ANNA KLASSEN ON TWITTER, AS WELL AS 'NO FILM SCHOOL', TAKING NOTES FROM DE PALMA'S FILM
Late last week, a day after screenwriter Anna Klassen tweeted about being "in awe of the first Mission: Impossible" (she called the opening moments "a brilliant, beautiful deception"), No Film School's Jason Hellerman posted "8 Great Filmmaking Lessons from Mission: Impossible." Here are the first two lessons:
1. Embrace canted anglesOne of the most subtle things in this movie that I don't think a lot of other directors utilize are the canted or "Dutch" angles.
This is a spy thriller, so it's the perfect genre to mess with the camera angle to make the audience feel worried and uneasy. De Palma does this all with a graceful touch.
When it comes time to do your movie, think about shaking up the camera angles from the boring norm.
2. Set pieces must be memorable
One of the best things about the first Mission: Impossible is that it set the standard for set pieces. From the opening mask switch to the break-in at the CIA, these set pieces were all perfect trailer moments. I mean, Cruise hanging from the rafters is one of the indelible images in all of film history now.
When you set out to make your movie, think about how the set pieces stand out. As the story goes, Paramount wanted more of a talky spy movie, but Cruise and De Palma said that the only way the public would embrace it is if the set pieces wowed everyone.
They were right.