That's because Saving Private Ryan did it right.
It made sense for the story and enhanced, rather than detracted from, the action on screen.
Today it's used in conjunction with close ups and quick cuts. Everyone loved Nolan's Batman movies, but I couldn't tell what was going on in any of the action sequences--camera jittery and bouncing all around, in too tight to actually see the action, fight scenes heavily edited instead of heavily choreographed.
Guess what I'm trying to say is, shaky cam has a purpose, but I think a lot of filmmakers use it just because. And that's when it fails. When it comes to things like writing, filmmaking, and, really, any type of formatted storytelling, the only real rule is Make it Work. Movies break traditional rules all the time, some get it away with it; some don't. The ones that do Make it Work. Saving Private Ryan made it work.
reply
share