MovieChat Forums > Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis of Evil (2006) Discussion > Please oh please hold the camera steady

Please oh please hold the camera steady

posted 17 years ago by Sojaw
15 replies | jump to latest

Anyone else really getting tired of the shaky camera style of filming? I understand that some directors think it gives a sense of realism, but it just doesn't do that for me. That certainly doesn't reproduce the way things look when you are running -- people have a vestibulo-ocular reflex that keeps gaze steady when the body is moving around. A camera doesn't.

I honestly couldn't follow the action in many of the scenes because of the shaky camera nonsense. I nearly turned off the movie several times for this reason alone.

When I watch a film I would like to *GASP* be able to see what is happening! I don't want to see what a poorly-trained cameraman might film if he forgot to stop filming while running in a blind panic.

[–] mehmet_p 17 years ago

Yes my eyes were very tired. Filming was awful. This technique is silly.

[–] vincenet19 17 years ago

I wonder what the hell they're thinking... are we supposed to see/understand anything with all that moving cameras ?

My eyes got tired...

"Hell's waking up every goddamn day and not even knowing why you're here." - Marv

[–] blink1828533 17 years ago

I agree. My eyes also really got tired.

[–] elcabio 17 years ago

I agree as well. This is a sign of a poor director He doesn't know how much is too much. Some of the quick cut/overly stylish/Tony Scott-like editing also hampered the movie.

[–] Gamshooter421 17 years ago

my GOD man

i almost threw up watching this movie literaly from the motion sickness i got from this dumb camera trick

i thought i got a bad copy of the movie or something lol

who's bright idea was it to use a shakey camera to simulate action movment

i mean serious speaking minus that, it was that bad of a B movie, in comparison to some other straight to dvd b-c movies it was tolerable for me to watch

but the shakey camera for 2hrs

terrible idea

[–] Jerry-137 17 years ago

Maybe on the low-budget films they can't afford camera stands or using rails.
It certainly isn't "artistic" no matter the scene in 98% of the cases.

Nowadays, it seems many of the action and horror movies are just shot using the cheapest and quickest way and it's all about money. As a home theater movie watcher I'd rather see one good film a week than two poorly filmed ones.
Some of the made-for-tv movies like "Doctor Zhivago (2002)", the British made re-make of the classic are as good or better than Hollywood productions.

**********************
My favorite: "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb"

[–] cupidoamor 17 years ago

After watching this i had headache because of this stupid shakky camera. The colour filters and correction they have used are pathetic.

[–] Plague2005 14 years ago

Bourne Identity had shaky camera as well. I don't believe that was low budget way.

<<-- Mess With The Best, Die Like The Rest -->>

[–] cougar_15 17 years ago

i was thinking during the film that i could do without the shaky unable to understand whats going on socalled "technique" it was bad just make me feel sick and just made me lost and have no clue what was happening mixed in with the flash backs it was all fairly crappy

[–] d-MAC82 17 years ago

I was watching this on a widescreen and it was incredibly irritating. I absolutely hate this camera work style...kinda reminded me of Speed 2, but this director took it to a whole new level.

[–] NewID 13 years ago

I guess you need a rest between shaky camera sequences.
It worked for me at the scene when they entered to the village
but just after, in the forest again I would not look at the screen because of motion sickness.

[–] thirteen_lucky 17 years ago

Some movies pull it off well, such as Saving private ryan on the beach scene. But this movies does a really terrible job, and you can't understand what is going on at all.

[–] CloudFall 17 years ago

The whole movie was bad, but the camera shake was beyond irritating. A slight shake can be used well in certain scenes & films if done right, (like Private Ryan as mentioned) but in the entire damn movie??

[–] Sean_Haze 11 years ago

Everything about the filming in this movie is annoying.

It's on TV right now so I've sat through the first hour or so (off and on) and I mean... what was this guy thinking?

The blue filter makes it boring to look at, the constant "freeze frames" when they segue between scenes are just ridiculous.

The first 15 minutes had me wondering if there was something wrong with my tv, it kept flashbulbing every five to ten seconds... I mean, what? That was supposed to make it more exciting or something? I suppose he needed some way to dazzle up the generic characters being hamfistedly introduced.. but come on, enough is enough.

I'd be a piss poor director as well no doubt, I have no minds eye when it comes to how something would look before I've put it together. This guy makes me regret not trying though, clearly talent, foresight or common sense aren't required to get work as a director these days.

[–] raf-33 11 years ago

Personally I think Michael J. Fox's first foray into directing was very pleasing and I'm glad to see he's still well enough to contribute to the movie industry. Granted 90 percent of the movie was a blurry mess but it takes a lot of guts to do what he's doing.

On a sidenot he also makes a mean milkshake.

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