Narc: The Visual Trip (2003) Online

The director and the director of photography of the film Narc discuss how they got the visual feel of the film that contrasts the red tones of family life with the colder blue of the rest of the film. Carnahan discusses the composition of each shot and also his aims when he got into the editing suite.

One of four documentaries on the Narc UK DVD, each lasting about 12 minutes long, this is an interesting piece that may not be as good as a full documentary on the subject but is still interesting. The question I couldn't shake was why they didn't just put all of the shorts together and edit it into an hour long documentary; maybe they thought people get put off by a longer feature and prefer it in smaller chunks.

Out of the four of the short films, this is easily the best and it greatly enhanced my love for a film that I really enjoyed and was impressed by. Usually the documentaries of this type about visual feel of a film will be more about the special effects used as opposed to any real detail. Given that this film had no budget or need for special effects, that can't be the subject here. Instead the film looks at the composition and design of the film and some key shots.

I was impressed by how each scene had been done - too often it is easy to assume they just point the camera but Carnahan gives so much detail that it is impossible not to be impressed by his skills, his eye and more in love with his final product. The discussion on the tunnel scene is brilliant - how the focus was designed based on how much information we know (the figures are out of focus, but we know it was raining so that is in focus). Even more impressive is the framing of shots involving Patric and Liotta. For example in key shots with the two, the background to Patric is kept as clear as possible while Liotta is filmed with obstructions to indicate his state of mind - we never really see him clearly.

That this much thought went into it impressed me no end and, when I watched it again, it improved the experience of watching the film. The stuff on editing is not quite as good but still interesting and impressive. Carnahan marks himself out as a director to watch here. He made a cop thriller, just like so many people in Hollywood try, however the things he says in this documentary are just some of the reasons why Narc is a much better film than many of those. I was impressed with him before I watched this but now will make sure I make a concerted effort to see the films he makes from here on in.