Popcorn, Soda, Candy? – Check! The Details Are Done So It’s Gonna Be A Great Movie!
I love watching a really great movie, and although every person may have their own definition as to what constitutes a “great movie”, mine evolves around more than just a story line, the level of action, and of course great actors and actresses who bring the story to life in the first place. It’s the special attention to every little detail that goes into telling it. Some of my examples of a great movie are Star Wars, Jaws, Shawshank Redemption, Forest Gump, Gone With The Wind, The Patriot, Green Mile, The Color Purple, Cast Away, Braveheart, Dolores Claiborne, Titanic, Pirates Of The Caribbean, Million Dollar Baby, Harry Potter, Saving Private Ryan, Misery, Perfect Storm, Apollo 13, just to name a few.
My latest favorite that I’ve just seen is the 2005 version of “Pride And Prejudice” which was directed by Joe Wright and featured Keira Knightly, Mathew McFayden, Donald Sutherland, Brenda Blethyn, Tom Hollander, Judi Dench and many others. I am usually a late viewer of most movies and have never seen any earlier versions or read the book. I know that this story is a classic in literature and Jane Austin’s writing is loved by many, but I believe that the extensive attention to detail in this version helps the actors & actresses to tell the story amazingly well. For the guys out there – not that you would, but don’t bother trying to see this movie to compare to my list because this movie is without a doubt – a “chick flick”. But I know you’ll completely understand what I’m talking about if you like one of the “guy” movies in my list above.
Every scene has been painstakingly thought out (or appears so) so that it isn’t just telling the story,but also several small sub-thoughts and 
stories. For example, in the opening scene it is telling you how Elizabeth likes to walk outdoors and read. They could have just shown a shot of her reading a book or just coming back from a walk. Instead, the scene opens with a peaceful early morning sun rising over the trees onto the meadow that is still covered with dew, then going to an upshot from the ground as she’s walking that shows her smiling as she reads a good book, as well as the beautiful sky and morning sun rays, tree line and rolling hills behind her.
As she arrives at her house, Elizabeth walks across the wood and concrete bridge and you see some geese jump off the bridge to join the other geese swimming in the water. Elizabeth then walks through the different clothes lines of white linens hanging to dry looking over at the house workers as they are bathing a dog. Then the camera enters into the house through a side door (the view is as if you were walking through the door 
yourself) to the dining room as another dog just starts to trot through the room and you see all of the sewing projects strewn out on the table, the middle sister practicing on the piano, the other daughters giggling & running through the room, all the different wall colors, the distressed looking walls-furniture-doors, different paintings and candle holders, the dad moving his potted orchid plant from one room to another. Instead of just showing the dog being bathed out front, I wonder what made them choose to have a second dog trot through the dining room as the camera started showing that angle. Then, as they panned the camera around through the back door you see Elizabeth as she strolls around the back of the house and you see another house worker throwing feed onto the ground for some geese and chickens, while the same dog trots past them and out of the shot (viewed through the spindles on the back porch railing – which are antique-looking golden yellow). All of this happening while the piano theme music is playing, which really takes the movie to another level.
Of course, being jaded from the industry my first thought at some images was “Is that mold on that door frame?” and “They need to power wash the outside of the house.” I chuckle as I tell the industry voice in my head “Be quiet! I’m trying to watch the movie!”
In another scene where Elizabeth has turned down the marriage proposal from Mr. Collins and is running down the dirt path away from the house toward the lake, the mother is running after her and there are 40+ geese honking indignantly as they run away in front of her across the bridge and kicking up the dust along the dirt path.
Unable to catch Elizabeth, her mother comes back to the house out of breath to demand that her father go reason with her. The camera is shooting the scene through the ladder that he is standing on in his study, which almost makes it feel as though you’re peeking in on their 
conversation. You can see the shadowed outline of some of the objects on the shelves, see Mr. Collins down the hall looking anxiously out the door, and then Elizabeth’s father finishes the conversation by moving the orchid again. Next you see a shot of Elizabeth at the lake before her parents confront her, where another 15 or so geese fly low across the lake. It makes me wonder . . . were the geese already there and they just happened to be caught in those shots or was that another detail they planned? If it was planned, how many takes would they have to shoot to “get it right?” How many geese did they USE in this movie anyway? Did they come with the location and have to be incorporated into the movie or did they bring them in just for the movie to make it seem more like a farm?
The really great movies give the time and attention to all of the little details that many people may not even notice at first glance. They give a movie that special feeling that people can’t always put their finger on, but they know when they have seen a great movie.
Now comes the real question . . . what kind of “movie” are YOU making each day? Is it one that deserves a Grammy or is it just a low-budget straight-to-DVD kind of movie? Your movie encompasses your everyday life, your work, your family, etc. In each scene are you just reading the lines without passion or spirit, do you remain silent because you forgot your lines completely, are you walking from point “A” to point “B” because that’s what the script says you should do, or maybe just waiting for the director to yell “cut” so you can go home for the day? Or are you really putting your heart and soul into your character and movie set each day, putting enough energy and thought into all of those extra details, making a major impact and telling an amazing story to the people around you that are watching it? Everyone has the ability to be a top movie producer like Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Robert Zemeckis, James Cameron, Tim Burton, Pride & Prejudice’s Joe Wright or so many others to create your own life movie. Just take a cue from their attention to details and apply it to the making of your own life “great movie”.
– MERRY CHRISTMAS!