29 5 / 2011
The Tin Man’s Heart
Neil Blomkamp’s Tetra Vaal
Neil Blomkamp hasn’t developed the following of a Robert Rodriguez or Peter Jackson quite yet, but he’s a visual stylist worthy of high praise. I first became of aware of him back when he was rumored to be in talks to direct the Halo movie. Blompkamp, unknown to me, seemed to me at the time became the perfect choice for the film after watching the above clip.
His approach, a mix of DV handheld footage and computer generated talent, is a balancing act of free and loose verite and the tightness and exacting nature of CG work. The technique is a favorite of Peter Jackson, who favors lower angles and utilizes the effect to create the impression of scale. Blomkamp’s camera tends to stay at eye-level with his subjects. His cameraman seems to anxious of it’s subject, pacing and attempting to anticipate the subject’s next move. It’s thrilling to watch, and while it wasn’t utilized in the making of the Halo film, it was to brilliant effect in Blomkamp’s infinitely rewarding District 9.
Blomkamp’s aesthetic, raw and familiar, creates a socio-political context. In the above clip he juxtoposes the rigidity of a police state with the visual chaos of slums. This idea is taken a few steps furthur in District 9 where the principle characters, aliens from another planet, are the most human and relatable things on screen. You don’t get this kind of voice often in mainstream movies. One that carries a tone of empathy for the outsider and one of general disinterest in that which is mainstream — despite that it’s subject matter in relevant to the days in which it’s made.
Also of note is the influence that Blomkamp has had on contemporaries working in CG. Here, Allesandro Pacciani runs with Blomkamp’s concepts and attempts to make them his own.
Notes:
- Full Version of BV-O1 can be seen here
- CGSociety’s profile and making of BV-01
