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Cinematography, tricks that bug you...
- Thread starter indietalk
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The looong dolly shot. You're not Martin Scorsese directing Goodfellas. Don't pretend you are. 
The "looking through the venetian blinds at night" shot.
Alternatively.. I just thought of how much I enjoy that "fuzzy" shot in Star Trek when the pretty ladies get thier close up. Where did that kind of cheese go? If I remember correctly, Spartacus used it too.... what kind of filter would you use for that???
Alternatively.. I just thought of how much I enjoy that "fuzzy" shot in Star Trek when the pretty ladies get thier close up. Where did that kind of cheese go? If I remember correctly, Spartacus used it too.... what kind of filter would you use for that???
Great suggestions so far!
Lux: I must say I generally agree but the effect does have its uses. Peter Jackson used the effect well (most notably sparingly) in Lord of the Rings. I can think of only two places (a good thing) but the effect really works well in those instances.
One thing I hate that is only partially related to the actual cinematography is super fast cutting.
Lux: I must say I generally agree but the effect does have its uses. Peter Jackson used the effect well (most notably sparingly) in Lord of the Rings. I can think of only two places (a good thing) but the effect really works well in those instances.
One thing I hate that is only partially related to the actual cinematography is super fast cutting.
The "refrigerator POV" shot. Someone looks in the fridge, you see them look in the fridge from - ohmygod - inside the fridge! wow! A common variation is the mailbox POV shot. Total cheese!
Especially the way in that movie TSaC it comes off, CHEEZE ALEERT
hmm can't really say off the top of my head which tricks peeve me. All of them have their place and when used right are great. Some however, are just super obvious and cheeze when someone does them wrong. Especially shaky handheld. There is time for that but during a normal scene, NO. BAD, BAD.
Maybe the pointless steadycam shot is another one. A guy is walking to the post office so we STEADYCAM with him the whole way there.
Last but not least, the one that most amatuers usually f up on and use it just cause it looks so cool is the dolly out zoom in/zoom in dolly out.
Oh and the "character walks into the camera and then the next shot is, the character walking away from the camera!! SHOCK THAT CHARACTER WALKED RIGHT THROUGH THE CAMERA." This one isnt so bad when done right but again so many seem to do it just because its there.
hmm can't really say off the top of my head which tricks peeve me. All of them have their place and when used right are great. Some however, are just super obvious and cheeze when someone does them wrong. Especially shaky handheld. There is time for that but during a normal scene, NO. BAD, BAD.
Maybe the pointless steadycam shot is another one. A guy is walking to the post office so we STEADYCAM with him the whole way there.
Last but not least, the one that most amatuers usually f up on and use it just cause it looks so cool is the dolly out zoom in/zoom in dolly out.
Oh and the "character walks into the camera and then the next shot is, the character walking away from the camera!! SHOCK THAT CHARACTER WALKED RIGHT THROUGH THE CAMERA." This one isnt so bad when done right but again so many seem to do it just because its there.
ENG shooting is different than shaky cam. I shoot ENG style and I use my tripod too much (mostly cause I'm fat and lazy).
Seriously, all tricks have a place, like Wide said.
Poke
Seriously, all tricks have a place, like Wide said.
Poke
WideShot said:
That's the crazy dolly zoom i was talking about. I admit it looks good in the right place but i think it is a bit of a clichè. Another movie off the top of my head that used the crazy dolly zoom would be Jaws when the paranoid lifeguard stares in terror at the helpless boy being devoured by the shark.
Actually, after thinking about it, it's not so much what techniques people use but why they use them. What I've grown to dislike is any time the cinematography draws attention to itself, taking my focus out of the story.
It's like the director going "Hey, look at this clever thing I can do."
I have the same problem with some actors, where they draw attention to how good their acting is and away from the story.
It's like the director going "Hey, look at this clever thing I can do."
I have the same problem with some actors, where they draw attention to how good their acting is and away from the story.
Oops! EXCEPT for any films that anyone on this board may have produced!indietalk said:
Just my personal pet peeve, nothing that Roger Ebert would care about!ENG stands for Electronic News Gathering. Meaning basically what you see on the evening news. It can be that shakey cam/in the middle of it type shot. Or it can be steady shots of a crime scene or press conference. I think the term ENG style is commonly misused in films, it is not just shakey cam.
Poke
Poke
Ultimately, it's any shot that calls attention to itself and pulls you out of the story. Film is primarily a visual medium so you want to be interesting and all the tricks can add to the mood or structure of the film. It's when a filmaker chooses a shot to say "Look at my cool shot" that it's a problem. With all that having been said, my biggest pet peeve is...cg imagery. It ain't really a cinematography trick but I get green screen out, too many blockbuster movies that look like a video game. Notable recent exception, Sin City, it captures mood, doesn't detract from it.