Cinematography in Apocalypto - Essay Example

 Cinematography in ‘Apocalypto’ Cinematography refers to choices concerning use of camera and lighting when shooting a film (http://mrwhat.is). A film is a work of art, a creation of a director, a writer and a producer and yes, who can forget the actors who take on the various characters in a story to give it life and meaning. In fact, most modern films are quite big budget affairs - with cinematography, visual direction and visual effects often making for a large part of the whole presentation. Recognizing the value of the work that lies behind this very important aspect of a film, Hollywood began announcing Oscars for Cinematography as far back as 1928. The cinematographer for the film Apocalypto (2006) was Richard Semler, born in Australia in 1943. Semler had worked with Mel Gibson before while filming Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981). His work covers a wide genre of films, from comedy to action thrillers like Dances with Wolves, Waterworld, Nutty Professor II and The Last Action Hero. Semler had won the Best Cinematography Award for Kevin Costner’s Dancing with Wolves (1991) and won again for Apocalypto (2006). The film is deeply indebted to his brilliant work on capturing images and visuals of a decadent and cruel civilization that is nearing its endpoint even as it entraps and enslaves the lower class to work as slaves. Since the whole of the film is recorded in the Mayan language to accentuate its authenticity, English speaking viewers are forced to rely on the subtitles or just watch intently as the entire visual experience unfolds before their eyes. In the opinion of many a viewer, it is a visceral visual experience that speaks volumes through its cinematography. Evidently Semler was just the right choice for picturizing this film. He loves ‘vast stretches of barren land, dark thrillers and musicals’ (http://www.theasc.com/magazine). We see the film and hear and feel it through the eyes of Jaguar Paw played by Richard Youngblood who is in the lead role. About shooting digital film on a Panasonic Genesis, Semler says: “it was a big moment for me, realizing we could now do things we never thought we’d be able to do. This is a revolution in cinematography” (Benjamin, 2-3). In digital cinematography, motion pictures are captured digitally, much like digital photography. The cinematographer can then alter shading, color and even speed of movement using technical software at which some degree of expertise is required. Semler did all this work in a tent set up near to the filming locations in Mexico. Thanks to films like Avatar and Slumdog Millionaire which have won Academy Awards, digital photography is here to stay. Semler was awarded an Oscar for best cinematography for Apocalypto as well as appreciated by the American Society of Cinematographers for his work. The setting of the film is at the height of the power of the Maya, and just before its final decline. Historians are puzzled yet convinced that this seemingly advanced civilization at the height of its prowess could have declined in such a short time. Yet it is clear that the Mayans were as cruel as they were clever. The beginning of the movie recounts a chase between the lead character Jaguar Paw as he seeks to escape the jaws of Zero Wolf, the leader of the chase pack, played by villain Raul Trujillo. Zero Wolf meets his end via a trap set for a tapir. The scene here is rather ragged looking, but you can see that we are looking directly at the eyes and skin of a tapir, quite close up and menacing. It transpires that the captured are being taken to the city. On the way they pass scenes of desolation and destruction from ravaged fields to limestone quarries and plague ridden people. The way Semler has highlighted the whites, blacks and other colors especially blue is remarkable and speaks of the clarity that can be achieved with digital cinematography. A small girl prophesies that a man with a jaguar will crush out their world and also that an eclipse will occur. “I was shooting one and a half foot candles in the jungle at night and in a quarry full of white-hot limestone in the noonday sun,” Semler recounts, “and I could hold whites and blacks where I wanted to.” “I’ve fallen in love with the (Panasonic Genesis camera)” (Silberg, 1). Jaguar Paw manages to escape with great difficulty, as he has to jump off a high cliff. I think the film is really superb in terms of its visual effects. Of course, Mel Gibson was taking the same gamble that he did when filming The Passion of the Christ earlier- he used an unfamiliar language (Aramaic) that however lent authenticity to the film because it was actually spoken at the time of Christ. Here again he does it with Mayan. Because of the lack of English dialogue, viewers are forced to pay attention to the subtitles but it is really the cinematography that steals the show. Both Mel Gibson and Farhad Safinia (screenwriter and producer) wanted a movie based on an ancient culture. They also sought to bring back originality to the run chase genre only with old fashioned running of the physical kind, rather than with the use of CGI and other such technology. They also got a chance to prove that there was history before the European settlers arrived elsewhere in the world. The absence of English audio in Apocalypto (2006) forces the audience to actually watch the movie from start to finish. We have just the English subtitles to read, if we want to use them. But the way the movie is made, it is clear that it is a visual delight. Right from the first scene when we see Jaguar Paw running for his life, it is clear that this movie is one to be seen and watched. Mel Gibson is a director par excellence and his passion for epic movies that make a statement is evident in his last three productions- Braveheart, the Passion of the Christ and now Apocalypto- all of which have won rave reviews and been box office successes. His trio of success puts him in the same league as Martin Scorsese and Franco Zeffirelli, to say the least. This movie would be intelligible even to an uneducated villager from India- so strong and compelling is its visual presentation that no words are needed. Indeed, we run out of words to describe the unmatched cruelty and barbarism that is shown by the upper class Mayans to the lower castes. Both Raul Trujillo and Richard Youngblood are excellent in their portrayals of hero and villain. The film was initially shown to indigenous people of Mexico and USA with native Mayan and American Indian heritage and was highly appreciated. One of the best shots of the movie is that of Jaguar Paw negotiating the long jump over the waterfall. The cinematographer makes sure that we see the sheer fall of the cliff and the fact that it is a vertical drop with very little chance of surviving, in view of the rocks below and the swift flow of the waters. The view is idyllic but chillingly scary and Semler captures it all using color, clarity and movement of the camera. We can see the azure blue of the waters quite well. It is also clear that Jaguar Paw has seen his share of cruelty at the hands of his captors and knows that there is no way of escape except to take this foolish but necessary risk. Death of the rocks would be swift and with less pain than to be tortured by their captors. So he takes the risk and is confident that others would not follow him. Even if they do, he is now at home in his own element. The second scene from the movie that is so touching is when Jaguar Paw’s wife Seven is forced to give birth to her baby in very cramped circumstances in her hiding place that her husband had found for her. The scene of the birth actually taking place in the pit, umbilical cord and all, is filmed amidst the grey of the misty waters, and makes for a riveting experience. Semler has captured the essence of the moment through composition, movement and lighting here. We cannot help feel for her as she has endured the pangs of childbirth in these unbelievably hard conditions-this is exactly the feeling Semler’s work portrays at this point. Equally appalling is the scene showing the High Priest tearing out the hearts of the living sacrifices before the offering to the Sun God. Their decapitated heads are shown falling down the sacrificial altar down to the mountainside speaks of utter disdain and callousness for the lower classes. Gruesome, yet sends a message about the cruelty of the Mayans. In a sense, they deserved what the Spanish did to them. Though many have doubted its historical accuracy some state that it was highly probable that this was indeed the state of affairs at the decline of this magnificent civilization. We can conclude by stating that Apocalypto is a brilliant visual tour-de-force. It is all about survival and fighting odds that seem insurmountable. Thanks to Semler’s brilliant work, we cannot help siding with the underdog and hating the villain from the core of our hearts. Works Cited ASC Spotlight on Dean Semler (June 2011). From the magazine of the American Society of Cinematographers. Accessed on 21 July 2011 at http://www.theasc.com/ac_magazine/June2011/ASCClose-Up/page1.php Benjamin, B. (January 2007). A Great Escape. Article on Dean Semler’s Apocalypto in the International Cinematographers Guild Magazine. Accessed on 21 July 2011 at http://www.theasc.com/ac_magazine/January2007/Apocalypto/page1.php Silberg, J. (April 2010). Quiche or Chaos? Accessed on 21 July 2011 from the ICG Magazine at http://www.icgmagazine.com/wordpress/2010/04/07/quiche-or-chaos/ What is Cinematography? (2011). Accessed online on 22 July 2011 at http://mrwhat.is/what-is-cinemotography.html Read More