One of the most prominent aspects of Paul Thomas Anderson's films that I've noticed is his use of longer shots. Most of them are rather stationary, while some move quite a bit, often following one of the characters through an environment of some kind. I watched There Will Be Blood, Punch Drunk Love, and Magnolia. Of the three I think Magnolia is one I could do without. I'm just not into that kind of drama. I felt like I was watching a condensed soap opera and there were times I was questioning the integrity of some scenes and character behavior. I would describe it as overly dramatic. Still, Anderson's signature long shots and expressive camera angles are working to carry the story forward.
He seems to like the idea of stretching out time, only to later condense it or cut out equally large chunks. I felt that this was a good way of making the passage of time more noticeable. Again, his use of longer shots helps support this. At times he focuses in on subtle things, relying on the actors or some other thing to carry the weight of the shot. His cameras take more of a voyeuristic role in a sense. He does it intentionally. I personally like it. It really helps to push the immediacy of what's going on in the story when he does it.
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