TF Issue 195: Is It Just Me? Movie Geography...

[Lizhawkins]

On page 145 of TF issue 195, Neil Smith asks:

"Is it just me... or is movie geography all over the place?"



Here are a few excerpts:

At the beginning of Trainspotting, Ewan McGregor and Ewen Bremner are both seen barrelling down Princes Street in Edinburgh, a pair of security goons hot on their heels. Seconds later, McGregor’s Renton takes some steps down to Calton Road, a good half a mile away from where he was previously. How on earth did he manage that?

Perhaps he has the same teleportation powers Pierce Brosnan employs in The World Is Not Enough to race his speedboat from the Houses Of Parliament in London to Tower Bridge in the space of an edit. Or maybe he can do what Henry Cavill managed in The Cold Light Of Day recently: namely, take in three separate landmarks in Madrid, in different parts of the Spanish capital, within one single breakneck chase sequence.

There may be another answer, of course. It could be that, when it comes to car chases, fight scenes and other staples of action cinema, all vestiges of recognisable geography go right out the window. Then again, it’s not as if action movies are the only culprits. In romcom Sliding Doors, Gwyneth Paltrow gets on the Underground at Waterloo and gets off at Fulham Broadway – a completely impossible journey, as anyone who’s tried to get across London in rush hour will tell you...

...

...So here’s what I’d say to filmmakers. You’re not only making pictures for audiences in Wyoming or Tacoma. Some of your patrons will come from the places where you filmed and will notice when you’re cheating. Don’t assume that every street, square and Tube station looks the same, or that people won’t care if you locate Notre Dame next to the Eiffel Tower. Sometimes it’s the little things that matter the most. Or is it just me?

Check out the full article in Issue 195 - on sale 8 June 2012.

Agree? Disagree? Have your say below - a selection will be printed in the next issue...