Remember this movie was made in the 70's, and the director(Sam Peckinpah) was one of the first to film slow mo death scenes emerged with the confusing 'shaky camera' effect for realism or at least for the 'like you there' look . His 'style' have since been coppied(and obviously improved) many times over.
Improved? I'd like to see an example where a newer movie improved this technique, in fact I am surprised at how poorly slow mo is done in most movies.
1. He doesn't use a shaky camera, what he does use is rapidly changing camera angles but the quality of each view is perfect. For example, you first see Schnurrbart ('Private Mustache') getting shot from the point of view of the machine gunner and falling backward onto the barbed wire. Then you hear Steiner scream NO, and you see Schnurrbart being shot and falling backward again as if you are to the right and a little behind him (Steiner's point of view). The effect is if you are seeing this unfold from multiple point of views all at the same time. The challenge for the director is to do this but still retain continuity without confusing the audience. I think he accomplishes this well. You experience this scene as if you are with the machine gunner and with the ill fated squad.
2. The visual slow motion is accompanied with sound in normal time. This avoids that hackneyed effect, seen in most recent films, where someone dives in front of someone yelling 'nooooo' in that low distorted garble. Peckinpah's technique is able to emphasize the fate of the actors but still retain normal pacing. I think this technique is EXTREMELY effective and I'm surprised that it has not been copied more.
The one concession I'll make is that the pirouette in slow motion while being shot in front and back is a tad cliche now, but it still works in the scene. If I was making a new movie I would NOT copy it (unless it was a tribute). I understand why Peckinpah did this, the special effect is likely accomplished by having a blood pack and a small explosive under the jacket to look like a bullet exit wound. It was probably easier to have one in the back (boom), pirouette and then have the one in the front go off rather than have both next to each other in the back.
Btw the OP is a troll but I know that you, trfruin, are making an honest point.
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8 years ago
Improved? I'd like to see an example where a newer movie improved this technique, in fact I am surprised at how poorly slow mo is done in most movies.
Did you watch any John Woo film? Or by Michael Bay?
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