“Ocean’s 8” Respect for Gary Ross’ “Ocean’s” series inherited from Soderbergh

Did a first-class film director completely copy someone else's style?

What's interesting about Ocean's 8 is that, even though the director has been replaced by Gary Ross, it follows as much of the style created by Soderbergh and the cast of the original trilogy as possible. Of course, it's not just a copy. While adding its own unique touches and arrangements, it doesn't overshadow its authorship, and follows the style established by the Ocean's series as if it were a textbook or a scripture. Naturally, the aforementioned split screen is also used effectively, reinforcing the image of the series.

"Ocean's 8" Trailer

It's not unusual that the original trilogy maintained the same style. Soderbergh was not only the director but also the cinematographer, and he also operated the camera himself in the "Ocean's" trilogy. The 11 regular cast members were never absent, and the music that determined the atmosphere of the film was handled by David Holmes throughout the three films. It was a truly rock-solid system for unifying the tone of the entire series.

Gary Ross welcomed a new director of photography (Aijir Brild) and composer (Daniel Pemberton) to make Ocean's 8, and Ross himself is a veteran director with a long career. Although he paid tribute to the series, he could have put more of his own touch on it. However, the way Ocean's 8 dares to adhere to the atmosphere and concept of the series makes it seem like a cover song that doesn't change the melody line of the original song.

What's interesting is that Ross's Ocean's 8 proves that the Ocean's series is now a solid genre in its own right. Just as Soderbergh has an obsession with forgotten film genres and expressions, Ross has also brought the "expression" of the Ocean's series back to the big screen for the first time in 11 years. What's more, it was Ross himself who brought the idea to Soderbergh, and he willingly directed the film in a way that seems to negate his own style. Ross is not a director who strongly advocates auteurism, but this film reminds us that the job of a film director is not just to emphasize "individuality."

Finally, let's touch on the friendship between Roth and Soderbergh. They are old friends, having produced Roth's first directorial work, The Pleasantville (1998). When Roth directed the action blockbuster The Hunger Games (2012), Soderbergh assisted him. Roth asked Soderbergh to act as second unit director for the filming of a large-scale riot scene.

"The Hunger Games" trailer

Soderbergh only participated in the filming for one day, mainly shooting crowd scenes. Of course, in true Soderbergh style, he carried the camera himself. At this time, Soderbergh was shown the footage that had already been shot, and he perfectly imitated the style of Gary Ross and cinematographer Tom Stern. While it is news in itself for a Big like Soderbergh to take part in another director's work, Soderbergh aimed to reach a state where "it would never be clear which scenes he had shot." In a sense, he fulfilled his role as Ross's body double.

Watching "Ocean's 8," I remembered this episode many times. First-class film directors respect each other and shoot a film using each other's style. What remains is no longer the ego of the director, but simply the essential form of the work. I sincerely hope that the "Ocean's" series will continue as a traditional art form that is passed down from generation to generation.

Text: Akira Murayama

Born in 1971. Writes articles for magazines, newspapers, movie sites, etc. Representative of “ShortCuts,” a review site for distribution-based works.

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Ocean's 8

Opens nationwide on Friday, August 10, 2018

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*Information as of August 2018 article publication.