When it comes to shooting a movie, there are a million and one things to consider for the director. Starting with the signing off of the script, there is then work to be done with the actors selected for the movie and their various roles within the production. The way a character develops comes from decisions made by the director amid the many stages of shooting, editing and postproduction.
Another key aspect that falls under the director’s remit is staging. Assisted by a production designer, the director explores all the different avenues for where a scene can take place or indeed, where a movie can be set. One location that has proved popular with many directors is a casino.
There have been a host of Hollywood blockbusters released within the past decades that are still proving popular in the current era. Titles such as the Oceans Trilogy and Ocean’s 8 still rank as some of the best casino movies of all time. But what is it about a casino that brings a movie to life?
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Lights, Camera, Casino Action
In movies that are set in casinos or feature casinos in certain scenes, there have been diverse uses of the casino setting. In the Ocean’s movies, the casino takes centre stage, since the movies are about casino heists. The gaming floors and casino buildings in general lend themselves perfectly for an action thriller, with copious space and excellent lighting to work with for directors.
And of course, any good heist movie would include an intricate vault scene, like in Ocean’s Eleven with Yen (Qin Shaobo) backflipping from shelf to shelf inside the underground money lair at the famous Bellagio. But for anyone who has been to a land-based casino, the same energy felt on the casino floor might also be transmitted from the movie into the cinema or your living room. There is always something happening on the casino floor and plenty of human traffic for viewers to keep their eyes on making scenes set here incredibly watchable.
The casino floor is a captivating space that also gives directors plenty of angles to work with from the ground level to the upper floors. Perhaps most importantly for directors, the casino is a lavish and elegant establishment that immediately transmits across to the viewers.
Pivotal Plot Ploy
In some casino movies, individual games have been used as the focal point for a scene. James Bond fans will know that 007 is not one to pass up an opportunity to visit a casino. Martin Campbell, director of Casino Royale, must have been licking his lips at the prospect of shooting a pivotal, tense scene that pitted Bond (Daniel Craig) against his nemesis in the film, Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen). According to the plot, the scene took place in Hotel Spendide, Montenegro, but was filmed at the Grandhotel Pupp and Kaiserbad in Czechia.
The scene evoked immense amounts of tension around the table and for the audience and for poker enthusiasts, it would have been enough to fire up the computer or tablet to have a go against their own online Le Chiffre. But while audience members watching Casino Royale sip away at their homemade martinis, shaken not stirred, keeping half an eye on the list of options to use a credit card at online casinos for some post-movie action, the tension in the scene continues to ramp up.
The beauty of poker is that a game can be a rollercoaster ride, even with a fine line between life and death in the case of Bond. And it is this up and down nature of the poker scene that keeps the audience glued to the screen. Requiring a stake from CIA operative and fellow player, Felix Leiter, Bond recovers (just) from a bout of poisoning to triumph with a straight flush.
We are forgetting the reason for the scene. Bond’s participance was not purely to win $120 million, but to prevent villain Le Chiffre from winning it. However, the backdrop of the classy casino poker table, with the smattering of onlookers filling the background, not to mention the elegant attire on display, all contributed to a memorable scene that provokes the full spectrum of emotions in a viewer.
Carefully Chosen Casinos
Whatever the scene may be, it is guaranteed that the location was carefully thought out by the director and their team. For films such as the ones mentioned in this piece, as well as 21, The Hangover, and The Gambler, the casino setting plays an integral role in producing the atmosphere and emotional elements of a scene. With casino play enjoying renewed success in the reincarnated online form, people might be reaching for their casino movie collection to rewatch some casino classics.