Caveat – The first part of this will be in third person to demonstrate that time taken to enhance something improves it. The last part is completely ME.
Today when one goes to watch a movie, one does not know if what they are about to see can be kept up with visually. Will the director actually direct the actors/actresses or will he/she rely upon photographic trickery to show the action. This bit of non-directing, or non-acting in the case that the performer cannot/will not perform the action, is termed “Short-Attention-Span photography” because the director splices parts of different takes in order to get the desired performance. This is extremely jumpy & takes away from the film as the viewer is trying to focus on one part of the scene & is thrown into another part before the mind has focused.
The other notorious concept revitalized by today’s director is the “Unsteady Cam”. This usage of an OLD style of trick photography has devalued more films than imaginable. The invention of the “Steady Cam” was a GREAT day for the industry as the audience got to actually see what was being shown.
It is the considered opinion that the usage of either or both of these techniques detracts immensely from the value of the presentation & should be dropped. If the director cannot get the artists to deliver their parts to the director’s satisfaction, they should go back to school! Or the director should hire someone else. Aren’t there acting coaches on the set? These people are getting millions of dollars for doing nothing!
As for the “Shaky” photography, Human vision does NOT see like the camera when running, even if being chased by the Blair Witch herself. One of the major problems that the director forgets is when the camera shakes to simulate concussion/whatever; the loose items in the scene are NOT shaking.
There are exceptions to every rule. At the moment I cannot remember what they are.
I personally have been in/around bombs bursting, ground shaking, ocean rising & falling & other things that films use “Unsteady Cam” & NOT ONCE did I ever see the things like the movie showed them. My vision was slightly blurred, but I could see what I was looking at/for & it was steady.
Here is a suggestion/idea for the photography & special effects widgets – develop a camera that keeps the center of the visual field steady while the periphery is shaky. That’s REAL!
This concludes today’s rant & comments/suggestions/ disagreements/praises/etc. about the content/structure/delivery are welcomed. This is also how I HOPE to continue my rants.
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