this week's movie selection was "the bourne ultimatum." i chose this movie specifically because of something i read about the camera work. from wikipedia.org: "Richard Corliss of Time magazine, in an otherwise positive review, wondered "why, in the chat scenes, the camera is afflicted with Parkinson's? The film frame trembles, obscures the speaker with the listener's shoulder, annoys viewers and distracts them from the content of the scene.""
i had seen the movie before, but had not noticed what this review was speaking of. watching the whole movie through, paying specific attention to the camera, can be nauseating. the camera looks like my attempts at filming handheld in class. luckily, it is not difficult to focus on the story and ignore the camera work. i don't mind it at all unless i am really trying to focus on it. you have to wonder why they chose to go "shaky camera" so often. otherwise, i think this is a pretty solid movie. though i dislike damon in real life, he is a very capable actor.
one other thing about the movie...i have not seen the first two, yet this manages to "work" as a standalone film. very impressive. i do wonder if i will be able to enjoy the first two despite knowing the ending. perhaps i will watch them at some point during the semester.
This is a good observation, and important to consider in your own work. Does the camera work, editing and other elements add or detract from the work? How are they perceived by the audience? If we don't notice that something is shot handheld versus on a fixed tripod or dolly, does it make a difference? It's more important to consider the audience than the convenience of shooting one way or another. It may be easier to shoot handheld at times, but what does this add to the piece?
ReplyDelete-Prof