1. Ingenious structure
There are various insects in "Microscopic World", just like the Ukiyo-e of insects, but if the "appearance" of each insect is arranged randomly, then the whole documentary will probably appear The organization is loose, and it is difficult to hold the audience tightly and keep them watching from the beginning to the end.
The documentary first shot the sky, then went to a bird's-eye view of the vast forest, the height continued to descend to the haystack, and finally reached the microscopic world where insects live. This step-by-step approach to the core sets the pace for the entire documentary. It is accompanied by the description of the human voice: "Small stones are like mountains, small water droplets are like oceans, time passes in different ways, an hour is like a day, a day is like a season, a season is like a lifetime..."
Then The film uses a "browse" method to show some insects in a short time. Caterpillars, beetles, flies, ladybugs, bees, ants, moths, etc. show their faces first, and then the camera gradually opens to this place where the insects live. general view of the world.
If the "point-face combination" is used to describe the structural characteristics of the entire documentary, then the above-mentioned "face" is fully presented in about fifteen minutes. The background, prologue, and beginning are all included in the fifteen-minute film. The huge amount of information reflects the unique charm of the documentary.
The next performance of the "point" is also very exciting. The director uses a paragraph-like structure to connect several "stories" that he wants to focus on: snail hugging, caterpillars lining up, ants carrying food, dung beetles rolling dung balls, spiders collecting prey, and the time allocated for each "story" is about one hour. Two minutes, this time seems very short, but because the film creates an environment without human voices, the audience can calm down and watch the life of insects with this arrangement, so one or two minutes is enough, and The "story" itself is also very interesting, and even without narration, people can enjoy the process of watching the movie.
After completing the basic "point-face combination", the film ushered in a climax, and this climax appeared in the second half of the film, just right, just when the audience may feel tired and need some stimulation, and this climax It is also the most important and indispensable part of the film. In the film, the sky of the microscopic world slowly covered with dark clouds, and after that, the wind and rain ravaged the beautiful and delicate microscopic world that we tried to show in the first half of the film. A disaster makes people cherish that beautiful world and those lovely creatures even more.
After the wind and rain, the insects returned to their original tranquility and busyness after the catastrophe. The spiritual core of this kind of hard work to rebuild after the catastrophe is moving. The rhythm of this paragraph has returned from the intensity of the climax to the original soothing, echoing the previous paragraph.
It is worth mentioning that at the end of the film, after a larvae turned into a mosquito, it slowly emerged from the water and entered the world. It is crystal clear and beautiful, which is really amazing.
2. Exquisite production
Some people say that the documentary "Microscopic World" "can be used to test the restoration fidelity of the equipment." Of course, such exquisite picture quality is inseparable from the efforts of the film crew behind the scenes. It is said that director Jacques shot this film. The film "was completed in 15 years of research and planning, two years of filming equipment design, and three years of actual shooting". It took so much energy and time to show the meticulous craftsmanship of this film from the side.
The film was shot from a height at the beginning, and then zoomed in to the ground to shoot. This performance of the sense of distance and nearness of the scene greatly enhanced the appeal of the picture.
In the performance of "focusing on insects", a lot of long shots are used, giving people the feeling of "one-stop" and "eye-catching", and the detailed and specific performance of the lives of insects is very exciting. The rare thing is that these long shots don't make people feel dull, which is due to the proper editing of the film. After so many years of filming, the film has accumulated a lot of material, and the film has extracted the humorous and most attractive ones. parts, and link them together into this cohesive documentary.
In addition, a shooting technique used many times in the film cannot be ignored: the blurring of the background. The protagonist insects in "Microscopic World" attracted everyone's attention, and the "green leaves"-plants also fully reflected the beauty of nature. When filming insects in many documentaries about insects, the protagonist insects and supporting plants are shot into the lens clearly and without any size. In "Microscopic World", the technique of blurring the background to highlight insects is used in many places. Using this technique can be very successful in allowing the audience to focus all their attention on insects, and it also highlights the characteristics of insects.
The soundtrack is also excellent. The soundtrack of the film is classical-style music, which is not very gorgeous, but fits the film very well,
rendering the atmosphere of the film and complementing the exquisite picture. For example, when the centipede crawls, the rhythmic drum sound is used, which perfectly matches the picture and is very harmonious; when the two snails hug each other in love, they are accompanied by moving bel canto singing, which is a good contrast to the romance. The atmosphere makes the story of the two snails full of literary and artistic color; when the beetles are fighting, the rhythm and high-pitched music are used to arouse the audience's tension... It is true that the unforgettable soundtrack adds a lot to the film.
Therefore, in order to produce an exquisite documentary, we must strive for perfection in all aspects, strive for excellence, and not slack, so as to make people irresistible.
3. Infection and Humanity
The beautiful pictures and soundtrack of the film are naturally unforgettable, but these alone are not enough to make this documentary have so much meaning and influence. The most successful aspect of Microworld is its contagiousness.
There are many documentaries about insects. Why has "Microcosm" achieved such great success and won the appreciation and love of so many people? This is inseparable from its emotional appeal and the concept of respecting and loving nature it conveys.
First of all, this documentary uses the method of anthropomorphic narrative, focusing on moving people with the shared feelings of creatures. It does not focus on introducing the living habits of insects, but tells the life of insects like a story, and Very successful in "telling a story with pictures". When we see the dung beetle pushing the dung ball with perseverance, we will be moved by its persistence; when we see the caterpillars lining up in an orderly manner, we suddenly encounter another group of caterpillars and the order is disrupted. It will also panic with them; when we see the ants carrying food that is bigger and heavier than themselves, we will involuntarily admire the industriousness and hard work of the ants... When watching the film, we will feel that the insects Just like us, there will be emotions such as family affection and love, and will be competitive, sweet with lovers, and will feel afraid when life is threatened.
Someone commented on "Emperor Penguin Diary" and said: "A movie can be watched by many people, and it must be able to meet the emotional needs of the broadest and most ordinary people." The documentary "Micro World" captures this essence. , to impress us through the "love and hatred" of insects.
Most importantly, however, is the angle this documentary takes. Many documentaries "observe" insects from a bird's-eye perspective, taking insects as experimental subjects, placing themselves in a high position, and looking down on creatures like God sympathizes with the common people. In "Microscopic World", the top-down camera is rarely used, and most of them use a head-up angle, which puts us in the middle of this group of lovely and vibrant creatures, as if we have become one of them, so that we have a kind of "harmony" Insects together" wonderful feeling, and then a deeper understanding of insects, but also want to protect these beautiful small animals. The sense of substitution in the film is very strong, so the film is very infectious. Before watching this film, many people think that insects are ugly and disgusting, but after watching this film, they only think that insects are very cute and have unknown characteristics. The beautiful side, even the awe-inspiring side, has a broad vision and also feels a kind of emotional resonance.
The film does not talk too much or incite, but just shows the life of insects with a respectful and humble heart. The concept of equality conveyed behind the film is the most outstanding part of this film. French documentaries do not have many eye-catching and dazzling skills, but attract us through a special way of telling, allowing us to feel and understand. The humanistic atmosphere contained in this documentary is difficult for many other similar documentaries. reachable.
I think what "Microcosm" wants to tell us is that we should maintain an equal attitude with these animals, experience their lives with heart, respect them, understand them, care for them, and coexist in harmony with them.
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