I blame reality TV and The Blair Witch. As a collective audience, Americans have gotten used to seeing shaky images and clumsy zooms. When The Blair Witch Project first came out, audiences were puking in the aisles, and not because it was so shocking and terrifying, but because of the "found footage"-style cinematography (if you can really call it cinematography). Now, it's everywhere from Cloverfield to Captain Phillips and Public Enemies, and, for me, it's no longer ground-breaking. It's lazy. Light your damn shots and use a tripod. Be a professional! Thoughts?
Cinematography : Documentary-style Narratives are KILLING ME by Brian Steinmetz
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Yes, it's crap. But it's the crap that people pay DPs to shoot, and the crap people shoot DIY. Now I will go watch Manhattan ;)
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I can't stand the fake push and pull zooms of some sitcoms these days. What it does for me is completely takes me out of the story and characters and I just think about the lousy camerawork. There's a reason that cinematographers shoot with prime lenses (besides the great optics), it's that it forces the camera to move around like the human eye...we don't have zoom lenses on our eyes, at least not yet.
IF a trailer shows shaky footage, other then Earthquake in Sensurround I will not go. I hated BWP and the likes. I am a taken back when I see others emulate and get box office money for it. I eluded to this about a post in regards to the gamut of crappy indy's out there.
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I recently, saw a film in the theater that was so bad I left after 20 mins and asked for a refund (as passes)!! How does this stuff get into distribution!
Looks like the one with Paris and the graveyard under the streets. ( Do not remem movie name ATM, brain is shutting off) looks like it has the shaky in the sewer scenes. One or two are OK but anymore then that. Pass-A-Dena. Must be getting old... Million Dollar Arm, Draft Day, those were good lately.
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You do documentaries a disservice. This is all part of the “Democratization” of the industry. Everyone is a DP, just ask them. Is there a reason for the handheld shaky shots? If so, what is it? What part of the story are you telling that is best told this way? These are all questions that are usually answered by a blank stare or some regurgitation like “to add energy to the scene”. Directing adds energy, acting adds energy, lighting adds energy, framing adds energy. Shaky handheld obscures all of those things while adding what exactly? While handheld can be used to guide some storytelling points, it was never intended as a replacement for using the mysterious tripod. With so many Directors of Photography out there, it seems counter intuitive that a trendy tool that ruins image quality is used so often.
Totally agree Andrew! It makes me think the production is really cheap when it is all handheld, bumpy and moving around for no reason. What's more, I am actually thinking more about the production process than the actual storyline when I see this. I've always used the analogy of a cow vs. a squirrel to differentiate good camera work. A squirrel is always whipping around looking this way and that for no purpose and it gives you a headache. When a cow hears a noise, it slowly moves its head to see what is going on. There is weight to its movement. With today's DSLRs, the camera is usually bumpy and lots of jiggly movement. And the fake zooms are so annoying. Anyway, a DSLR just due to its size doesn't have to shoot like a squirrel. Just takes some thought to make it more smooth. Use a tripod for nice control of movement. If you need to move, use a slider and control the moves. Think cow not squirrel and you'll shoot better.
I tend to agree Brian. I'm not a fan of the Captain Phillips director, that is his M.O. - also seen in United 93 and Bourne Ultimatum. Alle, "Camera should move, not be fixed" -huh? only if it enhances the scene should it move. If you have a moment between 2 people in a room, why would you be moving the camera? The script and acting should be more than enough to engage the audience without resorting to trick camera moves.