one step back and two steps forward,
Looking back for reference to make a better film is fantastic, to take whats good and discard whats bad; to use something good to make something better is not a only smart, but innovative to see how using some different resources can do this better; they have have to do something completely different to reproduce something that is the same or something similar.
I think it’s always interesting to see films from a different perspective. In this case, in a deconstructed view. It almost makes what you’ve seen in the movie more real. Tangible. But, at the same time it’s almost like you’re intruding in a way. You’re supposed to see it the way it was originally presented. By seeing the locations as they are almost feels like entering into another dimension too. Like something is off but it’s almost familiar. Scene at 6:33 into the Herve Attia film is a good example of this feeling. It shows the stark difference in landscape from the present outlook to the films original scenery.
To be honest, after watching Herve Attia’s fan film of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, i came away really impressed. At first i thought that i wouldn’t like it because normally i’m not a big fan of “fan” films sort to speak because they always look cheep to me, but this was actually really well done. I’m a big fan of visiting old historical locations or movie locations and seeing what they are like today, so this video was somewhat of a treat for me personally. I loved how he had a side by side comparison of his film and the original Hitchcock classic. It really puts in perspective just how much things have changed in the time between the two films. Some of the locations are almost unrecognizable, like the TIDES which has been remodeled and redesigned. I wonder if anyone has done this with a old New York movie like Breakfast at Tiffany’s or Taxi Driver and just went around and filmed some of the locations just to see how vastly different they are today than in the past. It could make for an interesting project
In Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds (1963), a beautiful socialite Melanie Daniels (played by Tippi Hedren in her first film role) takes a trip from San Francisco to Bodega Bay in pursuit of Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor). Although Hitchcock preferred to film on a studio set, there are numerous location shots that highlight his love for San Francisco and the surrounding area. As a hobby, the California architect Hervé Attia produced a film short that revisits many of Hitchcock’s locations for The Birds. Watch Attia’s short film and a clip of the gas station scene. What do you think of “fan” movies like Attia’s that deconstruct films and revisit locations?
Watch Attia’s film location video here.
Watch the gas station sequence here.
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