When it comes to the end of the world
most filmmakers take the same approach.
Go big or go home.
The priority is spectacle.
Chaos
told from a macro perspective.
Wide-spanning ensembles.
Swooping camera work.
Newscasts.
And crowd shots.
Lots and lots of crowd shots.
A pandemic film like "Contagion"
begs for this type of presentation.
"- Can you tell us to date
how many people have died from this virus?
- Very difficult.
We're still working on confirming that number."
But director Steven Soderbergh
took the opposite approach.
"- Well, the challenge is to avoid the cliches
that typically fill this kind of horror film.
I want it to be intimate.
I want it to be personal."
So how does Soderbergh
make a global crisis intimate and personal?
"- Here, give me your hands.
Okay. I want you to really rub this in."
"- You know, we just sort of made a list of things
that we'd seen before.
And so then the film begins to be defined sort of by
what you don't want it to be."
"- Get away from there. Get away!"
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"- This will be tweeted and YouTubed all over the planet.
- So we have a novel virus with a mortality rate in the low 20s...
...no treatment protocol, and no vaccine at this time.
- That is correct."
One way Soderbergh captures intimacy
is through his framing.
In a way, Soderberg gives us our own perspective.
Soderberg's technique here is subtle.
All he does is slightly obscure the frame.
And when placed right into the scene.
"- Hang up the phone and call 911 right now."
When a camera's frame like this
it creates unique effect.
By sharing these private moments
an intimacy is born.
Consider this moment when Dr. Mears
believe she's been infected.
Soderbergh could have shot the scene inside the bathroom
with close-ups to emphasize her panic.
The voyeuristic perspective
shares a moment of pure vulnerability
and activates our empathy.
Most of these shots are reserved for the Emhoff family.
The emotional core of this story.
Watch this early scene
and notice that almost every frame
is partially obstructed.
"- My arm.
- What happened to you?
Come on, sit down.
Honey?
- Mom?
- No, no, no. Uh... Stay there, Clark. Don't...
Just go..."
A terrifying moment made even more so
by putting us in the room.
At the end of the film,
we return to the Emhoff family for these moments.
When Mitch finally breaks down.
And when Jory opens a present.
We've seen these types of scenes before
but it is Soderbergh's framing
that creates an intimacy
that would otherwise be missing.
Another way Soderbergh creates intimacy
is to isolate his characters
with a shallow depth of field.
"- I sure hope you packed something warmer than that."
This effectively eliminates the noise around these characters
and keeps our focus uninterrupted.
"- Don't want you to catch cold."
In simple moments of conversation.
"- As of last night, there were five deaths and 32 cases."
Or in moments of high emotion.
"- We both woke up sick this morning."
Soderbergh stays committed to the shallow focus,
even when chaos is erupting.
Like this moment
when Dr. Cheever arrives at the CDC.
We can see the protesters,
but our focus is locked on Cheever's reaction.
He's telling two stories at once
but Soderbergh prioritizes our attention
on what really matters.
Our connection to the characters.
But Soderbergh's commitment to that connection
goes even further.
Beyond vulnerable framing
and isolating characters with a shallow focus.
Soderbergh also moves the camera
in a way to sustain our focus on the characters.
"- We're here.
This is what is left of my village.
- Are they sick?
- Not yet.
And we're going to keep it that way
until they find a cure.
You're gonna get us the front of the line."
Watch as Mitch and Jory leave the hospital.
We have both stories.
The Emhoffs.
And what's happening to everyone else in one shot.
"- I'm sorry, sir. We're doing the best we can."
Other filmmakers might sensationalize the moment.
But Soderbergh chooses to ground the story in reality
and to keep our experience personal.
While other filmmakers present the immensity of a global crisis
Soderbergh paints a much smaller picture.
And it feels much more personal, authentic.
With simple choices in his framing.
Shallow focus.
And camera movement.
Soderbergh flip the priority from spectacle
to character.
We now know what it's like to be part of a global pandemic.
It looks less like this
and more like this.
"- So instead we lose spring, we lose summer...
...we lose another 144 days that don't happen again."
"Contagion" isn't Soderbergh's only film
to tackle social issues.
In our blog post,
we dive deeper into how Soderbergh movies
like "Erin Brockovich" and "Traffic"
also make the global personal.
Check the description for the link.
What are the pandemic cliches
does Soderbergh avoid in "Contagion"?
Tell us in the comments.
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Thankfully MEV-1 isn't real.
The only thing you might catch from watching "Contagion"
are good ideas.
"- But right now our best defense has been social distancing.
No handshaking.
Staying home when you're sick.
Washing your hands frequently."
♪ ♪