The fact that Matrix Resurrections (2021) to be such a disappointing film is inescapably tied to everything the original trilogy of Lilly and Lana Wachowski (1999-2003). Not only is it light years away from the juicy complexity and jaw-dropping spectacle of the other films after the second of the sisters has emptied it of clever content, but she can no longer surprise us with any technological innovation either.
It must be made clear that Matrix he didn’t invent shooting with bullet time either bullet time, in which the fastest movements are slowed down to the limit while the specific perspective of several cameras moves around and the angle from which the viewers see the scene is modified. There is no doubt that it deserves the four Oscars it won, among which are those for best editing and visual effects. But the truth is that only popularized this attractive technique.
Effects supervisor John Gaeta and the company Manex Visual Effects looked to previous audiovisual works that anticipated their use of bullet time in Matrixlike the video clips of Midnight Move (1985) and Like a Rolling Stone (1995) no less. But also, of course, the tv ad Adventure (1997), that Michel Gondry materialized for Smirnoff and in which we find such a technique itself, and with a bullet included.
The talent of Michel Gondry at the service of Smirnoff
This piece of a minute and a bit of who would later give us a great feature film like the Oscar winner Forget about me!Spanish title of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), was awarded at the International Advertising Festival Cannes Lionsthe most prestigious of the world in its field. And in it we see a couple fleeing from a dangerous Russian uniformed man in different scenarios, among which the images pass through the glass of the vodka bottle.
Its circular structure, which begins in extremis and jump to a flash back before going back to the beginning, and his quite complex and dynamic composition to precipitation are satisfactory from a cinematographic approach. Far, yes, from any realistic intention and with an essence of commercial adventure. Bullet time comes early and, while there is no doubt that its use in Matrix is further refinedMichel Gondry must have surprised.
Other antecedents of the bullet time of ‘Matrix’
In truth, the French director had already been behind the development of the Rolling Stones video clip. And, of course, this visual mechanism is so compelling that the filmmakers couldn’t sit idly by while Lilly and Lana Wachowski prepared their seminal sci-fi flick. So Matthew Rolston introduced it in other spot of the textile company The Gap (1998) for a couple of moves by his enthusiastic dancers to the rhythm of the swing.
But it was not the only one. stephen hopkins I use it also during Lost in Spaceactor Vincent Gallo, to buffalo ’66 (1998), and Chris Roberts, in Wing Commander (1999), which was released just two weeks before Matrix. However, John Gaeta himself told the magazine Empire the following: “As for the artistic inspiration for bullet time, I would give credit to Katsuhiro Ōtomo, who co-wrote and directed Akira [1988]which definitely shocked me.”
But “together with the director Michel Gondry”. Because “his music videos of him experimented with a different kind of technique called ‘view morphing’ and it was just part of the beginning of discovering creative approaches to using still cameras for special effects.” Although the technique of Matrix “It was significantly different” because “they built it to move objects” that weren’t static and they were able to “create slow-motion events” with virtual ones. Very meritorious.