As a cinephile with a penchant for uncovering the hidden stories behind the silver screen, I must say that Doug Liman’s journey is nothing short of inspiring. His humble beginnings as an independent filmmaker have led him to create some of the most iconic action films in recent memory.
It can be expressed as: The saying goes that necessity breeds invention, and this held true for director Doug Liman. He found himself needing to shoot a swift scene for a movie, which unintentionally led to the birth of an entirely new style of cinematography in films. Known today as the “shaky cam” technique, it is extensively used in movies, particularly those classified as “found footage.” However, its popularity was largely due to Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne series and a specific scene from the first film.
During an interview with IGN, Liman highlighted a noteworthy sequence from his 2002 film “The Bourne Identity” as a groundbreaking example of the “shaky cam” style. This movie is renowned for its distinctive action genre aesthetic, and one scene in particular stands out. Approximately 49 minutes into the movie, Matt Damon’s character Bourne enters the Gare du Nord train station in Paris and glances at the train arrival boards. Despite having minimal impact on the storyline, this scene differs visually from the rest of the film due to some creative improvisation by Liman.
“That particular shot is notable because we didn’t obtain the necessary permissions to capture it. I lacked studio support to execute this shot, and I didn’t have permission from Paris to film it. Given my background in producing a small independent film like Swingers, I was accustomed to acquiring shots by unconventional means.”
As an indie filmmaker at heart, Liman opted for a “run-and-gun” approach to filmmaking. Accompanied by Damon, he dared to shoot a scene in a bustling train station using only a compact handheld camera. The production team was absent, as were extras and professional lighting equipment. Despite the risk of being noticed due to Damon’s fame, Liman managed to capture the shot, and his innovative methods caught the attention of fellow filmmakers.
“Using a camera, we had to move quickly to capture certain scenes, resulting in a somewhat shaky effect. This style, often associated with ‘The Bourne Identity’, is believed to have been innovated by necessity rather than design. While the sequels employed more of this shaky camera technique, the concept originated from the original film.”
In the Bourne series, director Paul Greengrass adopted the dynamic “shaky cam” effect, originally seen in a single scene, and incorporated it heavily across subsequent movies. This cinematic style, which lent an authentic edge to the films, was later imitated numerous times by other filmmakers. However, its origin lies in the need for speedy shot acquisition.
Doug Liman’s Action Movie Legacy
Before directing The Bourne Identity, Doug Liman gained recognition with the popular independent films Swingers and Go. After the success of Bourne, he was able to direct some of the most significant action movies from the past two decades, each featuring a unique visual style. His subsequent hit was the assassin-themed action comedy Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005), starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. In 2008, he directed the sci-fi thriller Jumper, which starred Hayden Christensen (Star Wars).
In 2014, he took charge of the underappreciated film “Edge of Tomorrow,” a captivating mix of time travel, sci-fi, and alien invasion flicks featuring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. Since then, he has directed action movies such as “The Wall,” “Chaos Walking,” and the revamped “Road House” for Amazon. His upcoming project, “The Instigators” on Apple TV, is a hilarious action-comedy that brings him together with Matt Damon once more. In this film, Damon teams up with his “Ocean’s 11” partner, Casey Affleck, playing a pair of robbers who find themselves on the run following a heist gone wrong. The premiere is scheduled for August 9.
The Bourne Identity
is streaming now on Starz.
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2024-08-10 16:31