"Traffic" synopsis
Directed by Steven Soderbergh, who also directed "Erin Brockovich," this is a suspenseful ensemble drama depicting the various people involved in the drug route between Mexico and the United States. Three intricately intertwined stories revolve around ``Traffic,'' a huge drug connection that connects the United States and Mexico. Tijuana, Mexico. Javier, a police officer who monitors drug smuggling sites, receives a secret order from General Salazar and cooperates in destroying the drug cartel, but... Ohio, USA. Robert, who has been appointed as the new chief drug enforcement officer, strives to crack down on drug crimes, but... San Diego, USA. What action does his wife take to save a drug lord who has been betrayed by his friends and is in a predicament?
Index
Soderbergh's style of filmmaking, in which one person handles the duties of director, cinematographer, and editor
The 2000 film ``Traffic'' earned Steven Soderbergh an Academy Award for Best Director. This was a work that became the starting point for creating a very unusual system in which director Soderbergh himself was in charge of cinematography under the alias Peter Andrews.
Why does he go to the trouble of using the pseudonym Peter Andrews? The reason is simple: in Hollywood, there are unions for each job type of film staff, and the Writers Guild has joined in.
Screenwriters have a high status in Hollywood. When Soderbergh was credited as director and cinematographer on Traffic, the screenwriter (Stephen Gaghan) was placed behind the cinematographer. This led to complaints that it was outrageous. Soderbergh coined the name cinematographer Peter Andrews from his father's first and middle names.
Incidentally, Soderbergh often edits his own works, using the female name Mary Ann Bernard. This name comes from his mother's premarital name, and he credits both his and his parents' names to the same film.
"Traffic" (c)Photofest / Getty Images
Soderbergh, who used the alias DP Carrie Andrews on Traffic , began to double as the cinematographer on all of his films. He took on the challenge of serving as both director and cinematographer in ``Beasts of No Nation'' (2015). He is also the director, cinematographer, and editor of all episodes of the TV series ``The Knick,'' making him a bit of a superhuman.
Soderbergh-Peter Andrews improves his skills with each film, and eventually becomes a skilled cinematographer who matches his director's policy of ``I don't want to depict unnecessary things,'' but he can't help but lose his title as a director. Perhaps because he stands out, not many people praise Peter Andrews as a cinematographer. I'd like to argue that even in Hollywood, there's a lot of underestimation.
