MovieChat Forums > 300 (2007) Discussion > you don't seriously think they added slo...

you don't seriously think they added slow-mo to make the runtime longer?

posted 10 years ago by no-one-really
8 replies | jump to latest

i mean come on, if you did speed it all up almost all of the shots would be over in a second and lose their effectiveness.

there's nothing wrong with having a style, it's not like Mission impossible 2 where the slow-mo was gratuitous, here it was stylised and i honestly can't believe some people think they just added it to make the film longer, or are they just exaggerating to be funny?

either way, if anyone does seriously believe they only did it because they didn't have enough depth then that's kinda weird if you ask me, i don't think the film would be close to 2 hours if that was the case, yes i know if you did speed up all the slow-mo it comes to around an hour but, like i said, that would lead to the more dramatic shots being a second or so long and losing any kind of effectiveness.

slow-mo is not something you can just add later, or you can but post converted slow-mo would't look anything like the slow-mo that this movie was filmed in.

[–] Atheist_Dude 10 years ago

The slow-motion in this movie is outstanding and used very well.

And like you say, it is not like they just decided to randomly put slow-motion in post, this is a very rigorously designed movie, the slow-motion was always meant to be there and the film was specially shot to BE in slow-motion, it was conceived that way. Infact often the actors sort of moved differently because they had to move in a specific way for it to look good in slow motion.

The slow motion is used with a definite purpose. Snyder is throwing all these jaw-dropping images on screen, this beautifully mounted high-contrast tableaux which look like paintings. He doesn't employ quick cuts, he uses slow motion so that the audience can actually see the frame, study its composition, see the details.

It also helps the tone of the movie. The movie is like a half-remembered dream like reality, a mythical tale of antiquity that exists in this surreal dream-scape and the slow motion furthers that impression as these larger than life characters sort of float through this strange yet intoxicating world.

Even the action scenes, they use not just slow motion, but even fast motion to lend particular potency and violence to an action of a dramatic flourish or a highlight.

This movie is actually stunningly conceived by Snyder and perfectly executed.

[–] no-one-really 10 years ago

very well put, all i can say is i agree to everything you just said

[–] vojkan087 10 years ago

This isn't some kind of sarcasm or anything?

[–] wielderofspoons 10 years ago

I do think the Gorgo/Theron sideplot was added to make the story longer.

[–] no-one-really 10 years ago

yes, i agree with that but at least it was interesting and was very complimentary to the plot and pacing and it allowed us to see the war on both sides, Leonidas with his swords and shields, and Gorgo with her voice and politics, if anything i think it should have been in the book.

in m opinion yes it was probably added just to make the story longer but don't take it out of the film whatever you do, because it still works, it didn't damage the film in anyway, it actually made it better.

[–] Atheist_Dude 10 years ago

The sieplot serve a variety of purposes and was actually quite important.

First of all Snyder said that there had to be a character you could cut too, otherwise it would just be scene of the guys slaughtering Persians with no respite and the audience would get tired of that.

So they jacked up the character of the queen so that they could cut to her from time to time to ease the tension a bit.

It also grounded the movie in that if you did not have the Queen, the aftermath of the death of Leonidas could not be show. How will you show who is affected and what was the feeling back home. So it gave the film-makers a chance to give a human stake to the story.

And now that they have the queen to cut to every now and then, they can't just cut to her moping. So they gave her a subplot of trying to help the Spartans politically in the senate. And gave her the badass kill to have some girl power balance the extreme testosterone of the film.

I think it worked out quite well in the end though admittedly her scenes are dull compared to the Spartans' scenes.

[–] !!!deleted!!! (6571724) 10 years ago

How much time could it POSSIBLY have added?

[–] doubl3 9 years ago

I liked the slow-mo and usually fighting scenes bore me in movies. I also liked that it was narrated. The movie had a nice feel to it.