he searches for someone, weaving through scantily clad hostesses and sharply dressed men.
"Then, the manager meets the heroine here, on the stairs, and from there, the perspective shifts! The camera follows the heroine upstairs and into a room."
Rob pointed enthusiastically at various spots in the corridor, explaining his arrangement with fervor.
"But the problem is, the path from the main hall to here is extremely narrow, with multiple 270-degree turns. Even with handheld cameras, it's impossible to keep the movement stable, and the shaking would ruin the viewing experience."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. Indeed, in the original Chicago film, the opening sequence followed two parallel storylines:
One followed the nightclub manager as he walked through the hall to find the heroine.
The other followed the heroine as she got out of a car, met the manager, and entered a room to change.
The two storylines only intersected at one point visually. Clearly, Rob had abandoned his original long-take idea and settled for parallel editing, indicating he couldn't come up with a feasible solution.
However, the problem wasn't as daunting for Ethan.
"I don't think it's that hard," Ethan said. "There's a simple way to solve the stability issue with long takes."
"What way?" Rob's eyes lit up as he leaned in eagerly.
The others also turned their attention to Ethan.
Ethan smiled and waved the smoke away with his hand. "Just turn the long take into a series of short takes."
Rob didn't quite grasp what Ethan meant, his expression tinged with disappointment.
Dion, however, sneered and lit another cigarette, hiding a smirk.
"I don't get it. Are you saying we should shoot the long take in sections? But how do we connect those sections seamlessly?" John, the art director, raised an eyebrow in confusion.
Seeing their puzzled expressions, Ethan's smile deepened.
At that moment, none of them could imagine the effect this method could achieve. It wouldn't be until 2014, with the release of Birdman, that audiences would fully appreciate the power of seamless long-take transitions combining top-notch cinematography and editing.
The technique Ethan referred to was inspired by Birdman. At the time, countless viewers analyzed the film frame by frame, trying to identify the transition points. But thanks to exceptional cinematography and editing, those transitions were nearly impossible to detect.
Many even claimed the movie had no cuts at all.
Ethan leaned casually against the wall and began explaining: "We all know that as long as the visuals presented to the audience remain continuous, it qualifies as a long take. However, few filmmakers attempt this because creating seamless transitions between cuts is extremely—"
"Not just extremely, but extraordinarily difficult," Dion interjected, snuffing out his cigarette as he spoke. "I don't see the point in forcing it, Rob Quick cuts are always an option."
"Yeah, I don't think it's necessary to insist on this," John chimed in supportively.
Ethan shrugged. Their skepticism was understandable. Cinematic conventions evolve over time. Before the advent of montage techniques, no one believed they would become a cornerstone of filmmaking.
Dion's perspective represented that of most traditional cinematographers. But over the next decade, the industry would see an increasing number of breakthroughs challenging old norms.
Fortunately, Rob wasn't swayed by Dion's opinion. He turned to Ethan directly. "Go on, Ethan..."
"In my opinion, it's actually quite simple." Ethan removed a marker clipped to his chest and began drawing a rough route map on the glass. "Given the frequent turns in the corridor, we can divide the path into three segments. I've already scouted the area near the stairs. From the main hall to this first corner can serve as Segment One."
"Then, from the corner to the base of the stairs is Segment Two, and the winding corridor becomes Segment Three."
Once the route was defined, Ethan mimicked holding a camera with both hands in front of his chest. "At the end of each segment, we use a motion blur transition—like a whip pan—to seamlessly connect the segments.
"Because audiences can't perceive a cut during rapid movement, as long as the scenes and lighting match, we can create the illusion of a continuous long take!"
"Hiss… That actually makes sense…" John was the first to catch on.
But Dion immediately voiced his objections. "No, that won't work, Ethan. What you're describing is the ideal scenario. I've tried tracking shots before, and it's impossible to smoothly execute a 270-degree turn. It's just not feasible."
Rob's expression turned conflicted.
Though Colleen didn't understand much about camera work, seeing their reactions prompted her to chime in, "Why not give it a try?"
Rob closed his eyes in thought for a moment before opening them again. "Alright, I can visualize what Ethan is describing, and I think it's worth a shot. Dion…"
"If you're dead set on it, then fine, let's try," Dion said nonchalantly, shrugging. "But, Rob, I'd still recommend having a backup plan. Changing it once the actors are on set would be too late."
"Hmm… You're not wrong," Rob admitted hesitantly.
But Ethan shook his head. "No need for that. I can do it."
"Really?" Rob's eyes widened.
"Of course. I can demonstrate right now," Ethan replied confidently. In fact, he'd experimented with this technique while shooting Avril's MV but hadn't used it due to narrative considerations.
"Great! Let's try it immediately!" Rob said, eager to see the results, and hurriedly led Ethan to the camera setup, paying no attention to Dion's sour expression.
With the help of an assistant, Ethan strapped a Steadicam stabilizer onto himself and positioned himself at the end of the corridor.
"Alright, you go ahead, and Ethan will follow," Rob directed a crew member, who quickly took position in front of Ethan.
"Alright! Everyone clear the hallway, test shoot starting!"
As Rob gave the cue, Ethan carefully adjusted the camera to ensure it remained centered while smoothly following the crew member.
The two moved through the corridor, reaching the base of the stairs—exactly the endpoint of Segment One.
Rob watched nervously, unsure if Ethan could pull it off in one go. He considered it nearly impossible. The turn ahead was narrow, the stairs were spiral-shaped, and the camera operator needed to rotate the camera 270 degrees quickly and stably.
This wasn't a 90- or 180-degree turn; the difficulty increased significantly. Moreover, the Steadicam, being heavy and resistant to quick directional changes, made the task even harder. It was no wonder Dion had failed repeatedly during prior attempts.
Dion stood in the back of the crowd, arms crossed, his expression slightly disdainful. The slippery marble floor only added to the challenge. A fast pivot, combined with low friction, could easily lead to a fall.
However, Dion said nothing, opting instead to watch quietly.
To everyone's surprise, when Ethan reached the turn and began pivoting, something astonishing happened.
He used his foot to brace against the doorframe, pushed off with both hands, and executed a clean, stable whip pan, rotating 180 degrees effortlessly. Then, with a twist of his waist, he completed the remaining 90 degrees.
The entire motion was seamless, showcasing Ethan's exceptional physical control.
"Cut!" Rob instinctively called out.
Then, realizing what had just happened, he froze for two seconds before rushing over to Ethan. "How was it?"
"No problem, Director. Let's move on to the next segment," Ethan said, catching his breath for a moment before recovering, leaving Dion frowning deeply.
"Alright, let's continue!" Rob exclaimed with excitement.
In a short time, Ethan completed filming the remaining segments.
Since this was only a test, they used a digital camera instead of film, eliminating the need for film processing.
Ethan and the post-production team performed a rough cut on-site, drawing the entire crew, including Robert, to gather around the screen for the results.
Dion was among them, his expression tight and serious.
As the screen lit up, the footage began to play. The back of the crew member appeared, running forward, with the camera smoothly following his footsteps
Ethan's camera work was incredibly smooth, following the crew member without a single hitch. Even the minor vibrations were controlled, remaining within a comfortable range that did not detract from the viewing experience.
When the crew member reached the corridor's end and made the turn, the camera followed effortlessly. The motion blur from the quick horizontal movement appeared, and in the next second, the 270-degree rotation was complete, seamlessly transitioning to the crew member descending the staircase.
"Oh, my God!" Director Rob exclaimed in astonishment.
...
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