Tow #11 "Making a Scene: 11 Performances"

For this years Movies Issue, New York Times Magazine commissioned a group of screenwriters, responsible for some of the best scripts of 2013 to each write a single captivating line of monologue for 11 short films directed by the Oscar winning cinematographer of Saving Private Ryan and  Schindler's List, Janusz Kaminski. These lines were then given to 11 talented actors and actresses to perform. Kaminski describes these short vignettes as "slightly whimsical and off-center. Each short evokes a  particular style and conveys an emotion through the lighting, music and tone that is translated to the audience with the juxtaposition of the setting and diction. The actors' bizarre lines often contrast with the background settings of the scene, creating just the right dose of confusion to peak the interest of the audience. My personal favorite with 'Blue Jasmine' starring Cate Blanchett and written by Andrew Bujalski. The scene opens with dramatic orchestral music with a view of an elegant booth at a restaurant. Then with a 'crunch' the camera zooms in on a fish that has just landed on the plate, followed by the 'zing' of a knife and fork. Just as Blanchett picks up the utensils and is about to cut into the fish, the dramatic music is interrupted by a loud thump as the fish eyeball pops out of the fish and rolls to the plate. Blanchett then simpers at the fish, "show me where the bed is...put a blanket over me... and don't ever... let me see you again." She then proceeds to drape herself across the booth as the dramatic orchestra hits a crescendo and the camera zooms out to juxtapose her with the fish. The allure of these vignettes simply comes from the juxtaposition of the melodramatic scenes and climactic music with the quirky, and out of place lines. It it completely bewildering to the audience and it's genius.