Ken Burns on the “Ken Burns Effect”
still photographs in movies – and how the technique came to be named after him. —– Most critics consider Ken Burns to be the best documentary filmmaker in the world. Among his most notable productions were the miniseries The Civil War, Baseball, and Jazz. Burns’ documentaries have been nominated for two Academy Awards and six of his documentaries have been nominated for one or more Emmy Awards. The Civil War became the first documentary in the world to gross over $100 million. Burns …
His Civil War documentary is worth watching over and over and over. He’s very right that you can create meaning with a picture and then zoom out a little further causing the meaning to change.
“‘SLIDESHOW EFFECT’”
it’s not “all of a sudden” the ken burns effect. he’s been known for it since the early eighties…
Awesome! thank you for sharing!
Suck it Ken. You are lucky, you know it.
I was hardly making a suggestion for the software.
Ilathough i do agree it would make a silly menu option.
My point is, by attributing a well known effect to a specific “author” we are reducing the work of others.
It lacks a sense of history, if you see what i mean?
(btw i dont think that the swedish childrens shows qualifies as obscure, after all we only had 2 channels to watch, so all swedish children saw those shows)
did you actually listen to your comment when typing it. what would they call it in the software obscure swedish cartoon effect? makes more sense since he popularized the technique it be named for him because it really does sound more eloquent that way. Internet Commentary is so bizarre.
Childrens shows (in sweden) have been using that technique since the seventies for making movies out of childrens books. I too have a really hard time seeing why its all of a sudden Ken Burns’s own effect.
Because it was made famous by his critically acclaimed documentary “Civil War”, and Macintosh company named it in their iMovie software.
So, Edhallick, what is your point? Are we to congratulate you for having perceived the most effeminate male you’ve seen in your life so far? You sound like you think every human should come out of a cookie cutter. Maybe you don’t appreciate a variety in life.
People used photographs scanning in films for at least last 80 years. Why all of a sadden it became “Ken Burns effect”? Why in this case they call “rotoscoping” instead of “Sergey Eisenstein effect”?
maybe god?
Great clip on the importance of still photography in filmmaking – Thanks Ken. And FYI to all the naysayers, he didn’t “claim the credit,” Apple went to him and asked him if they could use his name for the effect – because he is such an outstanding filmmaker.
my name is kenny rogers i got a drinking friend named ken burns…….
Thank you Ken! I don’t care whose name we attach to the effect. Thank you for bringing it forward. It has allowed us to expand on a story as never before!
Okay, fine. Way to analyze the still photo and apply them to newer technology. But, he gives himself waaay too much credit.
floml: thanks for the info; very helpful i’ve always wondered this. are you a student of film or a film maker, then?? i’m not, but i love the stuff…gotta keep my distance, though…i’m a klutz!
“The Ken Burns effect”..Yeah Ok, but has anyone ever checked out to see if Ken Burns is a female to male transsexual? This “dude” without a doubt has to be the most effeminate male I have ever seen in my life.
Charles Eames used that “effect” in documentaries at least as early as the 50’s. In 1978 I built a motion control camera system for Eames that created moves on 35mm slides, photographed onto 35mm motion picture film. In the early 60’s I recall seeing a documentary on a Los Angeles Barrio that very creatively used moves on stills, it was on a network television channel.
but all my life, i have been seeing “the Ken Burns Effect” in various documentary style shows or films…they need to find out who the first person to use it was…
I don’t think he ever claimed it as his own, but it is what others have known him for, and within the last 20 or so years, his name as been applied to it. Indirectly he and those who are fans of him are stating that he’s not only made it popular, he’s also perfected it. In the beginning of this video, he indicates how wary most filmmakers have been about using largely still photographs.
Yeah, NLGalaxy22 –
He should be less expressive with his hands, and ‘dumb down’ his content by being less articulate and engaged. That would make him more “manly”. Any man who can express himself clearly, or who shows excitement about something besides football is obviously gay or, at least, suspicious. Everybody knows that.
While I’m awaiting your response, my wife of 23 years and I are going to take our grandson to the symphony. He won’t have much free time once football camp starts.
Ken Burns has no right to claim this format as his own
This is a time-less technique that had been done decades earlier
hahah corky saint-claire from waiting for guffman. am i the only one who sees it?
The sovereign confederation of states under the Articles of Confederation had not existed for almost 80 years. For almost 80 years, the Southern states had subordinated sovereignty to the Constitution and no longer existed as they had under AOS. Most states saw themselves as the United States, and the Southern states did too when it suited their interests (see Mexican-American War), only using the blackmailing threat of secession when agreeing to federal rules may become inconvenient .