The Directing of Nip & Tuck

“Nip and Tuck” happens to follow the unofficial official school of film directing in Hollywood.

By that, I mean that, in the serial, we can see what we’re typically used to seeing in feature films.

Close shots, giving the camera works an effect of submersion, typically used for cutting edge

action movies, mostly dynamic editing… together with mostly telescopic lenses – it makes for

what one could call the “Scott” directing school. This is only emphasized by the director’s

obviously developed skill in “capturing” interesting moments in a way that’s highly compatible

to the directing we mostly see in commercials.

This serial’s choice of “weapons”, when it comes to directing, is presumably chosen for it’s

ability to emphasize the primary idea of the serial: enforcing the material values, personified in a

repairman’s approach to human beings.

The directing of the serial can be said to have two “objectives”: stylization, and making it seem

realistic, convincing.

The first is achieved by using what’s considered a popular, late 20th century camera directing.

Depth blur, using masks… and intensely stylish photography. The cheesiness is avoided by what

makes this serial successful as much as it is.

And that is the means to achieve the second objective. The serial’s got a plethora of means to

serve this dramaturgical function in a seamless, realistic, believable way.

And there’s a variety of means by which it’s done. Point by point.

The cinematography avoids cheesiness by combining artificial lighting with believable

situations. In fact, casting and acting combined not only makes up for the feeling of unrealism –

it creates a whole other context for the serial: the unrealistic, questionable, artificial… seems

undeniable. And that is Nip&Tuck’s strength. Among the cinematographical touches is the

strong emphasis on the back lighting. My guess would be that it’s meant to, subtly, point the

curves of the characters… making them seem even more like manikins.

The cast. The cast underlines the whole basic idea… Most of the cast are, or could be, models.

Being presentable in the way they are, they epitomize the mythology of the subject: “champions”

of “perfection” seeking. And with the audience being acquainted with the inside story of the

whole plastic surgery world, the cast being models gains a whole other dimension… we are

aware of their faults, their insecurities… and start seeing them as uncompleted projects, instead

of the outsider’s delusions the audience usually comes across when watching pretty actors.

The acting is the typical under-acting we’ve gotten used to in Hollywood.

The first thing we can point out is that it’s pacing is slow. Very slow. It creates an interesting

effect: besides being able too see each of the characters very closely, we can see their moves…

which goes with the whole humanistic theme of the serial quite well… since it is about the

human body from the start.