Tyler’s Weblog

Ok, so I have never been too excited about Beowulf. In high school I was caught drooling on my books after I fell asleep in English class. What was the class doing? Listening to a TAPE of Beowulf read in it’s original Old English language. And don’t let the world “English” confuse you. The language is like a mixture of Gaelic and Cat with Hairball. Once every twenty words I would think I heard something that sounded like a word I might have recognized. So when I found out that Beowulf was coming out as a new movie with new technology I can admit I was less than intrigued. I still haven’t seen the movie, but since it earned $28 million in the box office it’s first weekend, I assume SOMEBODY had. I don’t really care about the movie itself but it is pretty cool reading about how they made the movie. The movie makers used performance-capture technology to film the entire movie. Sensors were placed on actors bodies and faces. These sensors detected even the most subtle movements.

The actors performed each scene and their movements and voices were recorded. Digital imagine created the environment and even the skin of the characters. I thought that it was pretty cool, especially when I saw how some of the characters looked. I know that the filmmakers were holding their breath when this movie came out. If Beowulf did well, it would mark the beginning of a new era in film making. The new technology could change the way movies are made because a director can get any shot they want, no matter whether or not it is actually possible. “We began one draft on a flickering firelight, and you realize it’s flickering on someone’s eyeball as he watches the fire, and then we pull back from the eyeball, move all around the hall watching what’s happening in a slow circle. It’s an impossible shot.” said one of the movie’s writers, Neil Gaiman. I think this stuff is pretty cool but I don’t really think I will get too into movies created like Beowulf. The technology is interesting and I understand what Beowulf did for technology in the movie making industry. I am sure there will be plenty of people who will embrace movies like Beowulf, but I can’t say I will be one of them.