The Most Difficult Shot in Movie History (And Why It Matters)

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Brian De Palma’s infamous 1990 bomb THE BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES has one the craziest, most difficult shots ever attempted. So let’s look at the story behind it, how it was done, and what it all means.
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[@jacobmaher7201]

“Obviously a big Hollywood film crew would have more access to an airport than me” yeah I imagine it was also easier in the 90s than now

[@danroberts007]

It was. I've been out airport runways a couple times for shoots like this. One was a dinky little airport and wouldn't count, but the other was at SFO (San Francisco) and as this was pre-9/11 all we needed was one member of airport personnel to escort us and security was definitely not involved. And it sure as hell didn't cost $80k. Lol.

[@corneilusdonaldson1858]

Most of the money was spent on the airplane/crew

[@berendharmsen]

I remember taking a wrong turn at Zaventem airport near Brussels sometime in the 90s and suddenly finding myself driving under the wing of a parked 747 that was taking in passengers. Back then, you could just accidentally end up under an actual plane; I don't think that is very likely today....

[@shubhamer2000]

Actors can dine in parallel universe thankz to green screen

[@lukewarmwater6412]

when I was a kid, we went to hawaii. when we got onto the first plane in stockton ca. we were able to go out and watch the crew load the plane.we walked around the plane, looked at the engines etc. and then went back into the terminal to wait for boarding to begin.... I will never forget that up close look at the dc-10

[@ericclaptonsrobotpilot7276]

As soon as I saw the Concorde I knew this had to be a situation where they had to pay to charter a friggin Concorde.

[@joshuaamy3010]

It's truly wild how narrow of a window they had to work with too. You can see how fast the sun is moving in relation to the ESB during the shot

[@digitaljanus]

@@joshuaamy3010 Can you imagine if there had been any cloud cover during that 30 second window? The preparations for the D-Day landings weren't that time-sensitive!

[@DavyHulme]

@@joshuaamy3010 and they'd have had to schedule other air traffic around the set up & landing time for that concorde to hit that teeny time window too

[@lessthanacritique4057]

Haha same thought.

[@w.harrison7277]

Is he saying it was $80K in 1990 dollars or in todays dollars? In today's dollars it would cost $167,447. BTW, I love movies that show planes landing and taking off. I think DePalma's notion that this is cliche strikes me as arbitrary and not thought out. Planes are generally beautiful and a great visual, I don't know what his problem is.

[@george_thebean]

"I think the lack of mid-budget movies made for adults in the modern film landscape is a bad thing" Patrick speaking the harsh truth.

[@blokey8]

It's wild that we live in a world where a mid-budget film can make $250m, and even then the sequel is going to Netflix.

[@chrisjfox8715]

Blame streaming. Theater releases are riskier to finance than ever before now that there isn't much of a "dvd" market to speak of to make up for if it if the film has mediocre performance in the theaters. And there isn't much of a physical media market because nearly everyone these days is convinced that buying a movie is pointless

[@Hoopla10]

@@chrisjfox8715 As a massive film fan I went through three phases. In the mid-90s wishing that all my films could be stored in one place (ie a HDD) that had easy access. Then in the early 2000s wishing that one web-site would just basically have every film I want to watch at a click of a button that I could access anywhere/anytime. Then now and wishing it would all go back to the 90s where everything was on DVD or VHS.

[@bleekcer]

@@Hoopla10 The "careful what you wish for" phenomenon.

[@davidjames579]

But would enough adults go to theaters? People are busy, have more distractions, don't really want to commute, and don't mind waiting for home release.

[@clashcitywannabe]

I've never seen Bonfire Of The Vanities but I find the music during that shot to be bafflingly incongruous. I could see it being quite evocative with no music but what they used is the most generic establishing scene music I've ever heard. They spent $80000 on the shot and then slathered it in mayonnaise. Unbelievable.

[@davidjames579]

I agree. It sounds like The Naked Gun. It could have instead been like something out of Koyaanisqatsi

[@tonycarpaccio9550]

Think that sort of example of poor choice runs throughout the film

[@meesalikeu88]

i think depalma cheeseballed up the music totally on purpose to get back at them for losing the bet lol.

[@johndonaldson3619]

The book is the much better option

[@suzKawasaki]

It’s probably satirical..

[@owenmartel]

I didn't initially even identify the Empire State Building or the setting sun as such. I mostly noticed the overall redness and murkiness, how small the plane looked, and how the visuals clashed with the music. Comparing this with Coppola's Dracula two years later, could they have arrived at a similar shot using miniatures?

[@AWSVids]

I was wondering if I was the only one who actually didn’t like the shot. It’s so dark that you can’t even see the plane when it lands. And you’re right that the Empire State Building isn’t even clear enough to identify. For all the great setup/content of the shot, the cinematography doesn’t do it justice. I also don’t think this is the hardest shot to get in cinema history, nor is it the most expensive shot. There are shots that have cost like a million dollars on their own.

[@Largentina.]

@@AWSVids Apparently Avengers Endgame has the most expensive shot in cinema history now. Gross.

[@dunebasher1971]

@@AWSVids There can't be many shots where you have a 30-second window once a year to get it right, so calling it the hardest-to-get shot in cinema history is probably close to the truth. And how many of the million-dollar shots have been 100% in-camera live-action? Any shot that ended up costing a million dollars because it needed months of CGI doesn''t count in my book.

[@dunebasher1971]

@@Largentina. That will be because whatever it is, it's full of CGI that took months to do. In comparing "most expensive" shots with the Concorde one, it's only fair to use shots that were 100% live action captured in-camera in one take and with no post-production needed.

[@christophkiefer3427]

The book “The Devil‘s Candy“ changes one‘s complete perspective of the movie. It is fantastic, gripping, and although it was one of the first books I read in the English language, I could not put it down until the end. When I saw the title of this KZbin clip, I knew immediately what the story was about, nearly 20 years after I read „The Devil’s Candy“. Big thumbs up for this clip!

[@alejoparedes2388]

Hey Patrick, I want you to know I'm really liking this more minimalistic type of videos. Also those plane shots you got looked gorgeous.

[@AnuAnoop07]

true

[@ETtunguska]

I second (fourth?) the motion! It feels like a great balance between audio and visual storytelling, while simultaneously conveying a substantive message that clearly follows your narrative trajectory yet still elaborates on your overall theme. Bravo for continuing to adapt and advance your craft!

[@da47934]

Shorter means more(ter?) that I actually watch. Less daunting of a commitment. :)

[@move_i_got_this5659]

That last one had serious banding, scrap it.

[@rustypatriot4335]

Does anyone know what camera he's using for those shots?

[@thebaccathatchews]

"...cultural phenomenon that launched a massive franchise." I'm glad I live in the timeline of the Bonfire of the Vanities Expanded Universe.

[@oldmanlogan9616]

Pmao

[@alanbrito5239]

@greenbat don't forget Bonfire Resurection shit will be lit

[@MrAspiringactor]

The weird part is I think there was actually an extra in Space Jam 2 dressed like Bruce Willis' Peter Fallow. If I'm right that means, in the Space Jam 2 world, there is a Bonfire of the Vanities Expanded Universe.

[@007Julie]

@@alanbrito5239 I can’t wait, I’m so glad the movie theaters are fully opened again, to watch Bonfire Resurrection at home would be a total waste, movies like that need the biggest screen (imax preferably) and with crowds! Yay BR 🔥🔥🔥

[@hoebare]

Can you imagine if we lived in a universe without Heath Ledger's earth-shattering performance in Bonfire: the Dark Vanity?

[@InnuendoStudios]

De Palma's "you can put the camera anywhere" ethos led to visuals no one else was making. Strangely, though, he used them again and again. Diopters and split-screens and 360 dollies with rear projection... Brian knew he could do anything and still said "what about a POV steadicam shot?" like twelve times. It's FASCINATING.

[@brytheguy6697]

Oh hey didn't expect to see you here! Your alt-right playbook is an inspiration and I can't wait for more vids in the series!

[@itsnotyasir]

The irony... haha

[@isaacthomas6544]

And it ruled every time

[@Dr.TJ_Eckleburg]

True, but two things. First, if it works it works. He's an auteur director and he has a visual language. Nobody faults Wes Anderson for making a dozen films that all basically look the same. But also, outside of film aficionados, many DePalma films have very different target audiences. He really made movies with a lot of different subject material. Not everyone in the audience is necessarily going to have been exposed to his visual style.

[@Spo8]

@@Dr.TJ_Eckleburg > Nobody faults Wes Anderson for making a dozen films that all basically look the same. It's funny, because I feel like this is the #1 thing people fault Wes Anderson for.

[@MrKajithecat]

7:09 Now Patrick is on a watchlist of some kind

[@hgwells1899]

I highly remember the landing in Airplane. Looks like I picked the wrong week to give up glue sniffing

[@wingracer1614]

First thing to come to mind when he asked that.

[@HMJ66]

I just wanted to say good luck, we're all counting on you

[@euansmith3699]

I remember the plane landing from Con Air.

[@BlackburnBigdragon]

Back in 2002, I was working on a film project, and needed some shots of a plane landing. Me and my friend set our camera up in a parking lot a couple streets over from where the airport was, and the planes went right over this area to land. So it was perfect for the shot. What we didn't count on was 9/11 paranoia. The police were on us so damn fast that it was unnatural. We were just set up in this store's parking lot, but someone saw us filming the planes, and reported us. And the police wouldn't let us film there. At all. And we got trespassed off the property. We still didn't get the shot, so we set up in a different, less ideal parking lot. This time, a lot farther away. Guess what? We got reported on as suspicious people. Cops came out of everywhere. And we got booted after a LONG lecture about how we weren't allowed to film the planes landing. We had to resort to crap stock footage. They were just INSANELY paranoid about anyone with a camera who was even passively looking at the planes. And telling anyone that we were just getting some shots for a movie didn't convince anyone that we weren't there plotting nefarious deeds. People were so damn paranoid. On a side note, I could tell you numerous stories about how I got hassled at the airport or by police in general because people freaked out when I was traveling with a home-made modular synthesizer that was built into a suitcase.

[@chammondmccoy2726]

Man...that post early 9/11 period sounds awful.

[@BreadCatMarcus]

Damn, my buddy also built a synthesizer brief case and a boom box briefcase too. Yall would be good friends 😅

[@ileutur6863]

Yeah... americans tend to do that. Weird affinity towards calling the cops on any small thing

[@magnuskallas]

It is a true story, but I've wondered afterwards... See, It was back in 2015 or something and I was traveling doing some business interviews, photos, sightseeing and stuff in a major city in Europe. And I got peeped even after all precautions by the detector and I panicked... So it went to almost full-blown strip search. The issue was I had a hole in my pocket and there was a metal pencil stuck. Now, that sorted, I grabbed the hand luggage and all was good. Later I realised, in my hand luggage that I took to the plane (I travelled light), I had my Victorinox knife (otherwise legal), a lighter and some other tools. None were picked. Possible reason is they probably thought I was a nerd and just didn't care.

[@master-of-mind5881]

Your funny

[@spinakker14]

Patrick, I don't think this is said enough times: you're one of the best film essayists on KZbin! You can talk about a 30 second shot from a box office bomb and make it not only interesting, but also very informative. And you even like cite shit! Btw, that part when you're out in the parking lot really illustrates how damn difficult it is to film a simple shot

[@Largentina.]

Love De Palma! Blow Out, Carlitos Way, Dressed To Kill, Carrie, The Fury, Scarface, Sisters. Dude's a master filmmaker.

[@goodial]

Mission Impossible as well! ;)

[@Largentina.]

@@goodial Loved that one too! And Obsession, Casualties Of War, Untouchables, Body Double, Raising Cain and Phantom Of The Paradise.

[@poindextertunes]

I would like to add Femme Fatale to the list

[@MarcAquino1095]

So THAT’S why he’s watched Bonfire of the Vanities recently….

[@YearsOfLeadPoisoning]

I dragged my parents to the end of a Heathrow runway when I was 4 to see Concorde take-off on a family vacation to London. I don't remember anything from that trip except that Concorde was the loudest thing I've ever heard.

[@euansmith3699]

As a kid, I went to a local park to see a Harrier Jump Jet land. That thing was louder than the Motörhead concerts I went to as a teenager.

[@Sewer_Ghost]

12:25 - specific plane shots I can actually remember: Just shy of 2 hrs in 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy', Smiley takes Toby to the airfield. When Smiley begins, he mentions Toby is a wanted man in Vienna where he was found and recruited. Midway through, a plane lands right behind them during the conversation, adding noise and tension, and you immediately know what the plane is for, and so does Toby. It stops right behind them, the engines turn off, and Toby cracks. Fantastic shot.

[@tomnewton5994]

Man, does anyone else think that de Palma shot was super ugly? Because of the back light you just get this weird silhouette that immediately disappears in to the ground, but the shot just keeps going because they spent so much on it, they are going to use it. Never seen the movie, but man, that shot sucks. I hate it.

[@owenmartel]

The Empire State Building is also hard to read because its top is out of frame, and the sun is hard to read because it's behind clouds and partly out of frame too. It's something to compare the original shot to the three separate shots of the plane, sun, and building Patrick uses to illustrate the director's idea.

[@Largentina.]

It's ugly specifically BECAUSE De Palma didn't shoot it. His second unit director did.

[@ryansmith3361]

Did you watch this video? De Palma didn't shoot the shot lol

[@poindextertunes]

dummy 🤣

[@VocalClassics]

First time viewer here; I really appreciate how you used the "educational" format here to tell a layered story--not just about Bonfire shot, but also the story of you learning the deeper meaning behind the shot. Thanks!

[@jodeco]

3:56 “this is the guy famous for shots like this” of course my brain immediately went to the last shots of John Cassavetes in The Fury

[@ChrisBrengel]

14:58 the plane landing with the camera turned sideways--frickin' brilliant! Costs nothing and is the most memorable plane landing shots ever. Amazing what some thought and out of the box thinking can do!

[@RileyHarrisVFX]

Patrick, regarding that shot at the airport. Always ask. Just call up say it’s a student film or something like that and you wanna get a shot from the wall of a plane landing or something and they’ll say no but sometimes, they just might say yes. I did the producing for a student film last year in aus and we wanted a shot of a baggage handler driving past a plane taking off, Ala top gun and we got permission and got it. The worst people can say is no, why not find out

[@alphabettical1]

Might be a liiiittle more difficult in New York

[@RyanGerhardtYimimoto]

@@alphabettical1 nah, just say you want to get another shot at the twin towers.

[@ThisIsWideAngle]

One shot I will never forget: The helicopter landing in Traffic with an upside down camera, which is still upside down when the helicopter crosses. Took my breath away and still disorients me even though I know it´s coming.

[@deanchur]

BDP: "That's nice, but it would have looked better with an SR-71" To be fair though, there's no shot in cinema that wouldn't be improved with an SR71.

[@orvilpym]

YES! Patrick being enthusiastic and insightful about film! No frills, stunts or filler. Just the good stuff! Love it. ❤️

[@youtoobay]

I think this video really captures something I find beautiful about film (and maybe art in general?). How you can have an immense amount of skill and dedication but just completely and utterly miss the mark and not create something that people like or are impacted by. Like the story behind that shot is amazing, it took so much work and had a really clear reason for being done and really helped to serve the story. But was it really...worth it?

[@xBINARYGODx]

yes - so the movie is shit, that shot is still golden and always will be

[@ethansloan]

People only call things "excessive" if the result is a failure. Peter Jackson insists that the inside of the Elf armor have elvish poetry inscribed on it, even though it will never be seen by the audience? He's a genius whose dedication to world-building created a film that will resonate through history. Michael Cimino insists that the actors on Heaven's Gate carry personalized pocket items for their characters (inscribed watches, family portraits, etc)? He's an excessive madman who wasted time and money on unimportant minutia only he would ever be to appreciate.

[@ErmenBlankenberg]

@@ethansloan That's a brilliant remark.

[@lorenzosartor9042]

@@ethansloan The extended version of Heaven’s Gate is a masterpiece.

[@ethansloan]

@@lorenzosartor9042 I agree

[@erlstone]

I was once a commercials director... the legend of this shot made the rounds in crew gossip... the other two of note are the Mammoths scene in Quest for Fire... and various stories of getting horses in the western cowboy scenes of Marlboro cigs ads.... good stuff Pat

[@jonasjiller]

Oh COME ON! "It requires a bit of lateral thinking" was RIGHT THERE! xD 15:17

[@cinder1013]

that’s so funny. I saw that shot and knew exactly what it was. Back in 1996, I interviewed Julie Salomon about The Devil’s Candy and one of the most interesting things I found out was she and Brian DePalma (at least at the time) were still friends afterward, because that book is both fascinating and brutal.

[@AScreenwritersJourney]

THE BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES is a great novel and now I want to read it again. THE DEVIL'S CANDY is also a great book.

[@jst25]

The novel of The Bonfire of the Vanities is so insanely relevant to today's world.

[@stevenhightop2518]

The books are fantastic, the film sucks. I read the novel in the 90s; looked forward to the movie and was massively disappointed. The Devil's Candy, however, is fantastic. It's a step-by-step guide on how the potential greatness of a film can get sucked out by studio executives who view every decision in isolation from the whole.

[@rjjm88]

The best thing about this video is that you explained what a 2nd unit director is without making it seem condescending or insulting. That speaks to the quality of your writing and narrating. Providing information that half of your audience knows and half doesn't is hard. Your explanation was seamless and well integrated!

[@erictsai9378]

Wow, the finale looks… cinematic! Can’t wait!

[@futur09brout]

The plane shot in The Ghost Writer was so smooth, it felt different from all the others. Definitely not as elaborated as this one, but somehow more satisfying to watch.

[@benwasserman8223]

Always love listening to Patrick’s movie insights and so excited for the Season Finale.

[@ethansloan]

Has anyone ever done a plane-landing shot with a camera mounted onto the back of the plane, either at the top of the tail or on a separate crane, pointed down at the body of the plane? It would make the plane appear stationary and the ground appear to rise up and meet it.

[@DavyHulme]

Pretty sure I've seen landing footage taken from that pov, probably in documentaries. Maybe from exterior cams for wing-walking or skydiving. Might be misremembering this but may be also from space shuttle landings or trial landings?

[@CreepercastSimn]

One of the Mission Impossible films has a similar shot, except on takeoff and from the side of the plane. Tom Cruise was hanging on to the side of the plane with no harnesses

[@AmauryChihuahua]

@@CreepercastSimn I knew he was for real hanging to film that scene but not even a harness?

[@VictorBalestrin]

@@AmauryChihuahua He had a harness that was digitally removed in post.

[@AmauryChihuahua]

@@VictorBalestrin oh ok

[@vilosey2013]

As soon as I saw the shot I knew it was the Concorde, surprised he got it so cheap.

[@Petrospect]

80 grand is about 8 Concorde plane tickets if memory serves. That's not too bad at all lol

[@TheMokeleMbembe]

"How many specific plane landing shots can you remember?" One - when Steve Martin is storming back to the ticket counter in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles and has to cross an active runway

[@DominantBlaze]

Also opening shot of Die Hard.

[@jcjuxojn]

There's a scene in Always (1989) involving a seaplane and 2 guys on a boat. One of the most memorable for me!

[@ZonkerRoberts]

The super-telephoto plane landing in "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy".

[@darrenwalters9886]

@@DominantBlaze True. Die Hard opening is about it.

[@joshs2734]

I want this turned into a series. Shots that seem simple but were super expensive or complicated, or just have some kind of crazy story behind them. Then, if possible, try to re create them.

[@lukesmith1818]

I love stories like this. Anyone who hasn't should watch the making of doc about "Alien." The amount of rewrites of the script, the struggles in production, all the hurdles to get it going. It makes sense that it was such a masterpiece. A friend of mine works in film and he said the craziest part in making a film is you have zero sense if it's going to be good. The post-production will play such a huge part that 9/10 times you're just hoping for the best.

[@johnloizos3902]

When you said that no plane landing is memorable, the Sodeberg shot from Oceans 12 came to mind! Also the sequence from Snatch "I'm commin to London!".

[@JanStrojil]

That montage from Snatch is the best. Also, “Do you have anything to declare?” :-)

[@joselopezjr.7864]

I laughed when I saw 20 minutes after he said it was a shorter video. I thoroughly enjoy any video from this channel no matter the length. Take your time on the season finale and make it with love and not stress.

[@mjohns908]

I really love when Patrick gets super deep and philosophical. It's like the way David Bennett talks about music theory.

[@gustavohernandeza.890]

Thanks for the video, Patrick. I agree with you about two things: the lack of middle-budget movies for adults (and in general) today and learning about the filmmaking process. Glad that your videos help to push the conversation. Looking forward to the Charl saga finale!

[@UncleSalie]

I first came to this channel because of that video about the lack of colour in Marvel movies, and I ended up sticking around because for the really introspective and insightful videos like this one.

[@deadhappy1]

Patrick love your videos I watched you since your Ghostbusters video which is my favorite. Got my wife interested in your videos when Charl became part of your cast. Every time we go to the supermarket she brings googly eyes so she can grab a coconut and put them on it. She tries doing the voice and telling me what to do like how Charl tells you. Much love from Yonkers

[@urallnutz5294]

Impressive. Also hilarious we can probably remake a passable or even improved version of that scene on photoshop and after effects in a few minutes now

[@chrisogrady28]

You can tell how long a lens they must have hsed by the suze of the sun. Looks like about 1500mm full frame equivelent. It's a shame their cameras had such shitty dynamic range, to get any sun detail it's hella underexposed, and would be 10x better with the shadows brought up a little bit. They get very lucky with the weather, if it was clear the dynamic range would have been even greater and the colours less vivid, and if it was more overcast then there'd be no sun at all.

[@JamesMcCormickIV]

This is a great followup to your 'What is Cinematic?' vid.

[@JamesMcCormickIV]

LOL Wrote this 30 seconds before you actually said that in the video lol

[@hhobbs1996]

Patrick, please do a video about the extended (European release) of “Leon: The professional”. I’m Really curious of your thoughts on Luc Besson and his films, as this one was fairly controversial when it was released.

[@truegret7778]

It's not "just a plane", its the super-sonic Concorde. Now that I've watched the whole video, I completely agree with you. There are so many movie magic moments (and genre like Blazing Saddles) that cannot be made any longer. Its all about expediency and very short ROI times. I watched a video today demonstrating how they can remake the Trench Run scene in one day, and make it better. Love your take on it. Thanks for sharing.

[@richteffekt]

A lot more pivotal in the context of its movie and also very tricky to make: Gandalf entering Bag End and Bilbo taking his hat and staff off him (Fellowship of the Ring). It establishes the relative scale of the characters thus eventually saving exposition (and money). How freakishly difficult it must have been to make. I never saw a detailed breakdown of this shot specifically... At least not yet, (cough, nudge) .

[@rowanunderwood]

"What the best I can get on no budget" . . . on several thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment.

[@katherinealvarez9216]

I just finished a relistened a podcast about this movie that was narrated by Julie Salamon.

[@tatehildyard5332]

Plot Thickens right?

[@katherinealvarez9216]

@@tatehildyard5332 yes! I keep referring to it as Devil's Candy though.

[@tatehildyard5332]

@@katherinealvarez9216 Excited for the Lucille Ball one coming up?

[@katherinealvarez9216]

@@tatehildyard5332 i am now

[@OSUBuckly]

It can NOT be a coincidence that this video comes out just a few weeks after this story is discussed in detail on that podcast

[@mikejaz2]

Patrick, I'm so glad I subscribed. This was a GREAT explanation of some of the specifics in a bad movie made by a great director. Wonderfully shot, paced, and dare I say it, even hosted! Very inspiring to me, a workman editor in the television trenches. Thanks, I look forward to exploring your back catalog.

[@yusofplayed]

I love all your videos but I'm actually liking these kinds of videos. They're very accessible and easy to share with other film lovers who may not know the channel already!

[@JDesch]

"How many specific plane landing shots can you actually remember?" Die Hard and that's it

[@MealDealSupreme]

Freaked has a very memorable one

[@frankmarshall4047]

Up in the air, mission impossible

[@artistcomplex]

when you mentioned plane landings that i remember, i did think back to the travel shots from guy riches snatch. Fast editing and a bit of fun gets a lot of info though to a audience in under 5 seconds.

[@KingBidoof]

Man I'm so glad I found this channel from this video. I love watching movies and I love when people talk about movies, especially if it something I haven't heard about and from a quick at your channel, you talk about movies that I barely know of. Cannot wait to bring watch all of them!

[@merriammerkabah408]

Report back here after a few videos, I'm curious what you'll make of the on-going storyline

[@zaeroses1096]

Okay that plane landing from the oceans movie takes the cake that is seriously unique and I just love it

[@sagewaterdragon]

I love this kind of video and I hope you're able to make more of them after the "season finale" drops and you get some of that stuff out of your system.

[@drpun67]

Jordan Belfort learned to write “Wolf of Wall Street” from reading The Bonfire of the Vanities over and over while he was in prison.

[@Jadesfishing]

Great video dude! Glad I found your channel. I wish they still made movies like this!

[@sumit2658]

Patrick: Can you remember a plane landing shot? Me: Well Yes of course. Oceans 12, duh!? Patrick (a few min later): Oceans 12! Me: [freaks out of excitement (the oceans movies are my favorites) and dances around]

[@DascMusic]

That's exactly what I did - didn't dance though, sitting on the sofa was too comfy...

[@RADIOSUICIDIO]

-This shot marks the end of an era, an era where adult-oriented movies were granted enough budget to keep everyone involved high as fuck on coke trough the entire production.

[@hogey74]

06:30 - you've explained something that looked fake despite me expecting it to be real. Concordes took off and landed with the nose super high compared to everything else. (Something, something, aerodynamics). But that sunset landing seemed too flat to my aircraft nerd eyes. It was empty! They had just taken off for a quick lap with no passengers and maybe an hour of fuel. They had no weight and hence didn't need the usual high angle.

[@chicoarraes]

I am both a film major and a student pilot and a huge fan of Patrick. So this video is like a dream come true. Thank uou so much!

[@richardanthonymorris]

Always happy when there's a new Patrick H. Willems video and it's a film that I've seen. Can't wait for the finale!

[@JamesBrophy]

This was a great video. I would dearly love it if you aproached talking about some VFX shots like this. The approach in film discourse is so often to act like vfx are some how cheating, dont take skill or just drop out of the air for free. The water tendril in the abyss, the bikes in tron (seriously 30 seconds a year to get a shot has nothing on how nerewracking Tron's computer generated shots were) those are my picks but of course I'm here for yours. :) really enjoingbthese short videos they are a lovely throwback to the pre season arc times.

[@myrojyn]

"I'm not sure what I'm trying to prove here" Me doing anything ever

[@flywithtim5076]

It's not often that I watch through this long of a video uninterrupted. Fascinating content, Patrick. I'm glad the algorithm suggested this to me. You just got a new sub.

[@TheJoeyPeacock]

Just discovered your channel. Excited about my subscription here and your forthcoming content. I love movies, and the associated behind-the-scenes details. This was great! Thank you, sir!!

[@justinbutner4947]

18:15 As one of the Justins, you're welcome.

[@JH-pe3ro]

Personally, if I had to come up with a creative landing imagery, my first instinct would have gone towards an expensive model shot rather than an expensive real plane landing. The model would, just as CGI does now, allow the whole thing to be iterated to death, which I think is more conductive to the combination of practical and creative that makes an expensive movie good. (And if it's a cheap movie, well, the story takes priority.) But now that I think about it, there's something simple that's way better than showing a plane. Show a cup of water in a quiet airport lounge, have it vibrate as the plane lands. Start moving the camera to track the character marching down the jet bridge and we're in, story has been told. Change some elements of the staging and it can say all kinds of things.

[@ahoyhere8113]

really enjoyed this deep dive into one single scene, it’s refreshing and relaxing… also very interesting!

[@KathyAdamsClark]

Such a lot of fun to watch. Thanks. Great work!

[@alexmaysse607]

Never have I been this early truly Cool video pat

[@VICTORZITOSS]

I got here before getting a notification on my phone, the universe is smiling on me Basically this is a oh, mighty algorithm bless this video comment

[@daffyrwt]

really loving these laid back videos

[@Baulder13]

Always refreshing watching someone admiring an accomplishment in a passion of theirs.. Thank you!

[@nickfield1569]

Watching this the day of Denis Villeneuve's "copy and paste" remark about MCU movies and struck by how similar De Palma's "Most stuff is just Xeroxed" comment is

[@galactic85]

Uggggg.....the internet is freaking out that another film maker dared criticize the mcu? Must be a Thursday.

[@Wraithfighter]

@@galactic85 I'd phrase it more as the entertainment media, always looking for clicks, takes a mild but understandable piece of criticism from a great director about the current most popular film trend, hack it into pieces to distort the point as much as possible beneath fifteen ads, put it behind an incendiary headline that makes it sound like he finds Current Popular Thing to be the utter death of the Noble Arte of Cinema, and watch the hate-clicks roll in. I love MCU films. His point is broadly true as well, many of the MCU films are cast from the same mode (take a shot every time they hit a beat on the Hero's Journey), but while I think he underestimates the amount of personal touch that Disney allows their directors these days (and, oh yes, make no mistake, the correct word here is "allows"), I don't think he was throwing shade or bashing or launching an attack like every single goddamn article claimed, just that it was a mild disappointment that they weren't allowing as much creative freedom as he'd like. But "Filmmaker of Dune has mild, thoughtful criticism of Marvel films" doesn't get quite as many rage-clicks as "HISTORIC DIRECTOR OF DUNE AND BLADERUNNER 2049 BRUTALLY BODYSLAMS KEVIN FEIGE AND THE MCU #Dune #IronMan #WhatIf #RandomBullshitThatsTrendingRightNow"...

[@ChineduOpara]

Patrick great video essay as usual! I just want to point out that *your head shape* is a *cinematic masterpiece* . I literally cannot stop looking at it 😂

[@supersanity2298]

What a great subject! This is a worthy exploration, and thank you for going through it!

[@garywarne9140]

This is a great video. Subbed! Keep up the good work 👍🏻

[@AlpineRuin]

DUDE!!! I REALLY dug this!! Great video! Very insightful and articulate. Wicked clip, man. Thanks!

[@DarrellAyer]

I tried to figure this out a few years ago to make it thru a work day. A 1000mm lens will project the sun as 9.2mm on the film plane. Now eye balling this on the frame (assuming it was shot on super35 in 3 perf you have a height of 14mm. And the sun takes up roughly half of that. So about 800-1000 seems likely. It’s awesome that you went hunting for the shot. As a kid who grew up on these kinds of shots I’ve always wanted to get it for a project.

[@inodesnet]

Great video. I'm an aviation photographer and I completely understand this pain. Any thing related to aligning buildings and sun/moon movement with an aircraft requires the right equipment and a dose of luck (or in this case money). If you don't have money, then being in the industry helps. I am based in Sydney, but I have been to JFK numerous times and had a mixture of luck and knowing the right people to sit on the runway and take shots. This would have been easy enough for the crew. Certainly the money was spent on the timing of the plane more than anything else. With all that said, I noted you got a shot of a plane passing through the moon, which in itself is awesome luck and something I've only managed a few times over many years. For this you really want dusk with low light. But to get the shot at the right time requires high shutter speeds. That leads to needing higher apertures, quality glass and once again..... luck.

[@Taylor-zs4hd]

got to appreciate my mans dedication to inserting mission impossible into every single video

[@Tape_Time]

God just to think about the cash it would cost to pay for the Concorde’s fuel ALONE in that shot is just incredible.

[@batmanjoker001]

You're the man! Keep up the good work

[@richardtwyning]

I can instantly remember a plane landing shot from Tomorrow Never Dies, but of course accompanied by the excellent rendition of the James Bond theme in the track "Company Car" by David Arnold.

[@bluest1524]

I don't share your enthusiasm for the Ocean's series, but super glad I found your thoughtful and intriguing channel. Thank you.

[@SirNotAppearing]

in the mid-90s I worked as an assistant sound editor on TV docs. the sound editor, my boss, had come up through the movie system in the 80s. She told us great, great stories about the crazy things they were "allowed to" "get away with" in terms of shooting sound and sound effects for movies that decade.

[@psiga]

Fascinating and mind-expanding work. It has unintentionally made this apparently-abysmal movie seem intriguing, EVEN while specifically saying that it's a bad time.

[@classicaloracle]

I love what you have done here. Thank you.

[@Guerrillamoviemaker]

Thank you! Great piece on many levels!

[@arnisbrown5848]

Instant subscribe, absolutely loved this.

[@MoviesRemastered]

I live for this type of video. Love it!!! ❤

[@NoUploadJustComment]

Patrick. These in-depth hyper-specific topic videos are infinitely better than the serialized story bookend videos. There is such well thought out and well written analysis on this channel you don't need to resort to gimmick (even if it is tongue in cheek).

[@supersupersomething]

I love your channel so much Patrick... i find this vid perfectly absurd and thoughtful.

[@kalebproductions9316]

There is one shot from Return of the Jedi called, "Vehicle", yes it has a name, was the most complicated example of compositing ever achieved. They had to shoot each physical ship model and move the camera with computer control against a color key background. They they composited all those together. Jedi was masterful.