Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Winged Migration

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Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 05-24-2003, 06:56 AM:

Bring the whole family to this one. It's a beautifully photographed documentary on the migration patterns of birds, although it isn't designed to be "educational" so much as "entertaining," and it has succeeded in that regard. There are a few scenes where a narrator provides terse explanations of migratory activities; later, however, he wisely shuts up and just lets the audience enjoy the (stunning) scenery.

This is a rare opportunity to see a very well done nature documentary on the big screen and it is well worth checking out. Don't expect to come away with this with a great knowledge of ornithology (sp?), but do expect to come away with an increased appreciation for birds and their relationship to their environment.

There are a few scenes that are not for the squeemish (a shot of an injured bird getting eaten by crabs comes to mind), but they are handled quickly and tastefully.

If the screen were bigger and the director had thrown in a few shots of timelapse clouds, this could easily pass for an IMAX film. [Smile]

Posted by Mathew Molloy (Member # 666) on 05-24-2003, 10:57 PM:

I agree wholeheartedly with Scott's review. I do wish it had been shot in scope with different musical choices but otherwise I think it's an amazing achievement. I recommend reading up on how it was photographed. Even so, there's some shots that I can NOT figure out how they accomplished.

I do find it amusing when every so often a customer or two will leave in the first 15 minutes saying something like "I didn't know it was about birds!".

Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 06-01-2003, 12:34 PM:

Princeton Garden Theatre, Princeton NJ, 5/31, 5 PM show. Hall #2, attendance ~30 -- a lot of stragglers as it was a rainy day. No families, though.

Scott more or less covered what I wanted to say. Do look for the World Trade Center as the mallards fly along the East River near the end of R3.

Presentation: Excellent image except for random dirt in the R2 > R3 changeover. Since there were no trailers the show began with an exit snipe into the Sony Pictures Classics logo. Also got to see the film tail out -- there was no rating card (and this is a new print fresh out of the lab).

Sound was Dolby Digital despite a DTS sign above the hall door. I was sitting well back in the stadium section and sometimes the sound mix made the dialogue/song lyrics sound garbled.

Posted by Paul Linfesty (Member # 214) on 07-31-2003, 08:23 PM:

I like Scott's last line, about it being a great IMAX film. That's what I thought when watching it, not only for the impact of the large format, but also for the probable shorter running time.

Because, I hate to admit this, but I did get bored and cut out after 45 minutes. I was also annoyed by the need for the one or two line narration for each segment. Why couldn't this have been a super on the film, since they used titles anyway? I do think I need to revisit this one though to see if a second viewing will give me what almost all audiences have gotten the first time.

Posted by Ron Keillor (Member # 1790) on 07-31-2003, 09:06 PM:

The July(?) issue of The American Cinematographer has an article on the production. HULK is featured on the cover of that issue.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 08-01-2003, 08:30 AM:

quote:
I like Scott's last line, about it being a great IMAX film.

Actually, you can see how IMAX handled a similar subject with the film "Skyward", shot on 65mm negative. "Fly Away Home" likewise was a story involving migrating geese:

http://www.bigmoviezone.com/filmsearch/movies/?uniq=123

http://www.csc.ca/news/default.asp?aID=974

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 08-22-2003, 10:13 AM:

Skyward is a really great but little known Imax film that ought to have gotten more recognition when it was originally released. Saw it at the Cesars Palace Omnimax doring Showest a long time ago. Perhaps Imax will wake up and re-release both of the "bird" films now that "Winged Migration" has deservedly become such a big hit. So far as I know "Skyward" was never released on DVD either but it should be.
Mark

Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 08-22-2003, 12:25 PM:

Skyward has been one of my favorite IMAX films ever since I got to see it at the Suntory Pavilion, part of the 1985 World's Fair in Tsukuba Science City, Japan. Mark is right--the film has never been released on video, probably because of its short 25 minute length. When it was released in the US the following year, it was paired up with another short film also from Japan--the computer-generated anaglyphic 3D We Are Born of the Stars. I agree, Skyward really needs to be brought out on DVD. Perhaps now would be a good time since Winged Migration will almost surely get a DVD release.

BTW I was the relief projectionist at the Caesars Palace Omnimax when Skyward played there.

[ 07-04-2005, 10:18 PM: Message edited by: Paul Mayer ]

Posted by Michael Brown (Member # 890) on 08-22-2003, 03:36 PM:

So it's kind of like a

bird-qatsi

Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 09-08-2003, 05:55 PM:

quote:
If the screen were bigger and the director had thrown in a few shots of timelapse clouds, this could easily pass for an IMAX film.

Sony Pictures Classics has just issued a large-screen version of Winged Migration. Among the first to show it are the Loews IMAX Theatre in Manhattan and the Crown Odyssey in Harford CT.

Posted by Paul Linfesty (Member # 214) on 09-09-2003, 10:02 AM:

quote:
Sony Pictures Classics has just issued a large-screen version of Winged Migration.

This is far from being a large-screen version. It is one of those "specially enchanced" 35mm prints that has been printed a half-stop higher than normal. This is the equivelent of trumpeting a "drive-in" version of a movie that has been released, since essentially that's all these prints really are.

Now I would certainly call MATRIX RELOADED a large-screen version. [Smile]