Freeze frames in the 'sponge bathing' scene

POSTED BY: CBY
UPDATED: Monday, April 18, 2016 02:26
VIEWED: 19844
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CBY

Monday, January 2, 2006 12:40 PM

What is the reason for this "time stops"? First I thought that the DVD might be censored or damaged but that's not the case. Any ideas? Are they used to indicate a "timeless" feeling of some sort? (I bet this has been discussed before)

EDIT: It's in the Serenity pilot

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ECGORDON

Monday, January 2, 2006 1:53 PM

If you listen to Joss' commentary for that ep you will hear him say it was just him trying to be "artsy fartsy." He uses a similar technique in "Heart of Gold" in a scene with Mal and Nandi.

wo men ren ran zai fei xing.

CBY

Monday, January 2, 2006 3:24 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by ecgordon:
If you listen to Joss' commentary for that ep you will hear him say it was just him trying to be "artsy fartsy." He uses a similar technique in "Heart of Gold" in a scene with Mal and Nandi.

Well, actually I listended to it but I just noticed his explanations about filming the scene three times. Thanks though

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SHINYPARASOL

Monday, January 2, 2006 6:02 PM

I'd forgotten that. Thanks. At first I just thought the DVD was skipping, and that would've made me very sad.

DONCOAT

Monday, January 2, 2006 7:07 PM

IIRC a similar technique is used in the sex scene between Inara and the unnamed client early in the Serenity pilot.

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Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need.

URSULA

Monday, January 2, 2006 11:21 PM

I thought it was because Joss is a guy and thought still frames of nekkid Inara were hot.

CBY

Monday, January 2, 2006 11:28 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Ursula:
I thought it was because Joss is a guy and thought still frames of nekkid Inara were hot.

Well, then I have a few words for him: Hold that gorram camera lower next time!

(you see, I am a guy as well

)

EDIT: Just kidding. Still, the freeze frame looks like a DVD hickup.

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http://www.byond-trax.com - my selfmade ambient/lounge/chillout music

J6NGO1977

Tuesday, January 3, 2006 8:25 PM

Inara has a device that manipulates time. It's the hourglass you see when she is with her first client. The client in fact refers to it when he is leaving. The camera also focuses on it just before Book enters her shuttle at the end of the bathing scene.

CBY

Wednesday, January 4, 2006 9:04 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by j6ngo1977:
Inara has a device that manipulates time. It's the hourglass you see when she is with her first client. The client in fact refers to it when he is leaving. The camera also focuses on it just before Book enters her shuttle at the end of the bathing scene.

Don't forget the vial containing explosive nail polish

°°°°°°°°°°°°
http://www.byond-trax.com - my selfmade ambient/lounge/chillout music

J6NGO1977

Thursday, January 5, 2006 8:30 AM

Quote:

Don't forget the vial containing explosive nail polish

I'm sure my girlfriend has some of that. It exploded in my face the other day when I was trying to sniff it. LOL

CAUSAL

Thursday, January 5, 2006 10:56 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by DonCoat:
IIRC a similar technique is used in the sex scene between Inara and the unnamed client early in the Serenity pilot.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need.

I don't remember a scene-freeze during the sex scene...*runs for DVDs*

Nope. It's the "lose focus/pull focus" gag, also used in Serenity when Jayne impugns Mal's war record. I reckon that's Joss' way of saying, "Look at the overwhelming physical and/or emotional sensations!"

________________________________________________________________________
I wish I had a magical wish-granting plank.

J6NGO1977

Friday, January 6, 2006 8:43 PM

I love the 'lose focus/pull focus' shot. Adds movement and pace to the whole frame. It's one of the things that makes Firefly special. It looks like sloppy camera work but it works so well.

DONCOAT

Saturday, January 7, 2006 4:25 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Causal:
Quote:
Originally posted by DonCoat:
IIRC a similar technique is used in the sex scene between Inara and the unnamed client early in the Serenity pilot.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need.

I don't remember a scene-freeze during the sex scene...*runs for DVDs*

Nope. It's the "lose focus/pull focus" gag, also used in Serenity when Jayne impugns Mal's war record. I reckon that's Joss' way of saying, "Look at the overwhelming physical and/or emotional sensations!"

Ah, thanks. My memory, it seems, just registered that there was something artsy-fartsy about that scene.

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I don't disagree on any particular point.

CAUSAL

Saturday, January 7, 2006 5:14 PM

Point of interest, Joss uses both the freeze frame and the out-of-focus trick. Way artsy-fartsy.

________________________________________________________________________
I wish I had a magical wish-granting plank.

JAYRO

Saturday, January 7, 2006 7:05 PM

Remember that the out-of-focus trick also crops up in OiS, when River is moving through the ship and 'experiences' what Wash and Zoe are feeling.

It's a very specific visual device, used to create a certain mood, and Joss says as much in the ep commentary. The 'time-stops' in Serenity and HoG are no different.

"The hell with this - I'm gonna live!"

UNSARDONIC

Saturday, February 4, 2006 4:59 AM

Hey c'mon CHEE-ildren...

There's nothing about Joss that isn't ...ahem... whazzit-everyone's-sayin'(??)... ummm... "Fartsy-Artsy(???)"...
How about during OiS(?)... River and the branch/gun(?)... can anything be artsy-fartsier than that? Inara-in-the-bath(??)... I mean, it also interests me that this was the first scene she shot in the series, right? She came in from Julliard for her first professional audition on a Friday - blew 'em away so harshly that they said, "You start work on Monday," - I mean... that's what I'D-a told her, eh?... and then, for her first post-school professional scene, they take her clothes off, give her a sponge & tell her to... ummm... ...hell, I dunno what they told her, d'you?? ...all I know is... that camera went to occasional freeze-frames and, y'know(??)... it sure fit her charming, ummm... what-is-that(??) ...personality(??)

One thing for sure is: nothing has entertained me more than every second of Firefly/Serenity

boy... there better be some serious bootie in the BDS or "all their friends will think they're stupid, inbred pieces of meat."
hehhehheh

UNSARDONIC

Saturday, February 4, 2006 5:03 AM

hmmmph...

shoulda put quotations around that "c'mon CHEE-ildren" thingee... I was channeling (...trying to...) Isaac Hayes from 'South Park'...

once again I have succeeded at being a "stupid, inbred piece of meat."

RYCE

Saturday, February 4, 2006 5:22 AM

I thought I heard in some commentary that the stops in Serenity and Heart of Gold sort of symbolized orgasms.

No power in the 'verse can stop me!

JAYNEISAGIRLSNAME1212

Wednesday, February 8, 2006 5:57 PM

Ryce that's exactly what Joss says on the commentary for ep. 1 during those scenes...who knows if it was tongue and cheek...

HERA

Tuesday, February 14, 2006 11:54 PM

In this instance, I would have to say the tongue has nothing to do with it.

"Wanna?" – Mal to Kaylee, Out of Gas

JOSSISAGOD

Wednesday, February 15, 2006 12:39 AM

Not to contradict you but I believe the intro scene between 'nara and Book was Morena's FIRST professional scene. The sponge bathing may have been her first professional semi-nude scene.

ANASAZI

Wednesday, February 15, 2006 1:10 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by CBY:
What is the reason for this "time stops"? First I thought that the DVD might be censored or damaged but that's not the case. Any ideas? Are they used to indicate a "timeless" feeling of some sort? (I bet this has been discussed before)

I dunno about you, dude, but I hit the pause button on that scene EVERY time, so I always thought it was me......

________________________________________________________
"You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought....."
Wanna Know something? I really liked the Star Wars Prequels. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
I Love Star Wars and Firefly. Isn't it unbelievable??!?!?!

MURKYMERC

Wednesday, February 15, 2006 1:56 AM

I'm a little ashamed. I assumed that someone had posted screen shots of the hot scene when I came into this thread.

UNSARDONIC

Saturday, February 18, 2006 1:09 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by jossisagod:
Not to contradict you but I believe the intro scene between 'nara and Book was Morena's FIRST professional scene. The sponge bathing may have been her first professional semi-nude scene.

Man... it takes me SO LONG to have a moment to notice the spinning of the rest of the world when I've got a work schedule on... 18/hr.days-7/days a week for freekin' MONTHS... anyway... sorry to take so long to notice you'd replied to me.

Anyway... you may, in fact, actually be 100% correct, however, where I took my information was Morena Baccarin herself: in the "Making of..." documentary for the "Firefly" series, during sections of it wherein she's interviewed about her experience shooting her episodes, she said it all happened so fast. They had a problem with ...some-inferior-actress-who-dve-BUTCHered-the-part-had-they-gone-with-her-desPITE-Esquire®-magazine-declaring-her-the-Finest-Female-on-the-planet-or-some-such

... and in that interview, Morena says her "Firefly" audition was the first thing she attempted immediately after her classes at Julliard. She says she auditioned on a Friday and they said, to-the-effect-of, "Well, that was just fine, by the way, you start on Monday." And it was either here or in a Joss commentary about her that it's stated that the first scene was the spongebath.

Not that any of these extremely fine points have much bearing on the quote-unquote Real World, however, those particular people said that this was the order of events.

Now... will somebody please tell me (remember: I said I'm buried in overwork 18-hours-a-day-7-days-a-week so, in Baldric's immortal words, "I don't know who I am or where I live...") if a BDSequel or a BDRenewed TV Series has occured during my inability-to-keep-up-on-events ...or not...

I know - I know... I "live in a pipe in the upstairs water-closet & my name is of no importance" and "my friends think I'm a useless stack of meat."

DAVESHAYNE

Saturday, February 18, 2006 1:31 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Unsardonic:
[Now... will somebody please tell me (remember: I said I'm buried in overwork 18-hours-a-day-7-days-a-week so, in Baldric's immortal words, "I don't know who I am or where I live...") if a BDSequel or a BDRenewed TV Series has occured during my inability-to-keep-up-on-events ...or not...

Well there have been rumors of late. Sadly they've been debunked here,

http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=17832

David

"A lot of people are asking me, you know, what exactly is Firefly? It's a tv show you morons!" - Joss Whedon

JOSSISAGOD

Saturday, February 18, 2006 4:44 AM

YOU may be right, I think what I heard on the commentary for Firefly for the Inara-Book intro scene was, the scene was her first DAY not her first scene.

sorry for the confusion,
JOSSISAGOD

YT

Friday, March 10, 2006 9:08 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Unsardonic:
Morena says her "Firefly" audition was the first thing she attempted immediately after her classes at Julliard. She says she auditioned on a Friday and they said, to-the-effect-of, "Well, that was just fine, by the way, you start on Monday."

Maybe so, but she did the movie 'Way Off Broadway (2001)' http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250625/ before 'Firefly (2002)' http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303461/

Keep the Shiny Side Up . . .

MATTCOZ

Friday, March 10, 2006 9:17 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Murkymerc:
I'm a little ashamed. I assumed that someone had posted screen shots of the hot scene when I came into this thread.

Ask and ye shall receive.

UNSARDONIC

Friday, March 10, 2006 9:35 PM

well...probably so... I'm just quoting whart she said on the doc footage... maybe that movie was one she prefered to forget or didn't want us to know about...
...and therefore, thanks for the research because, with the above thoughts in mind, this early movie ,ay need to be investigated...
...off to netflix we go

...if you can actually wait any longer for the next BDM or BDTVS, "you're friends will think you're a stupid, inbred stack of meat"...

UNSARDONIC

Friday, March 10, 2006 9:37 PM

oops...

forgot to post the reference I was replying to - sorry...

Quote:
Maybe so, but she did the movie 'Way Off Broadway (2001)' http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250625/ before 'Firefly (2002)' http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303461/

GRIZWALD

Friday, March 10, 2006 10:12 PM

I am a happily married, completely heterosexual female, but oh dear, does that woman have lovely skin.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

They couldn't take the sky from them.
Our Big Damn Heroes made a film!

... C'mon Universal, and greenlight a sequel...

CBY

Friday, March 10, 2006 10:36 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by grizwald:
oh dear, does that woman have lovely skin.

- They digitally removed an eyeblink of Nathan in the Serenity pilot with CGI
- They digitally replaced Inaras longbow with a crossbow in the BDM
- The train in "the train job" was CGI (complete with glitch

)

You still think that is Morenas actual skin? I bet she has a nasty orange-peel-skin or something

Hurray for irony

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GRIZWALD

Friday, March 10, 2006 10:41 PM

Hahahahahaha!

Well...

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

They couldn't take the sky from them.
Our Big Damn Heroes made a film!

... C'mon Universal, and greenlight a sequel...

UNSARDONIC

Friday, March 10, 2006 10:45 PM

Quote:
You still think that is Morenas actual skin? I bet she has a nasty orange-peel-skin or something

Hurray for irony

The truth is that they used CGI to screw-up her natural complection to get it to where it looks as it does - namely FABulous. The woman's so sublime that if any of us "Mere Mortals" actually beheld the Luminosity of her Actual Complexion, the eyes would melt out of our sockets just like the Nazi screw-ups at the end of "Raiders of the Lost Arc."

...I'm just sayin'...

if Universal (or Paramount) (or Fox) (or anybody else, even) doesn't greenlight some sequel action pretty soon, "all of their friends will think they're stupid, inbred stacks of meat."

PEULSAR5

Sunday, March 12, 2006 10:13 AM

PEULSAR5

Sunday, March 12, 2006 10:15 AM

(looking at the above pictures) I'll be in my bunk.

OURMRSWASHBURNE

Wednesday, April 5, 2006 10:04 PM

- They digitally replaced Inaras longbow with a crossbow in the BDM

Oh, man, I just read that as "They digitally replaced Inara's EYEBROW with a crossbow"...

Learn. To. Read. Gorramit.

(but her eyebrows are kinda odd. Cute, but odd.)

______________________________________
I'll be in Wash's bunk.
Hiding from Zoe...

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Wednesday, April 13, 2016 5:11 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by j6ngo1977:
I love the 'lose focus/pull focus' shot. Adds movement and pace to the whole frame. It's one of the things that makes Firefly special. It looks like sloppy camera work but it works so well.

This fascination with the lose focus, pull focus shot seems derivative to me.
Many know that the Airplane scene where Robert Stack dramatically takes off his glasses, to only be wearing more pairs underneath - and that it is derivative of The Six Million Dollar Man episode where Richard Anderson had not slept enough one night and had to wear sunglasses for indoor scenes, and then did this effect for the rest of the series.
Also in TSMDM, the 2-hour episode (first in TV history, reportedly) The Bionic Woman, where Lee Majors begs and tears up asking for Jamie to be saved, the camera loses focus during the tear shot, and the commentary from Harve Bennett says that it was the focus puller's mistake, he wasn't keeping up with the zoom. Apparently this became another cliche.

REAVERFAN

Wednesday, April 13, 2016 5:30 AM

I wonder how many of the people who were discussing this 10 years ago still check in?

MOOSE

Wednesday, April 13, 2016 4:24 PM

Only one I think is still a regular is ECGORDON, though I think I've also seen YT somewhat recently.

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Thursday, April 14, 2016 4:05 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Moose:
Only one I think is still a regular is ECGORDON, though I think I've also seen YT somewhat recently.

I've seen about Hera, Grizwald, Causal, but I don't recall how recent.
Site data shows they were last logged in 2010, 2011.

REAVERFAN

Thursday, April 14, 2016 4:51 AM

Wow. I joined in 2012. Of course, in 2006, there was a slight possibility (of sorts) of getting the show back.

Oh, well. The dream will never die!

ECGORDON

Thursday, April 14, 2016 8:30 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Moose:
Only one I think is still a regular is ECGORDON, though I think I've also seen YT somewhat recently.

There are only two people who have posted on this thread that have been members here longer than me, Moose and Ryce.

wo men ren ran zai fei xing.

RYCE

Monday, April 18, 2016 12:00 AM

Yep...still flying...though I don't think my avatar has changed since then

No power in the 'verse can stop me!

REAVERFAN

Monday, April 18, 2016 2:26 AM

It's nice to see.