tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post4950021039316172177..comments2024-03-17T10:11:46.952-04:00Comments on Film Experience Blog: Unsung Heroes: The Special Effects of Eternal SunshineNATHANIEL Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11597109147678235399noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-26356340505996642322010-09-15T15:37:08.798-04:002010-09-15T15:37:08.798-04:00I love watching the books all slowly turn white in...I love watching the books all slowly turn white in the bookstore scene. It's so subtle, that people don't even notice it until they're all blank.The Former 786https://www.blogger.com/profile/11836226718839989687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-71302736666610413252010-09-15T15:02:50.912-04:002010-09-15T15:02:50.912-04:00Sir, singling out the special effects in Eternal S...Sir, singling out the special effects in Eternal Sunshine takes insight and taste. They work for the movie, rather than showing off the size of the budget or the FX supervisor's genitals. <br /><br />Excellent post, I look forward to reading more entries in this series.D Boweshttp://moviesbybowes.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-27038083506521917152010-09-15T12:35:21.684-04:002010-09-15T12:35:21.684-04:00Great write up. One effective effect that stuck ou...Great write up. One effective effect that stuck out to me the 1st time I saw it- they're arguing in the bookstore and all the books have been turned spine inward. So many great details like that.<br /><br />Yavor- funny you mention Benjamin Button. This article got me thinking about David Fincher's Zodiac. If you asked the average viewer to point out the special effects in the film, most people would be stumped, but complicated, seamlessly integrated CGI work is sprinkled throughout the film.Dannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-83131793115355031662010-09-15T12:06:34.243-04:002010-09-15T12:06:34.243-04:00Thank you. This is, hands down, my favorite movie ...Thank you. This is, hands down, my favorite movie and one of the reasons is the special effects. I remember wanting to re-watch it immediately after I was finished the first time.<br />One of my favorite scenes that I love is the forced pespective scene when Joel was a little kid again and hiding under the kitchen table. So genius. I love that they took the time to create all the amazing over-sized props, instead of just resorting to easy CGI. <br />I think, as expensive and elaborate as CGI can get, it feels like an easy way out. The time and dedication it took to make Clem and Joel look like adult and child was breathtaking and made it look real.Kelly Hhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07721426786645466741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-22166822373460502002010-09-15T11:03:58.637-04:002010-09-15T11:03:58.637-04:00i agree that the rawness of the special effects is...i agree that the rawness of the special effects is what gives them that unsettling realism. it's like when you're dreaming and the faces around you start to blur, places change so fast, things appear and disappear, etc. that scene with kate winslet sliding through the dark is almost reminiscent of the feeling you get when you've woken up from a dream, and as you try to remember what you were dreaming, it just fades quickly, like sand slipping through your fingers, and all of a sudden you can't remember at all, even if you've just woken up.<br />i think live special effects reflect reality better because they're, well, real. whereas computer effects might get a bit carried away in accomplishing a polished look and not focus enough on how real it seems, just how cool it comes out.vanessahttp://thewestcoastlady.tumblr.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-25528448206940699832010-09-10T17:35:42.229-04:002010-09-10T17:35:42.229-04:00My favorite special effects in Eternal Sunshine is...My favorite special effects in Eternal Sunshine is during the library scene near the end, when she looked at him and says "Remember me, try your best" and it took me several viewings to see that the titles on the books' cover actually fade out during the whole scene, the same way the faces do during the scene you mention in your article.<br />There are plenty of titles at the beginning and at the end all the covers are blank. White blank.<br />Delicate, subtle special effects.Fredhttp://www.filmsdelover.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-63593211626507112582010-09-09T17:06:01.397-04:002010-09-09T17:06:01.397-04:00Great pick. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ...Great pick. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of my favorite romantic movie. The special effect definitely were underrated given how much they contributed to the "fractured" feeling of the movie and went hand in hand with the story instead of overshadowing it like in some many movies.Castorhttp://www.anomalousmaterial.com/movies/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-70077126498257902262010-09-09T12:17:35.285-04:002010-09-09T12:17:35.285-04:00Another less than noted hero: Costume design in He...Another less than noted hero: Costume design in Heathers. Sumptous, yet modern and also emphasising the comedy of the story. And why wasn't it nominated? Driving Miss Daisy? No one changed costume. Harlem Nights? Monotonous suits. Either one of those would have been fine to drop.Volvagianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-46319724741065447502010-09-09T07:35:53.452-04:002010-09-09T07:35:53.452-04:00a really good decision for a post ;)
even though ...a really good decision for a post ;)<br /><br />even though I cannot really recall my favorite special effect in the movie I love the ones you've addressed.<br /><br />A case in which the special/visual effects in a big budget movie were absolutely amazing -> The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12731831712362994812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-10612767307307310462010-09-09T04:53:34.877-04:002010-09-09T04:53:34.877-04:00Congrats to the Visual Effects Society Awards and ...Congrats to the Visual Effects Society Awards and to the Golden Satellite that were so brillant to nominate the special effects of the movie, even if at last Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind lost to The Aviator and House Of Flying DaggersMirkonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-75349130468307287992010-09-09T02:24:20.987-04:002010-09-09T02:24:20.987-04:00Exactly... Eternal Sunshine, Frida, Children of Me...Exactly... Eternal Sunshine, Frida, Children of Men and The Fountain all have ABSOLUTELY AMAZING special effects that CONTRIBUTE to make the story and the films even bigger and better intead of just being WOW! FLASHY!<br /><br />Love this entry and have a feeling that I'm going to love the series...Fernando Mosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01910646761117970758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-57164036833368703372010-09-09T00:55:49.881-04:002010-09-09T00:55:49.881-04:00Mandy Walker for her cinematography for 'Austr...Mandy Walker for her cinematography for 'Australia'. So many great shots. Especially when the bombs explode all around King George and the wonderful landscapes of Australia.<br /><br />and for an out there choice, <br />some sort of recognition for Ian McDiarmid for Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. He was delightfully over the top and an absolute joy to watch in an otherwise overblown movie. Who would'nt join the Sith if he's the leader?Derreckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16753119043647198637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-12667045603030950612010-09-08T23:47:20.330-04:002010-09-08T23:47:20.330-04:00Agreed. Similarly, Frida in 2002.
I hope that no...Agreed. Similarly, <i>Frida</i> in 2002. <br /><br />I hope that now the visual effects category has been expanded to five that there may be room for something like or or even something as fucked up as <i>Enter the Void</i> or left-of-centre like a horror movie.Glennhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08194113062830373898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-55713198169896750142010-09-08T22:41:25.536-04:002010-09-08T22:41:25.536-04:00I have yet to meet the PT Anderson film I don'...I have yet to meet the PT Anderson film I don't love. Punch Drunk Love also has some very original sound design that might fit this series well.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01343638129743484886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-75562857009225011972010-09-08T22:37:50.366-04:002010-09-08T22:37:50.366-04:00Great post! I love Eternal Sunshine. I'll have...Great post! I love Eternal Sunshine. I'll have to watch it again sometime soon, I think.<br /><br />And I have no idea if you the movie or not, but I'm a big fan of Punch-Drunk Love's costuming. Actually, I'd classify the entire film as an unsung hero. It's kinda overshadowed by the rest of PTA's films.MDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06698158831863143375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-39154787839224010412010-09-08T22:33:12.504-04:002010-09-08T22:33:12.504-04:00It wouldn't be nice, it would be fantastic if ...It wouldn't be nice, it would be fantastic if "the Oscars found room to honor the effects that best enhanced the artistic power of the material regardless of the price tag attached." But then they wouldn't be the Oscars, would they?Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-34307187844904820262010-09-08T21:30:49.040-04:002010-09-08T21:30:49.040-04:00Robert - Thanks. I'm excited to write this ser...Robert - Thanks. I'm excited to write this series. Rewatching the film for this post I noticed all kinds of stuff I never had seen before. Did you spot that in the scene where the car falls from the sky Clem only has one leg? I sure hadn't. <br /><br />James T - Thanks!<br /><br />Movie Geek - That's the scene I was alluding to when I mentioned double exposures. The hardest part about writing this post was narrowing down the effects I wanted to mention. I could do a post about every scene.<br /><br />Volvagia - Great choice, but I'm going to try to avoid discussing acting in the series, at least for a while. There's too many other facets of filmmaking that never get mentioned.<br /><br />Cal Roth - I was thinking the same way about editing and costumes.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01343638129743484886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-61199917363675027372010-09-08T20:58:53.758-04:002010-09-08T20:58:53.758-04:00Very good idea! I'd like to suggest for your p...Very good idea! I'd like to suggest for your posts production design and costumes for contemporary movies. Or film editing in dialogue-driven movies like Allen's and Payne's (Election and About Schmidt have great editing, for example) and English period pieces - they never get noticed!<br /><br />But, for now, I think you may go with the outstanding cinematography in Michael Mann's latest movies. Not a single nomination!cal rothnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-86079800948718600502010-09-08T20:39:26.550-04:002010-09-08T20:39:26.550-04:00I've been thinking I should revisit this movie...I've been thinking I should revisit this movie for some time, and I think the article cements that I must do so post-haste. I went to school for production design and it makes me sad to see so much over-reliance on CGI. Computer effects have their place, but should be used sparingly. Nothing can replace something tangible.Faithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04417462937949785889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-19693973144107209122010-09-08T20:29:04.216-04:002010-09-08T20:29:04.216-04:00An unsung hero? Something not noticed in a movie, ...An unsung hero? Something not noticed in a movie, even though it wouldn't be the same without it? Dennis Price's lead role in Kind Hearts and Coronets (Most, even today, overevaluate Guiness as a lead).Volvagianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-56269847403849653922010-09-08T20:10:29.490-04:002010-09-08T20:10:29.490-04:00My favorite effect has to be when the house is fal...My favorite effect has to be when the house is falling apart at the end. So beautiful. The whole "Meet me in Montauk" scene is my favorite of the decade by a sizable margin.Rosenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-6656493959463133382010-09-08T20:08:19.083-04:002010-09-08T20:08:19.083-04:00Very well said! Eternal Sunshine is one of my all-...Very well said! <i>Eternal Sunshine</i> is one of my all-time favorites, and I always thought that the visual effects, albeit understated, were very expertly handled in the film. My particular favorite effect is the double exposure fading of Clementine while she and Joel are in the bed after she has confessed her childhood story with her doll. The effect, accompanied with Joel's 'Let me keep this one memory, please' is brutally heartfelt.<br /><br />I like the idea of this series, too - looking forward to what's to come!Mr. Movie Geekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00989891838951149147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-64967151316453608202010-09-08T19:57:03.532-04:002010-09-08T19:57:03.532-04:00James T -- that's a brilliant idea. I think ma...James T -- that's a brilliant idea. I think maybe special Oscars should be given to the parents of movie stars who are too good to be true.NATHANIEL Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11597109147678235399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-67891622905753968902010-09-08T19:55:23.137-04:002010-09-08T19:55:23.137-04:00Great post! I'm going to be a total bore and s...Great post! I'm going to be a total bore and say that Kate is the best special effect in the movie. Her parents need an Oscar ;)James Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16055933146552583102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-39057321195155579662010-09-08T19:42:16.155-04:002010-09-08T19:42:16.155-04:00Great choice and I look forward to this new series...Great choice and I look forward to this new series. <br /><br />Too often we (just like The Academy) confuse "best" with "most noticeable" when in fact it's almost always the other way around. In other words: what makes Eternal Sunshine's special effects great? You barely even notice they're there at all.Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13178975866741187681noreply@blogger.com