Choreography v Fast Cuts: Why The Avengers Was So Refreshing

This weekend I saw The Avengers and it was awesome.  And beyond the geek pandering and cheap laughs, it had some really impressive elements including the best filmed action sequences that I’ve seen in a very long time.  


A lot of modern day action scenes skip long choreographed shots and use fast paced editing of brief, tightly framed shots.  For example, in a scene where a waiter drops a cup of tea and a ninja catches it before it hits the floor, all of the action could fit into one frame/shot without the camera cutting or moving.  But the excitement of this scene could be enhanced by breaking all of the smaller actions into separate close ups:   A foot slips.  The ninja notices.  The cup falls off the tray.  A hand jets out.  The waitress’ shocked face.  The hand catching the cup.  The cup returning to the tray.  The ninja sitting back down.   This technique adds to the excitement of the moment by bombarding the audience with close ups that literally make the action bigger and faster.  While there is no fundamental problem with this, I happen to believe this fast cutting technique is over used and often disorienting.  I think a lot of filmmakers feel a need to pump up their scenes with fast cuts even if it doesn't need it.  I remember asking myself, “is it necessary to play up the action in a scene where two giant robots are fighting and crashing into a highway overpass?  Is that not exciting enough?”  


Another reason people use this technique is to add confusion and disorient the audience.  If you had to film a bar fight and wanted to portray the chaos of the scene, you could use the fast cutting technique by showing a stream of images of bar patrons bludgeoning, punching, kicking, swearing, puking, and screaming in rapid succession.  You could convey the confusion of the fight by overwhelming the audience with imagery.  While I understand why a filmmaker would choose to do this in a bar fight, I can't understand why a filmmaker would use this disorienting fast cutting technique to show people gathering in a dilapidated town square for a reaping.


**I will also take the time to make this plea: Filmmakers, DO NOT USE FAST CUTS IN 3-D!!!  We can barely sit through a two+ hour film with 3-D glasses on, please do not tax our senses with your wily edits!


By now you can understand my apprehension when I got tickets to go see The Avengers in 3-D Imax.  Yet, the unbearable and disorienting fast cuts never came.  Instead, during the middle of the New York fight scene I was delighted by a long cut that focused on and then moved seamlessly from one fighting Avenger to another.  By choosing to not use the tired ol' crutch of fast cuts, Joss Whedon had created a beautifully choreographed scene that was both action-packed and coherent.  I was actually allowed to look at the whole battlefield and admire the action instead of having my face pushed into every hammer blow and repulsor blast.  


This specific long shot was both awesome and iconic, and I will bet good money that if you saw The Avengers you know exactly what shot I'm talking about.  I hope that other filmmakers out there noticed it too.  It's time they stopped hiding behind fast-cuts and learn how to actually choreograph a scene.  




Further Viewings: If what I said resonated with you at all and you would like to see well choreographed action movies I suggest Ong-bak: The Thai Warrior (2003) or one of Jackie Chan's earlier films from the 90s.  These can be found on Netflix.