Ridley Scott is a fascinating filmmaker. He prioritises physical sets and effects as opposed to digital effects (remember seeing the chest-burster scene for the first time in Alien?), he tells stories with universal themes and he’s an artist at heart which means his films are almost guaranteed to look good! He is a very grounded filmmaker, but one who has dipped into philosophical sci-fi projects a number of times and one of his most recent one is The Martian.
The Martian is based on a book, so it isn’t entirely original, but it is a story about one man conquering against all the odds in order to survive the violent Martian landscape. It’s set in the future but there are no floating cars like in Blade Runner or grotesque aliens like in Prometheus, instead, it’s an entirely human story which happens to take place on a planet far from ours, with Mark Watney, played by Matt Damon, stranded in the hostile wilderness.
The problem with films where a single character is marooned somewhere is that there is no-one for the character to talk to or react to, so you are witnessing a man who is internalising every thought and emotion without knowing what his thoughts and emotions are. This is where the cinematography and music is important. The music cues help us feel how he feels and the type of shots the filmmaker uses helps us to see what he sees. We are in Mark Watney’s shoes throughout the film and thanks to Ridley Scott we are captivated by his survival odyssey.
The locations which Ridley Scott used for conveying Mars look very alien-esque that you do forget that it is filmed on Earth. Off course the colour grading and the lighting has been edited to the point that it has a distinct look, but you can’t replicate this kind of natural beauty with special effects. It doesn’t look fake, and it doesn’t look cheap. The scope and vastness of the landscape also reinforces the loneliness and isolation of Mark Watney, who is marooned on a hostile world.
This shot perfectly captures how a similar camera trick can convey a sense of weightlessness and otherworldliness. Having a rotating camera slowly turning clockwise manages to create the illusion that you are witnessing a spaceship cruise through space. The keyword I keep using to describe this film is realism, and Ridley Scott keeps pushing for more practical effects in every project he works on and this shot perfectly captures that.
The Martian works really well as a film. It balances the witty writing, the epic cinematography, and talents of the actors involved so smartly. Matt Damon gives a nuanced performance, where he is relatable and vulnerable enough for us to worry about his survival. The story is powerful in how it perceives the humanity of the situation that the characters find themselves in. The Martian has become another timeless story from the mind of Ridley Scott.
Thanks for reading today’s blog!
Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions
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