I Watched Spider-Man: Brand New Day as a Photographer. Here’s What I Learned About Storytelling.
I am not a Marvel fan. I have watched one Iron Man, one Doctor Strange, and both black panthers. I have never seen a Spider-Man movie…until now. My daughter had a date night with her boyfriend, and while I didn’t tag along with them per se I did have to drop her off cause she doesn’t want to ride with him. (She says he drives crazy lol) I decided to buy a ticket and watch the movie instead of wasting gas sitting in the car. I was lost during this Brand New Day movie, but I still loved the storytelling aspect because I didn’t need to really know what went on to pick up where the story left off. I watched Spider-Man: Brand New Day as a photographer. Here’s what I learned about storytelling.
The story needs to have a beginning, middle, and end. I feel that this movie was the middle. I knew he had to erase some memories, and I knew he lost his aunt, so I wasn’t in the dark. I think the way they told the story from the beginning helps you piece things together no matter what part of the story you land in. I think life is kinda like that: the story we tell ourselves and the stories we are in can change at any time, and we have to keep up, and if you pay attention to the little things, it shouldn’t be hard to do. I saw him at the grave, and he called her Aunt May. I know enough about the story to know she must have died. I knew that they didn’t remember him, and it was said in the movie, so I didn’t expect MJ to remember him right away. Pay attention to the little things in a story so that you can put two and two together for the bigger picture.
The best part of the movie that I loved as a photographer was when she asked him, “Are you Peter Parker or are you Spider-Man? Great way to question things in your life. Are you a photographer or are you Kita the introvert? I can be both! Also, the part after that was the best part of the movie.
A 2-hour 25-minute film has millions of individual frames, but only a handful become “the shot” people remember. This is how it is as a photographer. I take maybe 300 photos per session, but there are only a few that make the cut. What do I look for to get that one shot? I always look for when they aren’t looking. I love how some actors can ad lib to their character and do things that aren’t in the script. I love those moments so when I do photos, I like to go off script. Take the photo when the client isn’t looking so I can get the realest, unfiltered shot. It makes the picture more real.
Peter is fighting in a world that’s forgotten him, and he is watching friends move on without him, something he can’t control. Each of my clients comes to me mid-transformation also. A senior that is getting ready to go off to college, a pregnant mom who is about to have her first baby, an engaged couple about to get married, an event that can change someone’s life just by being in the room. I catch you at your turning point, and I love that we get to have that in photos to keep as a memory to look back on.
Spider-Man taught me that the frame you choose is a decision about legacy, not aesthetics. Adversity brings opportunity. When things fall apart, you are forced to find new solutions. Comfort zones make you lazy. Get out of them now and then and do something different even if you have to do it alone.
Have you watched the new Spider-Man movie? What are your thoughts on it? What was your favorite part?
