The Look: High-end Docudrama
Given a multipart structure that resembles Traffic –
and the fact that Traffic screenwriter Stephen
Gaghan is the director and Steven Soderbergh an executive producer –
you might expect Syriana to take some visual cues
from the Soderbergh film, which was a sort of touchstone in dramatic DI
work. In Traffic, Soderbergh used an array of
dramatic color schemes to signify different narrative threads. Instead,
Syriana goes for a low-key and utterly consistent look, using the DI
mainly as a tool to get the image from Super 35 acquisition to
anamorphic theatrical prints with a minimum of generational loss. The
result is a sober, serious look that focuses attention on the film’s
subject matter, and its engagement with contemporary politics, by
shunning stylish color manipulation.