Change of Mind: "Once" and Filmmaking

After watching Once in English class, my eyes was opened to a whole new aspect of great film: realism. Before watching the movie, the idea of realism in film had never crossed my mind. I am so glad that we watched Once in class; I now approach film with a new, better attitude on cinematography, plot, and camera.

Before watching Once, I was a crazy camera angles kind of guy. I had always assumed that watching a scene from as many angles as possible was crucial to a successful movie. I saw high-budget movies as examples, completely disregarding the factor of realism. I admired films like James Cameron’s Avatar for their technical merit, but I often forgot about the storyline and emotional backing that runs so deep in many great movies. Instead of focusing on the artistry of film, I glossed over what really mattered and settled for thoughtless humor and action movies.

I didn’t realize the importance of realism in film until I watched Once in English class. The camerawork was astonishing to me. Almost the entire movie was filmed using a handheld camera, and the camera was placed in locations that made it seem as if I was in the scene with the main characters. Both of these smart filmmaking decisions added realism to the scenes, a concept that was largely unknown to me before Once. I specifically remember the scene on the city bus, when the man sang “Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy.” The camera was placed in a seat, facing backwards on the main characters. I felt as if I was in the scene, laughing with them to the lyrics of the song.

In addition, the scenes in Once were staged in typical, public settings, often with many people in the background. This created an image that these main characters were not unlike normal people, and instead were just a boy and a girl and their story of love and music. This subtle placement of the scenes stuck with me personally, and when I walked out of English class after watching the movie, I felt incredibly out of it and confused. The addition of realism sucked into the story like I had never been before.

While Once has clearly opened my eyes to appreciating realism in film, it has also allowed me to further acknowledge all aspects of a great movie, from writing to production. I now look at movies with a new frame of mind, and mindless humor and action are no longer things that I look for. Not only did I find a great movie in Once, but I found the opportunity to appreciate thousands of great movies in the future!