Today I’m thinking about the gimbal. Not only how much I enjoyed using it last week, but also how it has contributed to some of my favorite visual works. We’ve already mentioned in class this impressive scene from the first season of True Detective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_HuFuKiq8U. And we’ve mentioned this one from Goodfellas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Sr-vxVaY_M. Both of these are incredible examples, but my favorite tracking shot remains this one, from the 1964 Mikhail Kalatozov film Soy Cuba: 

What blows me away, aside from the usual considerations (like how choreographed all of that apparently-candid action must have been in order to accomplish a scene like this) is the moment when the camera enters the pool (3:02). The film was made at a time before digital effects and editing software like Premiere Pro were available, so there must have been a waterproof casing on the camera from the very start of the scene. This is a powerful effect, which adds to the impression that the camera is presenting the point of view of a party-goer. We (the viewers) are submerged in the action on screen.

At the time of its release Soy Cuba was not well received, however its reputation has recently been restored thanks to efforts by modern directors. Without a doubt, the bold camerawork in this film influenced Cary Joji Fukunaga and Martin Scorsese, whose work I introduced above. It also opened the door for Alejandro G. Inarritu’s Birdman, which was filmed and edited to appear as a two hour long tracking shot.

I wonder if gimbal usage will continue to become more common, and thereby encourage directors to develop creative new ways of utilizing it. It’s exciting to me that we have equipment available to us, which will allow us to create films that most accurately represent how we experience the world. I look forward to using the gimbal again, and encourage others to also.