Especially the shaky cam 1st person shots early on with the suspenseful music and tension-building. Honestly took me out of the immersion a bit because it felt like a cheap high school film class project. When Ben looked at the camera while slowly shuffling around? *cringe*
It's a damn shame because I really enjoyed the framing of some shots, but any sort of panning or movement seemed cartoony and soap opera-esque.
I am Christian Stella, the cinematographer of the movie, and I don't explicitly disagree with you. Moving shots, early on in the film, ARE rough.
The fact is, The Battery is an amateur movie, in that it was made 5 1/2 years ago on an impossibily small budget of $6,000, the bulk of which went to food/lodging/travel.
The camera department consisted of only myself, with a consumer DSLR (back when only one DSLR could even shoot video), a plastic tripod, a $50 battery powered light, and a rented lens.
I also did the color correction, sound mixing, score mixing, and all other jobs in post production other than the edit/composing of the score.
The movie has many rough edges, but it is also a testament to what can be achieved with so little and how an audience can see past flaws when they find the story compelling.
As far as the shots in question, it was discussed beforehand that the first 2/3 of the movie would be completely stationary to offset the final 1/3 being entirely handheld inside the car (with all scenes inside the car taking place in single shots, only cutting when moving to the next scene). This would allow the first 2/3 of the movie to play to my strengths as a photographer (as food photography is how I actually make my living). Things changed on location though, leaving me to pull off shots that I had not rented a steadicam to actually pull off.
In the end, I do not regret that. The money would've had to come from something else in the budget, and the time it would've taken to properly set up those shots would have surely hurt other aspects of the movie. A larger budget/longer schedule was the only true solution.
I'm still dreaming of the day I can work with actual lighting people, steadicam operators, dolly grips, focus pullers, and other people with dedicated skills that make me look better and make my life a lot easier.
I thank you for being honest and saying nice things about the framing. That is what I am proud of. All the tech and help in the world can't buy you a well-framed shot.
I appreciate the response and I'm glad you pointed out that moving shots early on in the film were rough, because I noticed a significant improvement as the film progressed. I was a little offput at first, but I believe you guys learned a thing or two throughout the whole process and are better filmmakers because of it.
I liked the movie and I liked the premise. It had it's flaws, but like you say, was compelling enough to continue watching. Having grown up (and still living) in CT, it's refreshing to see something noteworthy come out of this state and gain traction with the rest of the country. I hope to see more from you guys in the future.