I saw Maxxine a few days ago and left grinning from ear to ear. Ti West made a movie that felt like it understood both noir and horror, and also that going to the cinema should be fun.
That’s why I was excited to see an in-depth interview with West about some of the iconic shots from his career. In the video, he discusses the challenges and triumphs of filming specific scenes, such as the opening shot of X and the long oner in Pearl.
Let’s dive in below.
What Shots Make Ti West The Most Proud?
I always nerd out when I get to see videos like this, because it allows us to get a clear look into someone’s process, and see what makes them proud. This Ti West video is no different.
I loved hearing him talking about House of the Devil, there’s a shot of Jocelyn walking up the stairs with her shadow on the wall that is reminiscent of Nosferatu. You can see West’s classical influences, but also how he’s found his own voice in all of that.
Once cool factoid came from In a Valley of Violence, where there’s a shot of Jumpy the dog pulling the horse along a ridge at magic hour—which was both hard to coordinate and had to be done before they lost the light.
Obviously, West is very fond of his trilogy with Mia Goth, and several shots he mentioned came from there, including the oner in Pearl and the opening shot of the movie X, where the camera is put in the barn and a 4:3 frame is made out of the barn doors. For what it’s worth, that, might be my favorite shot of his as well.
It’s always a blast listening to a filmmaker unpack their process and pick favorites.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
Author: Jason Hellerman
This article comes from No Film School and can be read on the original site.
