Things you're tired of seeing in movies

[greenmachines]

Lack of shaky cam is why Bourne Identity 1 is the only good one.

When real choreography in fight sequences shows the true level of talent rather than the camera faking it.

You know, I wouldn’t call what they are doing in shows like Severance as much “shaky cam” as I would it “wandering handheld cam”…here, they intentionally give the camera a “handheld” view where the camera man constantly moves the camera up / down, side-to-side—without stopping—to try to give the viewer some artificial sense of verisimilitude…but once you notice it in a scene, it throws you out of
the scene and becomes an irritant.

Here is an example …just watch the frame constantly bounce up-and-down / side-to-side…and no, it’s not because it has some action in the scene…this is a typically framed scene in Season 2 (spoiler if you have not seen Season 2, Episode 4):

Give me a “locked-down” series of shots that lets me concentrate on what is IN the frame vs. having to be distracted by THE FRAME ITSELF.

The first series that I recall using “wandering handheld cam” was the rebooted Battlestar Galactica…but it was much more subtle than what I see in current shows.

I think this is a determination/definition that is missing in our conversations. joberg was definitely describing this but called it the same as I would have, shaky cam, but you are right in saying it is really just hand held. A cameraman would chime in right here........ dang, I can't remember who it is... oh I hate forgetting stuff like this. Who of us posts the set pics from behind the camera?

 

[Captain Dunsel]

When real choreography in fight sequences shows the true level of talent rather than the camera faking it.



I think this is a determination/definition that is missing in our conversations. joberg was definitely describing this but called it the same as I would have, shaky cam, but you are right in saying it is really just hand held. A cameraman would chime in right here........ dang, I can't remember who it is... oh I hate forgetting stuff like this. Who of us posts the set pics from behind the camera?

There are a few professional camera operators / cinematographers on this board.

I know of at least one.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

How about when the music is obnoxiously loud to heighten tension in a horror movie. I was watching a movie called Synchronic (which is pretty good) and the music would just blast. There's a couple other horror movies that I watched that did that. It Follows is one as well.

 

[batguy]

Annoying sound mixes in modern movies is a whole topic unto itself.

 

[Riceball]

Hand-held (or shaky cam as Captain Dunsel said) can be interesting in certain action shots...but should be used sparingly non-the-less (like LENS FLARES!). Too much of a good thing as they say...

The problem I have with shaky cam is that a lot of times the director is unsatisfied with the amount of camera shake and has the camera operator really shake the camera while shooting. I know that the use of shaky cam is often described as trying to achieve a documentary style feel to things, but a documentary camera operator actually tries their best to hold their camera as steady as possible. I've watched quire a few documentaries in my life and not once do I ever recall one where the camera shake like it does in the Blair Witch, Clover Field, or the BSG reboot.

 

[batguy]

Camera operators don't stay in that profession if they aren't capable of holding a shot pretty darn stable.

But they are taking orders from directors. Blame the directors for super-shaky shots.

 

[Riceball]

Camera operators don't stay in that profession if they aren't capable of holding a shot pretty darn stable.

But they are taking orders from directors. Blame the directors for super-shaky shots.

Agreed, with the way the camera shakes in some of these films and shows using shaky cam, I feel like the directors are watching the live feed and is not happy with how much shake there is, so they yello, Cut, and tell their camera operators to shake the cameras more on the next take.

 

[Edged]

The Blumhouse title card. It’s a pox on the horror genre.

 

[Treadwell]

As much as I like Firefly, shaky cam is something I just have to try to put up with to watch it. In the DVD commentary, Whedon said he had to threaten to tickle the operators to get them to do it.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

I have a couple from Jessica Jones, but they apply to lots of movies. The first is someone always dumps an accelerant, flicks their Zippo open and tosses the whole Zippo in. If you light a piece of paper or fabric and throw that, you get fire and retain your Zippo! Second would be someone flatlining in an ambulance or hospital and then are revived. The instant their eyes open, they pull the oxygen mask off. The goal is to keep them alive and make sure they're stable first. I get that they probably don't want the actor to "wake up" and then be like "Mrpph mrrphh mrmmph" under the mask, but still it's unrealistic.

 

[cboath]

I have a couple from Jessica Jones, but they apply to lots of movies. The first is someone always dumps an accelerant, flicks their Zippo open and tosses the whole Zippo in. If you light a piece of paper or fabric and throw that, you get fire and retain your Zippo! Second would be someone flatlining in an ambulance or hospital and then are revived. The instant their eyes open, they pull the oxygen mask off. The goal is to keep them alive and make sure they're stable first. I get that they probably don't want the actor to "wake up" and then be like "Mrpph mrrphh mrmmph" under the mask, but still it's unrealistic.

I've never set a fire - outside a fireplace that is, but if i dumped accelerant through a building and wanted to light it, i'd want to stand as far away as I could. I can toss a zippo a helluva lot farther than wadded up piece of paper. Might question would be, if i light a zippo like that, how far can i throw it before the airspeed puts out the flame? But, yeah, i'd want to stand back and throw that sucker as far as could to be clear of the flame or any initial heat blast.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

Good point!

 

[Laspector]

Someone takes a gun from their opponent then they just throw it on the ground three feet away.

 

[AJK001]

The one I hate it when someone runs out of ammo and then throws their gun away.

 

[blewis17]

There are various types of stethoscopes available for medical professionals. From low end, cheap and barely functional toy-like versions, to high end $$$ cardic scopes with digital amplifiers built in. When I see TV/Film medical professionals using the $8.97 version, it immediately pulls me out of the moment.

In general, this is the "standard" type of scope you will see an actual doctor or nurse use, a dual rotating head tip with a robust Y-shape tube connector to the ear pieces: Note the thick tubing, the metal diaphragm and bell end piece with a black rubber bezel, and abscence of a separate silver metal spring bar at the base of the "Y" :

I use a variant that looks like this, where the bell and diaphragm are comined into one unit:

Here are the "cheap" platic/toy-like versions that are commonly seen on TV/Film production. Note the very thin monaural tubing, the metal spring bar at the lower part of the "Y" and the thin, circular auscultation silver/plastic diaphragm at the end.

Another common "cheap" version is the double tubing stethoscope:

I don't know how to describe it better... when you see it, you can't un-see it. Often the "cheapies" are used for trainees, nursing assistants or medical assistants, but the audio is quality poor and ear pieces are stiff and uncomfortable. So no "professional" ever uses them in real life. But because they are so inexpensive, and are just used as a wardrobe prop to dress up the doctor on the ER TV show, no-one notices.


It's like when a preacher or generic clergy is needed for a scene, he always looks like this:

 

[Cephus]

The one I hate it when someone runs out of ammo and then throws their gun away.

Or when they kill bad guys and don't pick up their guns.

 

[batguy]

Guns are waved around too casually in general on TV.

The composite stocks & bodies of many modern guns is a tech advancement but I think it hurts the realism in Hollywood. The heavier weight of older designs led actors to handle them more 'seriously' for lack of a better word.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

I'm tired of a show or movie building up a character like they are unstoppable and then that character gets their butt handed to them constantly. Most recent example is the Iron Fist show. Danny doesn't even display the skill that Daredevil has. He runs around saying "I'M THE IRON FIST!" and then gets his butt handed to him by street thugs. He's like the kid in school who tells everyone he is a black belt and gets stomped. I get that there has to be some storytelling so it wouldn't be as interesting (to some people) if the main character just wipes the floor with all his enemies each episode, but that's usually what they should be able to do!

 

[greenmachines]

I'm tired of a show or movie building up a character like they are unstoppable and then that character gets their butt handed to them constantly. Most recent example is the Iron Fist show. Danny doesn't even display the skill that Daredevil has. He runs around saying "I'M THE IRON FIST!" and then gets his butt handed to him by street thugs. He's like the kid in school who tells everyone he is a black belt and gets stomped. I get that there has to be some storytelling so it wouldn't be as interesting (to some people) if the main character just wipes the floor with all his enemies each episode, but that's usually what they should be able to do!

We were sitting in class and our instructor said he wanted to share a bit of wisdom with us. He said, "If you put a single stone in a metal cup and shake it around, it makes a loud noise for all to hear but if you fill the cup and pack it tight, it makes no noise." He said, "We are all the tin can and the rocks are knowledge and skill. Know very little, brag a lot. Know a lot and know not to brag." We all knew who it was that was going around bragging about his new martial arts training so he was given the nickname tin can by the other students by the end of the day because he just kept it up.

 

[Bloop]

Jared Leto.