Gravity Featurette Showcases The Film’s 3D Technology

By Rudie Obias | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

As we wait for Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity to open in theaters nationwide in a few weeks, Warner Bros. has released a pair of new promotional videos to help hype the 3D space epic. The first is a 30-second TV spot that combine’s Steven Price’s touching score and Cuarón’s dazzling imagery, while the other is an extended look at the 3D technology of the film itself.

The three-minute extended featurette highlights the technology behind the film. It took Alfonso Cuarón seven years to make his vision of Gravity a reality because he was waiting for film-making technology to catch up with what he had planned in his head. Cuarón wanted to create a certain level of realism and weightlessness, not just with how the actors move on the screen, but also how the camera moves while capturing the action.

3D technology lends an immersive quality to Cuarón’s brand of storytelling. Emmanuel Lubezki cinematography work on the film is probably its most important aspect. The film feels and looks as real as if Cuarón took Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, and a camera crew into outer space to shoot the film. For Cuarón, the 3D should enhance the film’s storytelling while making the audience feel as if they are also lost in space with the film’s characters. Gravity is by far Cuarón’s most ambitious film.

The second piece of promotional material released is a 30-second TV spot that also highlights Cuarón’s ability to frame a scene. The way Sandra Bullock’s character floats in the space station looks like she’s a growing baby inside her mother’s womb. With Steven Price’s score behind Cuarón’s composition, it feels like Gravity is also one of those rare art films that could crossover into mainstream appeal. There’s just something captivating about the TV spot.

Meanwhile, Warner Bros. will continue to release TV spots and trailers that convey the beauty and terror of working in outer space. Hopefully, Warners’ marketing will translate into a healthy box office for Cuarón and Gravity.

Although the film is receiving almost rave reviews from critics, it’s hard to gauge whether the film will perform well with general audiences. The space epic has a few things in its favor: it stars recognizable movie stars (Bullock and Clooney), it’s a shorter film that clocks in at 90 minutes, and a 3D and IMAX surcharge should bode nicely for a high box office take. I still say Warner Bros. should’ve added “From the director of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Children of Men” to all of its promotional materials for Gravity to ensure a bigger audience.

Gravity features Sandra Bullock as Dr. Ryan Stone, a medical engineer who is on her first space shuttle mission, and George Clooney as Matt Kowalsky, a veteran astronaut who is on his final mission to space. When a horrible accident unfolds, Dr. Stone and Kowalsky are separated, while Stone is left to drift through space with no hope for rescue and with very little oxygen left in her tanks.

Gravity will hit theaters everywhere on October 4, in 3D and IMAX.