“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” (2013)

Director: Francis Lawrence

Cinematographer: Jo Willems

As a sequel to “The Hunger Games” released in 2012, Catching Fire does everything that you would want a sequel to do. Keep the heart and soul of the original, but do it better! I’m a huge fan of the series and I can speak as one of the many who read the books and dressed up for the midnight release of the first, I couldn’t wait for Catching Fire to be released. I was somewhat letdown by the first as it didn’t quite hold up like I would have liked it to, on the biggest of the disappointments was due to the cinematography. A lot of handheld work was done in the first, but it was intentional “shaky cam” as we call it (seen in movies such as “The Bourne Ultimatum” and “Saving Private Ryan”. The director wanted to express the chaos of the games and thought that disorientating the audience was the best way. I’m not saying that it can’t be a useful tool, but the first used it far too much.

Catching Fire immediately redeemed the cinematography for me. The director and cinematographer chose were to use the handheld properly and to what extent “shaky cam” could better tell the story. The opening sequence of our protagonist hunting in the woods is simply beautiful. The natural light beaming through the woods, the camera operation working in a way where we can actually take in the beauty of the environment, and the sun rising in the distance. I feel as though more thought was put into each set-up and not just, throw a long lens on the camera and have Katniss run around.

One of my favorite sequences in the film is when our protagonist is being dragged into a mansion where a party is being held. The bright colors illuminating from the party, purple, blue, pink, and all the like shine past her face as we are being pulled further and further into the party. The shot switches back and forth between a close up of her and her POV as the camera gazes around. Through the POVs we get to take in the fullness of the party while at the same time being thrown inside Katniss’ shoes. I though this was a nice nod to the book as it’s told entirely through the first person account of Katniss. Another beautiful sequence is when Katniss is dancing inside the party with the another character. The camera rotates around them as they dance and we are in a continual movement until they separate. The movement again makes us feel as though we too are dancing.

The filmmakers decided to shoot the entire “arena sequence” in IMAX. The 65mm format separated the rest of the film which was shot on 35mm. It added a psychological element to the games that told our brains that we were seeing something different. The transition from the two formats happens at a high point in the movie. Right as our brains and emotions are in high gear we are thrown into the richness of the IMAX format, everything is richer, colors deeper, the screen larger, and our protagonist’s life is about to be in danger. All of the tension is high and the IMAX pushes that even further. I still don’t know how they used Steadicam and handheld with the cameras as they are huge!

What impressed me most about the film is the filmmaker’s choice to go with a new vision for the series. They could have just as easily copied and pasted the same style of the first and still have made a successful film. Instead, they decided to keep the heart of the series, but change the style for the better. As a reader of the series, I can say honestly that they better portrayed the images that I created in my head while reading the books. Its a feat to be able to take someone else’s vision and paint it on the screen. As a team however, the crew did a wonderful job. The colors of the capitol, the intensity of the arena, the hopelessness of the Districts. It’s all there.

p.s. Sorry for the lack of images! As this is a new film, it’s harder to find screen captures. Check out the trailer and hopefully it will give you a good guide!

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