Walkabout

Walkabout (1971) is one of the great early films of Nicolas Roeg, his first as sole director. As with the films that would follow; Don't Look Now & The Man Who Fell to Earth, the film language of Walkabout is ambiguous & elliptical and the film driven by it's fractured editing and extensive inter-cutting.

The first clip is the opening montage that sets up the tone of the film and the editing style, cutting between the girl & the boy and their parents with very little dialogue as we transition between the city & the outback.

The second clip shows an example of Roeg's use of the match cut, juxtaposing shots of the Aborigine cutting up and eating a kangaroo with an urban butcher.

This is an obvious example of a match cut, a technique that is used throughout the films of Nicolas Roeg often in a more abstract and seamless way. Many of his cuts match either movement, shape or colour and particular attention is always paid to 'eye-trance' (the 4th priority on Walter Murch's list of what makes a cut work), a famous example being the red paint on the slide intercut with the drowning girl's red mac at the start of Don't Look Now.

Both clips 2 & 3 show interesting ways of using still images, clip 3 using them to freeze the action and create added drama. It also shows the documentary feel of the film with it's stunning wildlife photography shot by Roeg himself.

Walkabout - clip 1

Walkabout - clip 2

Walkabout - clip 3