Shakey Cam (tm)

jaba

Fledgling Freddie
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Dec 25, 2003
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Ok, what the hell is it with films recently? why the hell has every director opted for the shit camera man drunk, wobble it around so it looks like there is more action going on feel to it. Its fucking irritating, you can't see whats going on and it makes you feel seasick!! I mean whats the point? I would much rather just be able to see the action and enjoy it than be made to feel I have been put inside a tumble dryer on at high speed.
Does anyone else find this trend as irritating as me? Or do you folks like it?
There have been a number of films lately that have done it, the one that pissed me off most was the Bourne Supremacy, but what set me off this time was trying to watch AvP last night. Grrrrrrrr.

Rant over. Sorry. Thank you.
 

Tom

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The reason they can do it now is probably lots to do with the portability of cameras, compared to their historical counterparts. Film cameras weigh a lot.
 

xane

Fledgling Freddie
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I remember they started using that occasionally on Hill Street Blues, and then Bochco put it in his later dramas, and eventually using it to excess, along with rapid panning between characters, on NYPD Blue, which used to give me headaches.

Then Farscape used it all the smegging time, argh !

It's on Battlestar Galactica too, but only in scenes where appropriate, and the excessive panning, zooming and tracking are only on the spaceship scenes, which is effective IMO.

I suppose it's okay for large screens, but sucks badly on regular TV.
 

jaba

Fledgling Freddie
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I dont even think its ok on large screens I mean on the bourne supremacy I saw that at the cinema and that was horrible, it completely ruined the film for me. I think its just become a "fashonable" thing to do in films and things these days. Just out of interest Tom, how much does a professinonal standard camera weigh?
 

Tom

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They weigh all kinds Jaba, it depends on what lens you have on the front, what size mag on the back, the film size, it goes on. The ones I've worked with have been fairly light, but they tend to be 16mm. 35mm cameras weigh a heck of a lot more, and if you have a long sequence you're going to have a large mag on the back, which increases the weight considerably.

I don't have a digital camera here, but typically you're looking at about 15lb or thereabouts for a digibeta camera, and I think they have aluminium/magnesium bodies. Film cameras weigh more.
 

jaba

Fledgling Freddie
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Fairy nuff, still think the buggers should remember to use stands with them though! :mad:
 

nath

Fledgling Freddie
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I can't remember which, but there have been lots of films that have used that effect and it's worked really well. However, as I was reading your first post The Bourne Supremecy sprung to mind immedietly. You're definetly right about it, it was absolutely shit. I guess the point is, if they had a steady cam you'd realise just how lame the fight scene was.
 

jaba

Fledgling Freddie
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Youre probably right there nath, I guess if its done well it could work nicely but I find it just distracts from the actual film because i concentrate on the hatred it produces! They should get better fighting choreographers!
 

nath

Fledgling Freddie
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Well, there was a (vaguely) similar effect used in some of the I, Robot action scenes. It wasn't shakey but the camera span around in all sorts of different directions. The end result was a great disorienting effect that kinda puts you there with the lead character.

I think the shakeycam™ effect has been used in things like Saving Private Ryan and other gritty war films to highten confusion - as far as I recall, they worked really well too.

Bourne Supremecy sucked though :D
 

old.Tohtori

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Hated the ShakeyCam(tm) in AVSP. After Matrix, there hasn't been a "clear" fightscene in sight really.

PErhaps they think it adds to the intensity, or somenot, in fights. As such, i'm just pissed off that i don't see what their doing.
 

jaba

Fledgling Freddie
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Maybe its just me then, I don't want to be confused, I just want to see what the crap is going on! :D can't remember shaving ryan's privates. I just remember that horrible stabbing scene which makes me really really angry.
 

old.Tohtori

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Ooh! Just remembered that Jason vs Freddie had that old school pow pow! still camera action.

If you really want that fight to rule though, put some white zombie on the background :p
 

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