ComMANNdment #10: Embrace the Beauty of Your Locations
With the plethora of departments that successfully contribute to the success of a film, one that often goes underappreciated is the world of location scouting....
ComMANNdment #9: Thy Main Characters Will Not Be Able to Shake their Past
An actor’s job is to always look to the future. Whatever objective the character may have must constantly be ahead...
ComMANNdment #8: Thou Shall Explore “Good vs Evil”
Yes – the battle of “Good vs Evil” is at the heart of most storytelling because we want our protagonist to triumph over the antagonist....
ComMANNdment #7: Women Will be Secondary
Many arguments could be made as to why Michael Mann’s movies focus solely on men: the occupations we are following, the stereotypical nature of men as criminals,...
ComMANNdment #6: Embrace the Power of Water
Okay…hear me out. I feel like this ComMANNdment is overly related to a biblical reference and Jesus turning water into wine. That was not my intention...
ComMANNdment #5: Thy Mise-en-Scene Must Blur the Lines of Reality
Cinema verité is not exactly how one would describe a Michael Mann film. His use of color, high stylization, and visualization do not...
ComMANNdment #4: Thou Must Have a Well-Oiled Team
Filmmaking is a collaborative art and surrounding yourself with people who are diligent and at the top of their game is important. Mann has shown...
ComMANNdment #3: Thy Movie Shall Have a Lone, Complicated, & Imperfect Male Lead
If nothing else is known about Mann as a screenwriter and storyteller, it should be known and etched in stone...
