A cinema of space oddities
Great movies don't need to span the globe. Kaleem Aftab looks at how films from Rear Window to the new Sundance hit Buried have taken inspiration from the limitations of one location
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Remarkably, a coffin is the only location in Buried. Ryan Reynolds plays a contractor in Iraq who has been kidnapped and buried alive with only a cell phone at his side, which he uses to communicate with the outside world as he tries to raise a $5m ransom before he dies underground. Rodrigo Cortes' Sundance hit is the ultimate one-location movie: a box big enough to hold one man is where all the action takes place.
The one-location drama is usually seen as the preserve of theatre. The advantage that cinema has over the stage is that the action can be cut: scenes and adventures can take place in numerous locations, just like in real life, without the need for cumbersome scene changes. It's often thought that movie directors use single locations because of budgetary constraints. One thing that handbooks for low-budget film-makers always agree on is the need to keep locations to a minimum, as it reduces costs and makes it easier for the director to control the set.
Yet there are many other reasons to make one-location films: it encourages strong characterisation; an extra emphasis is placed on the acting; the plot needs to be well paced to hold interest; and the action usually takes place over a short amount of time for the film to feel realistic. These reasons are partly why Alfred Hitchcock made four such films, Rear Window, Lifeboat, Rope and Dial M for Murder.
Movies thought of as one-location films will predominantly take place in that location, establishing shots or brief introductions not withstanding. For example, Clerks, which takes place in a convenience store, can be considered a one-location film even though a couple of incidental scenes take place away from the shop. In contrast, Reservoir Dogs is excluded from the genre because Quentin Tarantino built in flashbacks that show scenes outside of the warehouse meeting point. Dog Day Afternoon's airport-set finale makes it another borderline case, but usually the single location will have to be an indoor one to be considered.
What's noticeable when looking at these films is that certain locations, such as a courthouse or haunted house, are frequently used.
'Buried' opens on 1 October
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments