Steven Soderbergh's "Presence": A Ghostly POV Masterpiece

Get ready to be spooked! Steven Soderbergh, the cinematic chameleon behind hits like Ocean's Eleven and Erin Brockovich, delivers a chilling new film unlike anything you've seen before. Filmed entirely from the perspective of a ghost, Presence plunges viewers into a haunted house where the specter witnesses a family's arrival, unaware that a violent past threatens to repeat itself. Prepare for a thrilling ride that pushes the boundaries of horror and cinematography!

A Unique Cinematic Experience

Presence isn't your average haunted house flick. Soderbergh, using the pseudonym Peter Andrews (his father's name), takes on double duty as director and cinematographer, crafting an immersive first-person perspective unlike anything you have ever encountered in horror films. As he explains, “The beauty of projects at this scale is I can just do them without having to talk to anybody. It’s not because I don’t want notes. It’s because it’s just the brain trust and none of the psychic real estate is taken up by things that have nothing to do with what you’re going to shoot.” This independent approach is a crucial element in this deeply engaging cinematic experience. This intensely personal, intimate perspective invites the audience to become deeply invested in the story; they don't just observe – they become the ghost itself. This innovative style has already received widespread critical acclaim. It's an absolute must-see for fans of creative storytelling in the cinematic space. With innovative camera work and an intense plot, Soderbergh elevates horror to a whole new level.

The Ghost's Point of View

The POV shot of a ghost has created some truly shocking and intense imagery in this piece of cinema, with viewers left stunned at certain aspects of the movie that simply wouldn't have had the same effect had they been filmed conventionally. By using his point-of-view, Soderbergh forces us to be intimately connected with this chilling narrative, which is why so many reviewers have labelled Presence as nothing short of terrifying.

Soderbergh's Creative Process

Soderbergh's approach to filmmaking is unconventional, to say the least. For Presence, he used a small digital camera and even wore slippers to minimize noise while shooting, showcasing his dedication to creating the most immersive cinematic experience. As he candidly explains, “I ruined more takes than anyone else in the film by a larger factor. I was the one going: “Cut. I f—ed that up. We got to go again.” The raw effort is palpable in the final product, adding an emotional intensity to the film.

The Challenges and Triumphs of Independent Filmmaking

Making Presence was a daunting challenge for even a filmmaker as experienced as Soderbergh. It required absolute precision and immense skill to pull it off. The movie has taken only eleven days to complete. In that regard, Soderbergh's experience in many different fields shows through as Presence was clearly made with expertise, passion, and a particular type of ingenuity.

The Impact of Streaming on the Film Industry

Throughout his wide-ranging discussion, Soderbergh expressed his concern with the impact streaming services have had on the film industry and on filmmaking overall. The lack of viewership feedback leads to a lack of adjustment and makes artists essentially fly blind, not knowing if their creative choices resonate with audiences. Soderbergh comments on this frustrating element as follows, “It removes a key reference point for an artist. It’s helpful to know how something is doing, or how it did. You need to know that to calibrate whether you accomplished what you wanted to accomplish, whether you can work at a certain level. That’s one of the most confusing things about it, the black box of it. Apart from the economic invisibility of what’s going on there — the fact that we can’t really look under the hood of how these streaming companies work economically — there’s another kind of handrail that’s missing that I find really helpful.”

A Change in the Film-Watching Audience

While Soderbergh doesn't shy away from discussing his concerns, he sees glimmers of hope in younger, cine-literate audiences embracing movies and appreciating distinctive styles that resonate with the film-watching world of Letterboxd. In an unusual turn of events, the art house seems to be reclaiming what commercial cinema once stood for - auteur filmmaking with artistic value, proving that cinema has moved far beyond mainstream preferences alone. Soderbergh remarks, “The good news is, if you talk to Focus Features and Neon and A24, young people are going to the movies. This is the Letterboxd generation. That’s fantastic. I hope that ripples outside the U.S. They are cine-literate and they expect something singular. They want the signature, they want the stamp of a filmmaker. And that’s turning into a real business.” This shows a changing market in cinema, with the shift of focus from the commercially successful, to the artistically engaging.

Soderbergh's Evolution as a Filmmaker

Soderbergh’s film Black Bag shows an entirely different style compared to his ghostly POV experience of Presence. He sees his approach to film as a constant evolution, pushing beyond his comfort zone to consistently experiment and discover as a filmmaker, saying that if he ever felt he “figured things out,” he would have already stopped. In an inspiring turn of events, Presence comes as a challenge in itself and highlights the fact that this talented filmmaker shows no intentions of slowing down.

Embracing the Unknown

Despite the considerable creative successes, Soderbergh approaches every project with a refreshing sense of humility. He sets ambitious goals while acknowledging that perfection is never quite achieved and there's always the potential to go beyond what one has created up to that point. While he might never make anything quite to the standard of his heroes such as the director of Come and See, there are few filmmakers who are as determined and determined to take risks. This constant desire to evolve sets him apart as a cinematic genius, always looking forward.

Take Away Points

• Steven Soderbergh’s Presence is a unique and terrifying cinematic experience.
• The film’s innovative POV creates an intensely personal connection with the audience.
• Soderbergh’s experimental approach challenges traditional filmmaking conventions.
• The future of film involves new trends, creative risks, and young, film-literate audiences embracing artistically driven cinema.