When Magic Happens: the “Children of Men” Creative Accident

I love stories about creative accidents, especially in filmmaking. It is such a collaborative art, it’s hard enough to get what you want, but when serendipity works your way, you know your story is blessed by the Muses. I always remember the first creative accident that I was told about: the In Cold Blod (1968) monologue. The rain by the window created an effect of tears on Robert Blake’s face. It seems so spot on, you would think it was planned, but only the Muses can claim credit for it.

This anecdote from Children of Men is a great example. Pressed by time, with no more chances to nail a 6 minutes long-take that the crew had been working on for 14 days without managing to nail it, Cuaron still shouted ‘cut’ when something unplanned happened on camera, and the Muses worked the right way to make it work.

Watch the short video below for the full anecdote. Children of Men has become a film that comes back regularly on the site, from the look at the long-takes to how the stories in the background feed the main storyline, Cuaron and Lubezki have offered us a great learning tool along with a great film.

Source: Vulture