The Alternate Universe of “Kirsten Dunst’s Civil War” – A “Titanic” Twist for the Ages In the ocean of iconic romantic dramas, one film stands out as a masterclass in tragic love: James Cameron’s “Titanic.” Kate Winslet’s portrayal of Rose DeWitt Bukater is etched in our collective memory, a heart-wrenching tale of star-crossed lovers that captivated the world. However, what if we told you that another actress was initially considered for the role, and her performance would have given us a completely different cinematic experience? We’re talking about none other than Kirsten Dunst, and her forgotten film, “The Civil War.” In this article, we’ll dive into the alternate universe of “Kirsten Dunst’s Civil War” and explore how it could have redefined the iconic role of Rose DeWitt Bukater, courtesy of Kate Winslet’s Lee.
Kirsten Dunst’s War: A Case for Entertainment Over Historical Accuracy
When I scrolled through the latest additions to Prime this weekend looking for something to distract me from the world, I was attracted to the grand war-movie art of Civil War. Helicopters buzzing over the Statue of Liberty in a scenario that, frankly, doesn’t seem entirely beyond imagination these days. I honestly really wanted to see that possible near future on film in the style of a great war movie, or perhaps something more action-before-common-sense. The tagline “An adrenaline-fueled thrill ride through a near-future fractured America balanced on the razor’s edge” seemed to promise the kind of straightforward entertainment I had in mind so, for once, I just hit play rather than falling asleep still scrolling through the possibilities.
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I’ve not been keeping up with movies of late, and other than the title, tagline, and the art I had precisely zero idea what the movie was actually going to see. The last film I’d tried to watch on streaming was Lee, starring Kate Winslet, which, if I’m honest, I felt a kind of duty to watch as a photography journalist. I started a bit late and when the film reached a natural lull, well, I just gave up for a bit (I have since come back and finished before writing this – I just have to be honest and admit I didn’t manage it in one sitting – judge me as you will). Kate Winslet as Lee Miller in the movie ‘Lee’ | Credit: Roadside Attractions Now Lee is fine, but it wasn’t as good a movie as I hoped. It felt, to me, a bit worthy and dutiful, and it certainly didn’t do enough to make me keep going when I was tired. Partly, I think the subject is inevitably hard going – Lee Miller’s life is real and she is known a photo in Hitler’s bathroom and It’s subtle, but a real clue for me about the movie came from the fact the book it credits as inspiration early in the titles includes the publisher. It might as well have had a ‘Buy Now’ button! Perhaps this is how Sky do business, but it feels cheap and aggressively commercial.
Civil War, directed by Alex Garland and starring Kirtin Dunst as a war photographer called Lee (deliberately referencing Lee Miller) is, in that sense, very open with its flaws. And for me, by not trying to wrap itself up in po-faced self-importance, it makes the movie easier to just watch.
Now I also know from a rudimentary scan of the movie press that most of the world doesn’t agree with this assessment. No one is especially nice about Lee, but Civil War seems to infuriate photographers too by failing to capture what war photography is about. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Well, sure, I get that argument, though I’ve not actually been a war correspondent of any kind myself, and I imagine a civil war in your home country may feel different to anyone. I think, though, that as a piece of entertainment Civil War is better because it is able to distance itself from events like the holocaust – an inevitable part of the Lee Miller story, but not something that will be enjoyable to watch even if it is pitch perfect (which, in my view, it isn’t). Was it over the top to call Dunst’s character ‘Lee’? I don’t think so. Some people need prompting to explore more and if this movie does it, why not?
Beyond the Art: A Look at Photography’s Technical Side
Silent Shutter Mode Banding: A Common Pitfall
I have a confession to make. I’ve been working as a photographer for nearly five years and I still make mistakes. Yep, I said it. Professional photographers will have you believe they know everything and never get anything wrong but trust me, that is just not the case. On a recent shoot, I learned about banding in photos due to silent shooting mode the hard way. I knew what banding was and had experienced it when shooting video before but I’ve done countless photo shoots at gigs and it’s never been an issue. I use a Sony A7III but this isn’t just an issue Sony cameras have, lots of the best mirrorless cameras have issues with banding, especially when in silent shooting mode. • Read more: Best Sony cameras ADVERTISEMENT
Most mirrorless cameras will have both an electronic and mechanical shutter and there are advantages and disadvantages to both. Some cameras such as the Fujifilm X-T3 make it very clear in its menu which shutter you are using – it even has a setting where the camera will choose which shutter is better to use based on your settings. Mechanical shutters have a door mechanism that shoots up from the bottom of the camera to cover the sensor when you press the shutter down. Dependent on your shutter speed it will then retract to give the correct exposure. Unlike electronic shutters, mechanical shutters have a lifespan due to the moving parts but they aren’t as prone to banding and work much better when using flash. Electronic shutters work more like an on/off switch – the sensor literally is turned off and on for the given exposure. For wedding photographers and people who need to photograph discretely, electronic shutters are incredibly useful but due to their digital nature, flickers from ambient lighting can interfere.
The Technicalities Matter: Choosing the Right Shutter
Banding occurs when your shutter speed is not synced up with the refresh rate/frequency of light. It happens when sensors that read an image line by line can’t keep up with the refresh rate of the artificial lights. This mix match in speeds results in the lines you see in images as the result of banding. Stacked sensors are much better at coping with banding as they have memory built into them which means they have faster readouts. One of the most annoying things about banding in your photos is it’s really hard to remove in post-processing – not to mention super fiddly and time-consuming. It’s also very hard to tell if it’s even occurring when you check images on the back screen as most aren’t high resolution enough to show you such fine details. For this reason, it’s worth checking before a shoot that silent shooting mode has been switched off. Needless to say, it isn’t a mistake I’ll be making again – I am very grateful for silent shooting mode but it’s a shame banding is one of its limitations. The slower the shutter speed you use the less obvious it’ll be but sometimes the perfect shutter speed to reduce banding will be too slow to freeze an image.
Conclusion
safe