Comments on: Open Forum Friday: Is Shaky Cam Good or Bad for Action Movies?

By: xego

xego — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:31:00 +0000

I don’t think it is just shaky cam that people are reacting to. I think it is shaky cam combined combined with ridiculously fast editing. I remember seeing “Batman Begins” and the fight scenes were completely disorienting. All shaky, fast cuts, close-ups but rarely pulling back and giving the viewer an establishing shot so you can get your barrings.

By: Mat

Mat — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:28:01 +0000

No no no! I for one absolutely hate shaky-cam for any reason. The only examples where it is just about justified are things like Saving Private Ryan in the battle sequence at the begining- but then I stress it -get’s away with it- I didn’t like it. Used at all is too much IMHO, but used to hide bad fight choriography (Batman Begins) is shameful. I watched Cloverfield in short bursts on DVD because I hated the camera work (aside from the syrupy love plot to glue it together). I just whish this fad for artificially making films look ‘real’ will blow over.

By: Phrakture

Phrakture — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:09:28 +0000

Personally, I’m over shaky cam. I think it ruined Transformers : Revenge of the fallen, espcially in a theatre – it also ruined Gamer. It’s rarely ever done right, how can nausea ever be done right. Eeew, fuck you shaky cam! Fuck you hard!

By: rowdy

rowdy — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 18:14:53 +0000

there needs to be a shaky cam warning website. i truly love cinema, but i will never ever again knowingly pay money for a film using this tired, cheap, and nauseating tactic.

By: JP

JP — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 07:23:30 +0000

I turn off all shaky-cam movies now. First five minutes of the movie if the camera is shaking like some voyeur with Parkinson’s I just switch off the movie and send it back to Netflix with a 1 star rating. Why even put movies in high definition if you’re going to make it look like it’s shot by somebody having a seizure? I hate Hollywood more and more each year.

By: Asteri_x

Asteri_x — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:22:57 +0000

Shaky cam and rapid zoom is the worst thing that could happen to a movie.
Look at the new “Star Trek”. They used it there at every 2nd scene and even forgot to switch it off in steady scenes, like the one where in the pub there is a fight, and then an interview, eveyone is sitting, but the camera goes crazy.

Look at “District 9″. Totally ruined the film. I also had to go out of the room to empty my stomack, although I were surprized by the one scene where the camera was fixed to the gun. that was a good idea. the rest was just bad.

Look at “I am legend”. Total disaster. If he is alone, then who the hell can carry that stupid camera??? then why is it shaking???

I think that I am not alone. 10% of the Sci-Fi and Fi fans are afraid to go to the movies because of this stupid camera shaking trend of hollywood. I gave it a try, and it made me physically sick for days.

Shaking is OK if it is used _very_ conservatively.

Normally the human eye stabilizes in 2 dimensions and also via turning the eyeball!! it always focusses on something even in fights. the human brain normally can only cope with stabilized scenes.

On 3D computer shooter games there is a big red “Warning!” stating that the movemen can cause illness and epilepsia etc. So why dont they do it on these movies? I insist on it!!!!

By: Will

Will — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:26:35 +0000

Shaky cam ruined what otherwise appeared to be the best action/fight sequencing ever performed: the Bourne trilogy. The shaky cam absolutely ruined those fights scenes, absolutely reuined them.

By: Tomas

Tomas — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 12:59:56 +0000

I’m not bothered by “shaky cam” and I think it helps in some movies. When I first heard of people getting sick watching The Blair Witch Project I had to laugh.

By: Mike

Mike — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 03:36:25 +0000

Today, I walked out of District 9 after 45 minutes. I was seated in the 3rd row and the shaky cam was making me nauseous. It didn’t help that it was shaky cam of some nasty looking ‘prawns’.

It’s one thing to use this technique in specific instances to heighten a scene’s intensity. But, I can’t sit through hours of it.

By: Fernando Luidens

Fernando Luidens — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 05:45:22 +0000

If, this trent of shaky cam movements don’t go away. (I hate it with all my guts!!!) It would be a great idea to rate a move fore its intensety and frequency of cam movements Like the PG , R ratings. A movie like the Kingdom, cloverfield , Hankock and now District 9 for that matter…rated PN what stands for: rated Puking and/ or nausea.
This all started with that dam movie the blair wihch project if you ask me….

By: Dave Andersen

Dave Andersen — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 15:30:03 +0000

The Shakycam plague gives me the resolve I need to resist paying $9.50 at the theater. If a new movie’s reviews mention any shakycam at all, I just wait until it’s free on cable, record it to DVR, and fast-forward thru the shaky parts and the commercials too. Zero revenue for the Shaky-ShitHead Director: customer satisfaction guaranteed.
Adobe has software to eliminate Shakycam: see http://videosift.com/video/New-technique-to-make-shaky-cam-videos-stable. What we need is to unshake every new shakyfilm and post the “Unshaken Version” on filesharing networks so the Shaky-Shithead Director gets deprived of income. They may be stupid but they’ll get the message eventually: “Shake This, Mr. ShakyCam Shithead Director.”
Sign online petition at
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stop-the-shaky-cam

By: siwallace martin

siwallace martin — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:21:15 +0000

After reading reviews and watching trailers on my PC, I was psyched about seeing The Hurt Locker, which turned out to be another shaky movie. What the hay? I didn’t remember the trailers as being shaky. Oh wait, the trailers I saw on my PC was probably no more that 6 inches across and the shaky cam seemed negligible. However, on the giant theater screen, even the tiniest shakes in the camera is noticed by the eyes, which then automatically work with the brain to smooth out the image. The key word is work. Thirty seconds into a shaky scene and my eyes needed to rest and the only way to take a break is to close my eyes for a while. Wait a minute. I am not going to close my eyes for an extended time at a movie, at something I wanted to see and paid to see. So I toughed it out, all the while wishing the camera would stop from almost constantly shaking, panning, zooming, and I left the theater with a big headache. Shaky cam hurt The Hurt Locker. This is a movie I would have watched multiple times and then buy the Blu-ray when it’s released.