What's the 'McDonalds Approach' in Movies and Why Does Christopher Nolan Hate It?
Now, that’s a new term in the noble art of cinematography.
Christopher Nolan is among the most acclaimed and well-respected directors of our time, and he has proven his creative chops one too many times. An avid fan of old-school practical effects and IMAX cameras, Nolan has his own vision for how cinema should be and follows it religiously, making some of the best movies out there (with the honorary exception of Tenet, because we don’t talk about Tenet).
However, his own skills and vision don’t prevent Nolan from seeing the state of the industry as a whole, and the celebrated director doesn’t like what he sees.
Nolan Exposed the 'McDonalds Approach'
During his recent interview at the Cannes Film Festival, Christopher Nolan touched upon many subjects. He specifically addressed how the technological advancements made filmmaking much easier — but also led to streamlining the process, resulting in thousands upon thousands of movies that look, feel, and essentially are the same.
“[Digital] solved a lot of problems we had before with the wear and tear on prints, and it was a tremendous step forward in terms of consistency in presentation. But I call it the McDonald’s approach—and I’m a fan of McDonald’s. Everything is the same. It’s not Michelin-starred fine cuisine. You’re bringing everything down to a consistent level, but it’s well below what movies can be,” Nolan with Film Comment.
Nolan Advocated for Creative Expression
Elaborating on his statement further, the celebrated director claimed that most movies today share the same format, the same approach to visuals, and everything else on the technical level. And despite other claims, that technical level, Christopher Nolan insists, is absolutely vital to the movie’s essential part: its presentation.
“As filmmakers, we’re being asked to think of our narratives as content, which is a wretched word and one that very specifically, by calling it ‘content,’ removes the right of the artist to be the creator, for the filmmaker to care about their presentation… [which] part of the cinematic narrative that we construct,” the director explained.
We can definitely see what Christopher Nolan meant by that. When was the last time you saw a big-screen picture that wasn’t made with a home theater in mind? Turn on Robert Eggers’ 2019 The Lighthouse and you’ll see just how unfamiliar a different style of film presentation feels after watching hundreds of streamlined movies.
Source: Film Comment