19. The Single-Take Fight (Creed)
With a similarly-engaging tracking shot, Creed brought a completely new take to immersion in sports movies. Thanks to TV broadcasting, theres a very engrained idea of what to expect when watching a boxing match. The camera angles are familiar and the commentary feels essential, so naturally Creed did away with all this, putting the camera right in the middle of the ring and leaving out all the extraneous voices. Squaring off against Leo Sporino in Tijuana, the camera follows Adonis Johnson as he enters the ring and goes punch for punch with the boxer, complete with intermittent pep talks from his coach, Rocky. The use of space is incredible as theres always a clear sense of where things are happening, which is greatly aided by the sound design. When youre near Rocky, you hear what hes yelling, but as the camera moves away from him, his voice fades and is replaced with Sporinos coach. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=45&v=TPp798vJg5g The whole scene is an incredible testament to Michael B. Jordan. He memorized this entire physical sequence and did so up against a real-life boxer. This fight represents how when it comes time to fight, its all up to him, and this unbroken scene really sells that major theme.
Connor Briggs-Morris
Connor loves movies, comics, and TV, and is trying to write for people who feel the same way. When he's not sitting on the couch with his laptop, you might find him lying in his bed with his laptop.
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