García Pimienta had warned, before the match, that we had to be very cautious when visiting Olot. In addition to getting healthy, the Catalan, who is seasoned in the lower categories, wanted to make it clear that there is no easy opponent in the KO competition. When he spoke, Girona and Villarreal had not yet been eliminated. In this context, Sevilla stepped onto the field of the La Garrocha team. It was Leibniz who coined perspectivism as a philosophical doctrine. What we perceive depends on our point of view. In cinema, the how counts as much as the what: the shots the director chooses determine our way of looking. The story of the fleeting meeting between a very young Spielberg and the master John Ford is famous. The ET director came to Ford’s office looking for some enlightening advice on film. Ford had a painting hanging showing a scene of cowboys and Indians. What do you see in the painting? asked the director. Spielberg answered the obvious: “Cowboys and Indians fighting, sir.” Tepid and unfriendly, as he usually was, Ford replied: “When you understand why the horizon is at the top or bottom of the image, and not in the center, you may be a very good filmmaker. And now go to hell.” This is the well-known law of the horizon, which John Ford strictly followed: when a horizon is recorded, it should always be located either on the bottom line, to give priority to the sky, or on the horizontal line. superior, to give priority to the land. The two perspectives determine the tone of the story: either the spirituality of heaven or the materiality of the earth. In the broadcasts of the first matches of the Copa del Rey, the point of view always gives priority to the earth. Due to sheer physical impossibility (there are no high areas in the modest fields that allow a more aerial perspective), the camera is normally placed almost level with the field, as if we were watching the game in the lower stands. An experience that, in a way, brings us even closer to the match, introduces us to the playing field in a more immersive way, as if we were right there, feeling cold and eating pipes. These types of broadcasts are pure Copa del Rey. Continent and content merge perfectly, resulting in a completely popular and amateur experience. The ambient sound, boisterous and loud, and the relaxed behavior of the fans themselves also help. Everything in the broadcast conveys modesty. When Olot takes a corner, a club employee walks next to the pitch carrying a cardboard box and stops a foot away from the player to take a photo. In one of the goals, in the background, several portable toilets can be seen, installed to meet the urination needs of a multiplied crowd. At a certain point in the game, the referee is forced to stop the match because some fans are throwing stones. The competition of the modest, in these first rounds, is also the competition of opportunities. During the first half, Olot had several clear ones, including the penalty that Álvaro Fernández managed to stop. But it was also an opportunity for some Sevilla players with few minutes in La Liga to make amends and show their paw. That’s what opportunities have: they are taken advantage of or not. Thus, for example, Barco made up for his unfortunate personal week by wasting nerve on the left wing, and Idumbo showed that he is a player to take into account. Others, like Marcao or Suso, showed once again that their form and attitude do not qualify them to be part of this Sevilla team. Now it’s time to visit Atlético de Madrid. After having overcome the law of the earthly horizon of the Copa del Rey phase, why not dream of a little bit of heaven in La Liga?
#law #horizon
