J.J. Abrams, Steven Spielberg, and the Multi-Beat Shot
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- Опубликовано: 9 мар 2022
- When you think of the cinematography of a J.J. Abrams film, you probably think of one thing -- lens flares. And sure, that's an easy joke to make. But I want to dig deeper, and explore his use of camera movement and blocking to create multi-beat shots, while also looking back on the influence Steven Spielberg has on this style.
Special thanks to Joseph Kahn for answering questions about this style and the terms he uses to describe them.
Music: "Smooth and Cool" - Nico Staf
For educational purposes only. 
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"The multi-beat" has always been one of my favorite aspects of Spielberg's style. It's so lyrical and fun to watch.
Entertaining and educational video. I appreciate the time and thought that was put into this analysis. Great job!
Not only Jean Renoir did MBS, but Max Ophüls, Otto Preminger, Kenji Mizoguchi, etc. Now, when Spielberg or Abrams do them, it's to make spectators drunk. That's why it's fast : we are supposed to be immersed in the action, whereas in the great classic cinema MBS had multiple meanings and were never intended to stun us. A wealth of meaning has been lost.
@@freeusername "Just because something doesn't happen slowly it doesn't automatically mean it has any less meaning or subtext." I never said such a thing.
Brad Bird is also a master of this type of shot
Great video, man! Nice job!
I can always tell what a great filmmaker jj abrams COULD be. he seems to be very good at working with actors and has his craft very well established. But he needs a way to actually resolve his "mystery boxes" and ideally get a script written for him
Watch Mission: Impossible III, a few clips from which are shown in this video. It's an _excellent_ movie with a solid script, excellent acting, phenomenal opening scene and tight pacing. Highly recommended.
You should start making videos again.
Awesome video- Thanks for featuring JJ's work on The Force Awakens... especially that seen with the "escape from jakku", which is my favorite Star Wars scene of any kind outside of the original trilogy... No JJ is NOT Speilberg (few are)..However his style definitely borrows from Spielberg's...George Lucas always said that he wanted to recruit Spielberg to direct Return to the Jedi...While we as Star Wars fans can always wonder what could have been, I think Force awakens is the closest thing we'll ever get to a Star Wars film directed by Spielberg
Thanks for the great video!
No more uploads?
Excellent video essay.
It’s funny, these “multi-beat” shots are clever, technically complex and, in and of themselves, cinematically pleasing. But, watching them, I find that I don’t like them. Unless used sparingly, they cheapen the scene because they don’t give your eye time to wander the image a bit and explore the environment to take it in. JJ Abrams’ specific use of it feels born out of a fear that the audience will get bored so he’s gotta keep things moving. Spielberg‘s use is better because it’s slower and less frequent. As an audience member, let me weigh in a little on how I want to interact with the scene before I get whiplash :) That being said, you did a good job laying it out and explaining it.
Yes! Thank you. But it is not the essence of MBS to be that. When Spielberg or Abrams do them, it's to make spectators drunk. That's why it's fast : we are supposed to be immersed in the action. But in the great classic cinema (Renoir, Preminger, Mizoguchi) MBS took some time, had multiple meanings and were never intended to stun us. A wealth of meaning has been lost.
Me, I've never even noticed them-and I guess good camerawork won't call too much attention to itself. I think "allowing the viewer's eye to wander" is a technique in and of itself, and could also be the wrong shot for a moment.
pretty cool
Love this!
Great breakdown, thanks for this!
5:27 har har
Nice. Good thoughts and perspectives. You’ve collected another subscriber. One thought if I may: you’re background music was a bit distracting. The content is good, you don’t even need the music.
It's ironic that the first example of the multi-beat shot in this video essay was a "JJ Abrams shot", since JJ didn't shoot it -- Spielberg visited the set that day and filmed that very shot himself. Regardless, very insightful video!
This is very interesting. Are you referring to the very first shot in the at the beginning of the video or a longer one later on? A time stamp would be helpful. Also, are there other shots in the movie that he filmed?
Thank you!
@@romanl8748 Don't need a time stamp, it's the very first shot in this video essay -- the kid comes into the frame and holds his hands up in the "director's framing" gesture (the shot actually is cut off in thus essay, but it's a oner and "multi-beat shot"). I'm only aware of this one shot that Spielberg directed. I'm trying to find the BTS interview for you that I saw back when the film opened that states this.
@@DeanAlioto Just seeing your reply. Thank you, this is very interesting. If you find the BTS interview I would be very interested in seeing it.
The scene when Spielberg visited the set was the breakfast scene with the kids watching the news.
@@olskoolvideoarchives Hey, Olskool! I'm hearing conflicting stories on this. Can you point me to the article or video you saw this on? Thnx!
« Camera pans down with Finn. » No it doesn’t. It cranes down/ jibs down/ pedestals down. Pans are left and right nodal rotations. 1:36 multibeat shots mostly evolved from live television dramas where cuts were rare.
Terrific video! Really appreciate that you were able to find language for some of the different types of camera movements within a multi-beat shot. I look forward to your next video!
This the last element that prevents Stranger Things from becoming actually great
Very clever! Thanks for sharing, I found it insightful and am glad you explored the pros and cons of choosing this approach
Nicely done video! Instant subscribe!
Great explanation. Must be great to pull one of these off well.
Great video, keep it going. Looking forward to the next one
These feel like i'm watching a video game cut scene. I think they work best in an intense scene. The minority report scene looked silly, its just blokes in a room talking.
Great vid!
Nice!!!
One additional difficulty: Your light set up needs to be well set up. It not only needs to stay out of the way 100% (or you are willing to roto scope tripods) but you also need to make sure every beat looks good.
Great video :)
Great video. Lovely to see the distinction between the one-r/developing master and the multi-beat shot. Subbed! (Funnily enough I just did a video on how I created developing masters on my last movie if of interest!)
Yo! I've been saying this forever! Haha I just called them combo shots or beat shots. uy Using a single shot to lead into new compositions to elevate the storytelling. Also gives it a very cinematic, interesting look with the amount of camera movement and motion blur/cadence applied to the beat of the shot.
Yeah I never really knew what to call these kinds of shots either since I never heard an official name for them. But combo shot definitely works. Probably quick to say on set as well, so I dig it.
this is a stolen video! LINK THE SOURCE! >:I
Hi there! Genuine question - where else did you see this video? I uploaded it here first, and then submitted it to be featured in an article on No Film School's website. But I promise this is the original source.
@@whatisee-filmmakingbreakdo3007 In that case, my apologize. That is where I saw the vid the first time. No Film School.