Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Since the rise of the studio system, Hollywood’s number one priority is to fill as many theater seats as possible. Sometimes this means adding an extra layer of sensory experience for theater-goers (IMAX anyone?) or making a singular filmmaking aspect the sole talking point of the work, resulting in the general populace not necessarily knowing much about the plot but knowing it was, for example, shot in one take or over the course of twelve years. Oftentimes gimmicks achieve the goal producers and marketers laid out in the first place: putting butts in seats. But in some cases, gimmicks fool us into associating the schtick with the art and in some instances cause us to think we enjoy (or don’t enjoy) a movie because we know an ultra specific aspect of it that also makes for a hip conversation piece.
Earlier this summer, indie director Sean Baker, whose stunning works include the likes of the Dree Hemingway-starring Starlet, released his latest project, Tangerine. The film follows two trans sex workers, Sin-Dee Rella (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) and Alexandra (Mya Taylor), through the seedy streets of LA as they attempt to track down their absentee pimp Chester (James Ransone) on Christmas Eve. I had the privilege of seeing the film at an event hosted by YouTube, who invited young filmmakers and talent to attend and stick around afterwards for a Q&A with some of the cast and crew. Right out of the gate, Tangerine makes itself known, featuring powerful and unique performances from performers without previous acting experience, a record store B-side soundtrack, and voyeuristic cinematography that blurs the line between narrative and documentary. Despite their unrelenting humor, Sin-Dee’s and Alexandra’s stories stick with you and reiterate the complicated stigmas associated with being both trans and sex workers. The worst part about their journey, however, is that people — including those aspiring filmmakers who stuck around for the Q&A — aren’t really talking about it. Why? Because it was shot on an iPhone 5S.
Baker admitted that when the prolific Duplass Brothers approached him about producing Tangerine, he didn’t have the budget nor the resources; leaving him to throw caution to the wind, get creative, and work with what he had: a smartphone. It’s an honest-to-goodness Cinderella story: relatively unknown filmmaker makes complicated film on everyday device and inspires young, broke filmmakers everywhere. But would we have been so inclined to see Tangerine had it not been inventively shot? Or on the contrary, would the film be as well received without its gimmick?
The list of films below outline a history of cinematic gimmicks that span almost a century and vary in extremity — from tangible theatrical experiences to first-time filmmaking feats — but all serve the same purpose: getting audiences to pay attention to something other than the story and come out to the movies already. But do these films live up to their hype? See if you agree with our verdicts below.
'The Jazz Singer' (1927)
THE GIMMICK: Marked the start of the “talkie” era.
THE PAYOFF: While Alan Crosland’s #problematic musical drama is known now for its controversial depictions of African American culture through Al Jolson’s cringeworthy use of blackface, The Jazz Singer was considered revelatory back in the day for breaking barriers in sound technology to become the first “talkie” film with audible dialogue.
THE VERDICT: Sure, it’s iconic and all, but in addition to it being incredibly racist, it’s also incredibly lackluster.
'Hell's Angels' (1930)
THE GIMMICK: Considered to be the first blockbuster action film with sound.
THE PAYOFF: After filming the entire (million-dollar) spectacle as a silent war drama featuring an orchestrated soundtrack, eccentric filmmaker and inventor Howard Hughes decided to scrap the whole project and reshoot it as a talkie after sound technology became available. In addition to its mega-budget effects for the time period, Hughes’ idea to harness cameras to his fighter planes was, and still is, considered ingenious.
THE VERDICT: Totally worth watching and re-watching. Hughes’ outlandish and tarnished legend may inadvertently overshadow the marvel of this movie and its respective gimmick, which undoubtedly influenced how the contemporary action film was developed.
'The Wizard of Oz' (1939)
THE GIMMICK: The first major feature to be filmed in Technicolor.
THE PAYOFF: It goes without saying that The Wizard of Oz is a cross-generational classic as much as it is a pillar of technological advancement in cinema. In addition to Dorothy and Toto’s infamous journey, director Victor Fleming (who also directed Gone With the Wind the same year) exercised both black and white elements and bright, bold Technicolor in his iconic masterpiece. While the yellow brick road wasn’t the first hue to be shown on screen (there had been various color segments in films prior to 1939, including Hell’s Angels), The Wizard of Oz made Technicolor the next big thing despite its tedious tending to by requiring three reels of celluloid whirring through one camera — yikes!
THE VERDICT: Black and white has slowly but surely made its way back into mainstream cinema (remember Nebraska a couple of years back?) and even television (American Horror Story‘s Ryan Murphy is a huge fan of black and white flashbacks for dramatic effect), but when The Wizard of Oz literally wiped away black and white on screen, it created a seismic shift in how we consume art and media for decades thereafter.
'Wonder Man' (1945)
THE GIMMICK: Featured an actor playing twins in the same frame for the first time.
THE PAYOFF: Chances are you’ve never heard of this movie starring music man Danny Kaye, but it marked the first time the same actor played twins onscreen. After snagging an Oscar for its achievement in special effects, Wonder Man went on to influence films as varied as The Parent Trap (both the original and the Lindsay Lohan-starring remake) and Adaptation.
THE VERDICT: Unless you’re SUPER into near-century-old musicals, Wonder Man might bore you, but its revolutionary editing carried over well into the digital age. You can’t stream the film in its entirety, but clips are available on YouTube.
'Rope' (1948)
THE GIMMICK: One of the first films to execute the one-take illusion.
THE PAYOFF: Alfred Hitchcock’s taught mystery executes a masterful one-take illusion, or a “one-er” as they’re sometimes referred to, thanks to expert cinematography from Joseph Valentino, who also worked on the director’s Shadow of a Doubt and Saboteur.
THE VERDICT: Not only does the tone-take hold up nearly seventy years later, but the queer subtext of the film has served proved a worthy analysis in recent years.
'The Tingler' (1959)
THE GIMMICK: “Percepto” evolved, gave theater-goers the creepy-crawlies, and inspired theme parks.
THE PAYOFF: B-horror filmmaker William Castle might be to blame for why fright-night flicks these days are so chintzy in narrative — but still so much damn fun to watch. A subtly brilliant marketing genius, Castle packed his low-grade, low-budget horror flicks with A-list stars he met as a producer and to bring in the audience members in droves, who he proceeded to terrify with interactive lobby exhibits and spine-tingling seats that literally buzzed to give a crawling sensation.
THE VERDICT: Since we don’t necessarily have the tools to watch the film as intended, we can’t really determine if The Tingler holds up in the new millennium. But filmmakers like Castle (who you’ll see mentioned again in this list) later influenced iconic B-movie producers like Sam Arkoff and Roger Corman.
'House On Haunted Hill' (1959)
THE GIMMICK: “Emergo,” or your friendly theater skeleton, spooked audiences for the first time.
THE PAYOFF: And we’re right back to William Castle, who, in addition to giving audiences crawling sensations in their seats, employed a skeleton named Emergo to enact as a three-dimensional movie-going experience. Castle designed an elaborate pulley system for theaters exhibiting his film so that his beloved skeleton could flying over and interact with his audiences throughout the duration of the picture.
THE VERDICT: The guys over at RiffTrax (the same jokesters famous for Mystery Science Theater 3000) got their hands on this one a few years back, but then again, Castle films aren’t necessarily meant to be taken too seriously. Film Forum in New York City has had mini Castle revival nights featuring some of his most famous gimmicks, but if you’re watching it at home, the experience might not feel like much of one at all.
'Earthquake' (1974)
THE GIMMICK: “Sensurround” sound, shook audiences in their seats.
THE PAYOFF: Originally developed by Universal Studios, Sensurround was like the 1970s version of THX on amplified crack without the quality of digital. Used for big budget sci-fi and action films, Sensurround made its debut with disaster epic Earthquake and literally shook audiences in their seats. Because feeling like the theater is crashing down around you is totally how you want to experience a movie, right? Especially if you’re watching it in, say, Los Angeles?
THE VERDICT: Neither Sensurround or Earthquake held up, with the latter being an off-hand reference to the first slew of original disaster movies.
'Polyester' (1981)
THE GIMMICK: “Odorama,” made its scented theatrical debut.
THE PAYOFF: John Waters’ took a page from William Castle’s book in using outlandish gimmicks to coincide with his films’ releases. For Divine-starring Polyester, the director decided Odorama, better known as scratch and sniff cards, were to accompany his film.
THE VERDICT: Scratch and sniff lived on well through the early aughts (albeit not on movie screens per se) before dying out, but John Waters and Divine’s cult statuses are still alive and well, allowing this pitch black comedy to survive without any gimmick whatsoever.
'Who Framed Roger Rabbit?' (1988)
THE GIMMICK: The first time animation and live-action were melded together for an entire film.
THE PAYOFF: A classic was born in Robert Zemeckis’ crime comedy with a 2D twist. In fact, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is so good that you hardly think of it as a gimmick at all, even though it was a groundbreaking advancement in live-action, animation, and acting, which all had to adjust to this new mixed medium.
THE VERDICT: Its technical hype may have died down since 1988, sure, but this is one you’ll show to your grandkids.
'Toy Story' (1995)
THE GIMMICK: Pixar made history with the very first computer-animated feature.
THE PAYOFF: Almost as imaginative as having toys come to life, Pixar Animation Studios sparked a cinematic phenomenon with their computer-animated debut Toy Story that has since forced animators (Pixar included) to raise their standards when it comes to creating digitally generated marvels.
THE VERDICT: In addition to spawning an entire generation of inanimate object-conscious children, Pixar revolutionized how we see animation on the big and small screens.
'The Blair Witch Project' (1999)
THE GIMMICK: Marked the first, mega-viral marketing technique.
THE PAYOFF: A micro-budget of $22,500 mixed with no-name talent and the rise of Internet shareability, created the perfect found-footage storm that is The Blair Witch Project. Marketed not as a narrative film, but rather as footage reaped from the backwoods of Maryland where three film students “disappeared,” the movie would go down in history as the first viral marketing success that in turn scared the crap out of its first batch of audience members, who were duped into thinking it was non-fiction instead of a relatively boring mockumentary.
THE VERDICT: Now that we’re older and wiser (and comfortably numb to found footage horror), The Blair Witch Project and all of its inspired fright flicks that came thereafter are admittedly fun to watch but unfortunately, not very scary.
'Timecode' (2000)
THE GIMMICK: The first one-take feature told through multiple points of view.
THE PAYOFF: Mike Figgis’ quadruple POV drama built upon the “Duo-Vision” phenomenon that came about in the 1970s with Richard L. Bare’s Wicked, Wicked and Brian de Palma’s Dionysus in ’69. The new millennium saw a rebirth of this type of simultaneous shooting and editing between Timecode and Guy Ritchie’s Snatch, though the former gave the illusion of one long take.
THE VERDICT: It certainly made waves, but now that Birdman has raised a new one-take standard, films like Timecode are overshadowed.
'Avatar' (2009)
THE GIMMICK: The first major motion picture to use motion capture for 3D.
THE PAYOFF: It’s other gimmick being “Pocahontas in space,” Avatar proved to be a technological and visual masterpiece accompanied by one of the most boring and formulaic plots in recent memory. If you’re a movie-goer who’s gung-ho about the latest craze, you may have reveled in the Avatar madness that took over the holiday season of 2009. But for those who aren’t easily wooed by today’s 3D obsession and were looking for more of a narrative, this certainly wasn’t for you.
THE VERDICT: It’s a one and done, “it looked cool, I guess” kind of watch. Seriously, who out there has seen Avatar twice?
'Fast & Furious' (2009)
THE GIMMICK: “D-Box,” also known as the moving movie theater seat.
THE PAYOFF: D-Box, which sounds more like a tween-inspired insult than a technological advancement, was developed as an all immersive move theater seat that moved and shook and twisted and turned along with the film playing before you. Fast & Furious wasn’t the first to have D-Box accompany their film, but given its loyal fan base, the Vin Diesel-Paul Walker franchise put it — briefly — on the map.
THE VERDICT: Do you remember D-Box? Neither do we.
'The Artist' (2011)
THE GIMMICK: A contemporary black and white silent feature.
THE PAYOFF: Only the Weinsteins could convince Hollywood to vet an adorably safe, foreign silent film for Best Picture and win the top prize. The Artist brought mainstream black and white into fashion and temporarily put two French unknowns — Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo — on the Academy’s radar.
THE VERDICT: Be honest: you totally forgot about this movie until now.
'Gravity' (2013)
THE GIMMICK: Inventive technological direction kicked off with a 13-minute, unedited opening scene.
THE PAYOFF: In addition to infuriating Neil deGrasse Tyson, the film earned Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón Best Director (and deservedly so). Gravity is an interesting case, however, of innovation and art trying, and ultimately failing, to meld properly for mass appeal. It was relatively short and sweet, clocking in at just 90 minutes, but felt more like a special presentation you’d go to see exclusively in IMAX during its limited engagement rather than a bonafide Oscar contender.
THE VERDICT: Reading about how the film was designed was far more interesting than watching Sandra Bullock float through space.
'Boyhood' (2014)
THE GIMMICK: Filmed over the course of twelve years.
THE PAYOFF: Between Richard Linklater‘s immersive eye and Sandra Adair’s seamless editing, watching young Mason (Ellar Coltrane) grow up before our eyes was something extraordinary. However, the gimmick of Boyhood eventually ran its course and, come awards season, was out-campaigned by 20th Century Fox, who’s Birdman had an equally gripping, yet wholly more flashy, gimmick of its own.
THE VERDICT: Boyhood unofficially retired the coming-of-age genre (for the remainder of the decade at the very least) but if its twelve-year hype hadn’t been talked to death, it may have been received differently: being recognized for the genuine story it was rather than a history-making movie.
'Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance) (2014)
THE GIMMICK: Filmed to look like one, elaborate long take.
THE PAYOFF: Flawless cinematography and editing made Mexican auteur Alejandro Iñárritu‘s dream of a seamless, singular take a reality and earned him a slew of Oscars including Best Director and Best Picture. Birdman also took home Best Original Screenplay, which is where things get a little hairy.
THE VERDICT: Had Birdman not dazzled us visually, it would have never been as strong an Oscar contender as it was, especially considering the script (and its play within the script) were amateur at best.
'Tangerine' (2015)
THE GIMMICK: Filmed on an iPhone 5S.
THE PAYOFF: Right now, the fact that director Sean Baker filmed his latest project on a smartphone is overshadowing the indie’s incredibly powerful story of trans sex workers Sin-Dee (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) and Alexandra (Mya Taylor) and their unforgettable Christmas Eve trying to track down their pimp, who’s done them a whole lot of wrong.
THE VERDICT: A groundbreaking narrative amidst our nation’s trans tipping point, Tangerine should be making waves for its story in addition to inspiring up-and-coming filmmakers who are limited to a microscopic budget. Hopefully audiences will see further past the gimmick and watch Baker’s film for what it is: a poignant and wholly unique buddy comedy that has further pushed trans actors into the mainstream.
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