Cinema is an art. The very line has long defined the ethos of Hollywood and time has proved that those with a clear yet distinct artistic vision have reigned supreme at the box office for bringing a welcome change for the audiences. In this regard, Zack Snyder stacks up pretty high for his unique creative decisions that have, at times, rode high up in fame, whereas on other occasions, found themselves lashed upon by critics.
Regardless of fame and failure, the director, undeniably, has pushed forward major changes for the advancement of the industry as a whole. A stark example of it is his 2006 directorial, 300. The historical fiction easily sticks out among its counterpart releases from the same year. However, it alone managed to bring forth an idea to fruition which, at that time, appeared to be a novelty reserved for sci-fi fantasies.
In every sense, no other movie from him has had as much of an impact on Hollywood’s artistic vision and the path to the future as this.
300 marked a major high for Hollywood
The war-action film revolving around the battle of King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans against a seemingly invincible Persian army, brought to life the comic book series by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley, with unmatched accuracy. Aiming to replicate the essence and feel of the original visual palette, Zack Snyder opted to shoot the entirety of 300, barring just one scene, completely indoors and in front of a green screen.
Bearings release date of 2006 and a production timeline of much earlier, a complete post-VFX style shooting was not the industry norm at that time. Even Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2, which dropped in theaters just a couple of years prior, employed over one hundred sets and locations despite being effects-heavy.
Yet, the Army of the Dead director took the bold decision simply to maintain aesthetics, which he justified to the Los Angeles Times as,
That’s just what I’m drawn to aesthetically. I like the relentlessness and over-the-top nature of the graphic novel. So the pace and design, that hysterical weirdness, come from that.
Inspired heavily by 2005’s Sin City by Frank Miller, Snyder’s move prompted an industry-wide shift and paved the way for green screens to become the staple of modern film-making with movies like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Avatar: The Way of Water, standing out as notable adaptors.
Zack Snyder debuted his signature moves with the flick
300 featured a high-contrast, desaturated look with bursts of vibrant red, a move that perfectly captured the comic book-esque feel. Furthermore, the use of slow-motion during action sequences and on moments of brutality to showcase highlights such as the splatter of blood or swinging of swords, gave the movie a cinematic edge and made it more faithful for a dramatic presentation, earning the flick a gross of more than $456 million.
Moving on, these signature effects, less-colored color palette, and slow-motion action sequences made their return triumphantly in 2009’s The Watchmen, which again had the director make several creative changes. However, all of it back-fired with 2013’s Man of Steel as well as for most of his DCEU movies, with critics and fans calling it a deviation from the comics. Yet, he still retained and showcased them in full glory with his latest two-part Rebel Moon saga for Netflix.
300 is available to stream on Hulu.
