I can't even beging to tell you how disappointed I am at the shaky camera work. Like the fight in the kitchen, how hard did the actors and choreographers work to do that scene, only to have it completely ruined by unsteady, shaky camera work. it even seemed that when they had close ups of people talking, the background was all shaky.... this nearly made the movie unwatchable
shareSome old and new arguments, for and against shaky-cam (called shaky-cam because that's exactly what it is!).
We will see how the 2016 'Jason Bourne' flick handles these conflicting views/preferences...I'd be happy to see the back of it personally, although I probably wouldn't have been that bothered had Identity not been as good as it was.
On first impressions the trailer for 'Jason Bourne' looks suspiciously jitter free but the Michael Bay trademark sfx and the die-hard with a bang visuals suggest the good work, firstly by Roger Young, then Doug Liman latterly - is to be left well alone to maintain and enjoy it's status.
I must say that I agree with the OP. I saw the original 3 JB films on their cinematic release but haven't seen any of them since but over the last 2 night have watched TBI & TBS & will watch TBU & TBL over the next 2 nights. I too found the shaky-cam work in Supremacy to be really annoying, even intrusive. Like some other posters, I'd actually like to see what's happening in front of me, not have to try to work it out. Not being able to see what's happening is something of a drawback in what is, after all, a visual medium.
Sure, directors / cinematographers want to be innovative / edgy / on-trend, but let's hope that shaky-cam has had its day of fame & is soon to be consigned to the history books where it can join 4x3 aspect ratios, melodramatic classical music scores, pre-Harryhausen SFX and all the other things we don't miss.
If a viewer likes shaky cam, well fine. To each their own, I suppose.
However, two things.
1) It's a very, very cheap trick to try to bring tension and stress to a scene. It certainly isn't what anyone in the 'real world' sees in any situation.
And to that, I could replicate this with audio if wanted too as well. To do so, I'd have to take the audio mix, and constantly ramp up and down the volume.. so that during a dialog scene people went from DEAFENING SHOUTING to inaudible whispering during the scope of single sentences.
*That* would be shaky audio, and it would be equally disconcerting and stressful as shaky video. It would also be pure crap.
2) This is a response to benaven. Just a bit of a bone to pick, and I know you likely weren't putting a lot of weight on that last paragraph, but...
I take objection to the word 'innovative' and 'edgy' and 'on-trend' used together.
Absolutely no one, ever, anywhere is being 'innovative' if they are doing something that has been done before. By the very definition of the word, NEW is required.
And 'edgy' might be unaccepted new techniques that one might want to clone from someone that was innovative and created them.
Where as 'on-trend' is something accepted, and is now commonplace.
Shaky cam, at best, might be seen as on-trend, but not edgy, and while the first strong usage was innovative -- in perhaps the 30s, people quickly developed technologies and hardware to make sure viewers didn't have to put up with shaky cam EVERY AGAIN.
The funniest part of it all, is if you see some yahoo with a cell phone on youtube bouncing all over the place, 1/2 of the people are bitching about not being able to see anything.
Where's that guy's kudos, for replicatin' the cool shaky cam?
BAH!
I've demanded my money back from movies that employ this crap. And gotten it, too.
I suggest everyone else who does not like it, does the same.
It was like every time a fight / action scene started the cameramen had a severe case of Parkinsons. I liked everything else about the movie but pretty much looked away every time things got shaky as I just can't stand watching bad camerawork.
shareConsidering how great the previous Bourne film was, this was nearly unwatchable, it reminds me of when video cameras became available and the drunk person gets hold of the camera and just swings it around wildly.
shareThe shaky cam seriously undermines the great stunt work by the actual actors in the film.
shareI had to keep looking away. Especially the car chase scene. The camera-work was a wreck unto itself. Intentional I know - but really annoying. I just wanted it to end.
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