Hey there, everyone. I just got finished watching The Counterfeiters, and while it was a good film, it had the one thing I can't stand in movies - shaky cam. While I do think that a handheld style camera shot can add a certain effect to a scene, I don't like the whole film shot that way. If I handed in a project like that when I was back in college, my professor would have laughed in my face, asked if I was listening to a word he said in class and/or given me an "F". I could talk about why I hate this style all day, but I just wanted to have a thread listing the movies that are filmed in this style so that I can avoid them, or at least do a little more research before seeing them.
I did a search on this subject and found nothing but a poll in which I found that I am not alone. So, I guess what I'll do is start off a list and check on it periodically to see if people have added to it. I will transfer everything to this post for easy reference.
So here goes...
Movies
-------------
The Blair Witch Project
Bloodrayne 2
Bloody Sunday
The Bourne Supremecy
The Bourne Ultimatum
Cannibal Holocaust
Cavite
Children of Men
Cloverfield
The Counterfeiters
Deja Vu
Diary of the Dead
Domino
Felon
Friday Night Lights
Hancock
The Kingdom
The Last Broadcast
The Line (2007)
Man on Fire
The Path to 9/11 (made for TV)
Poor Boy's Game
Quarentine
REC
The Rundown
The Signal
United 93
Television
----------------
24
30 Rock
Arrested Development
Battlestar Galactica (new series)
The Closer
Fear
Friday Night Lights
MI-5 (Spooks)
NYPD Blue
The Office
Saving Grace
The Shield
cardsfan111
08-07-08, 12:45 PM
Seems the most obvious are Cloverfield and The Blair Witch Project
achau9598
08-07-08, 12:49 PM
[REC] and the forthcoming Quarantine
JPRaup
08-07-08, 02:04 PM
Arrested Development
KillerCannibal
08-07-08, 02:10 PM
The Saw films.
taa455
08-07-08, 02:23 PM
The Kingdom (w/ J. Foxx, C. Cooper, J. Garner)
RichC2
08-07-08, 02:25 PM
Children of Men
Also, all of Peter Berg's films past Very Bad Things: Hancock, The Rundown, The Kingdom, Friday Night Lights
It only bothers me when it's excessive and unwarranted (it makes sense in Cloverfield and Blair Witch and even Children of Men to an extent.) like in the Bourne sequels. There was absolutely no reason for the seizuring.
Mondo Kane
08-07-08, 02:47 PM
The beginnings of:
Narc
Amores Perros
I seem to remember 21 Grams having a bit of the shakes.
Dean Kousoulas
08-07-08, 03:02 PM
Wasn't there some horror themed MTV show a couple years ago, about a group of teens who explore "haunted" areas? They used the head cam style, where all you see if the person's face as they are moving around.
Something to add to your TV list.
RichC2
08-07-08, 03:30 PM
Wasn't there some horror themed MTV show a couple years ago, about a group of teens who explore "haunted" areas? They used the head cam style, where all you see if the person's face as they are moving around.
Something to add to your TV list.
Fear.
superdeluxe
08-07-08, 03:42 PM
Bourne.
Overpar
08-07-08, 04:02 PM
FYI, I just want to add movies that are mostly shaky cam, not just parts here and there.
inri222
08-07-08, 05:35 PM
Anything directed by Lars Von Trier after Europa.
scott1598
08-07-08, 06:52 PM
The Saw films.
where was the shaky cam in any of the Saw films? most were polished and steady looking. I was two people in one room and fixed camera shots almost throughout. II was glossy with higher production value. i remember III and IV as the same. did i miss something?
scott1598
08-07-08, 06:54 PM
didn't "Saving Private Ryan" have a lot of shaky cam starting with the flashback?
Mondo Kane
08-07-08, 08:06 PM
where was the shaky cam in any of the Saw films? most were polished and steady looking.
In part 1, the camera had to be shaken to make it look a car chase was happening.
scott1598
08-07-08, 08:59 PM
In part 1, the camera had to be shaken to make it look a car chase was happening.
geez, i guess i haven't seen it in a long while bc i don't even remember the car chase. but still that would be what a minute or two. the op wanted most movie right?
Yeti4623
08-07-08, 11:19 PM
I don't mind it, if it's used in moderation, but I don't dig the whole movie being that way. I'm especially not a fan of that bizarre fast motion action stuff, that started with Saving Private Ryan. It looks cartoonish. I want to say it's called the "shutter effect"?
RichC2
08-07-08, 11:43 PM
In part 1, the camera had to be shaken to make it look a car chase was happening.
What car chase?
Matthew Chmiel
08-08-08, 05:41 AM
Get the Saw films off the list. They weren't shot handheld.
troystiffler
08-08-08, 06:08 PM
What car chase?
I don't remember the movie well. But I know what he's talking about. It had Danny Glover chasing someone else. They just 'pushed in and up' in a shakey fashion to make it look like they were moving. There's some nu-metal shit going playing in the background (which was my least favorite element in the movie).
I'd guess that the vehicles were still during those shots.
Tarantino
08-08-08, 09:02 PM
The only movie that I've seen where the camera work actually bothers me is Domino. Horrible, horrible camera work in that movie.
= J
Abob Teff
08-10-08, 01:38 AM
As far as TV shows, Battlestar Galactica -- but it works there.
Julie Walker
08-10-08, 05:54 PM
The only movie that I've seen where the camera work actually bothers me is Domino. Horrible, horrible camera work in that movie.
= J
I agree, I couldn't finish the film. I was so dizzy and getting a headache from the camerwork and rapid editing! I hate this style of filmmaking!
Also add in excessive shaky cam with random zooming and excessive up close shots. It's a nightmare to view. TV shows like The Shield and so forth I can not stand viewing because of this. I truly hate this style of filming!
I don't mind some handheld camerwork. It can be nice when it doesn't call attention to itself. So of the films on the list, I had no problem with Children of Men or Cannibal Holocaust.
United 93 also worked being handheld and I didn't have a problem with it. But, it worked in making it seem 'real' and intense. And wasn't nonstop excessive shaking either.
I recently caught a bit of My Own Private Idaho on tv. And in the scene,it contrasted between a silent set camera shot. And a more active handheld bit. And it worked without being distracting. But an entire film being shot handheld like this brief moment would be boring to sit through and annoying. I think this is when handheld is used best,contrasting between normal camera set ups, with a few handheld bits that are not excessively distracting. But help create a strange mood, since suddenly your thrust from a set shot, to a moving shot and back again.
Oh, add The Path To 9/11 on the list. That was shot in the style of The Shield and many other shows. With excessively cramped up close shots, with constant shaking and random zooming in. It's a made for tv movie,so I don't know which area to place it in. But it should be on the list. I couldn't finish that either,it was such a headache to view!
And take the Saw films off the list. I do not know why the hell they are on there. The OP wanted films shot entirely or majority in shaky style. Not one scene or a brief few seconds of handheld/shaky cam work.
hardercore
08-10-08, 07:05 PM
Bloody Sunday ... you know, that other Greengrass picture.
Snowmaker
08-10-08, 10:08 PM
Didn't that foot chase in Casino Royale use some?
toddly6666
08-11-08, 09:48 AM
Sometimes the Shaky Cam is appropriate while other times, it destroys the enjoyment of the film:
The Blair Witch Project - good for this type of film
The Bourne Supremecy - absolutely ruined the film and totally headache-inducing
The Bourne Ultimatum - absolutely ruined the film and totally headache-inducing
Children of Men - good for this type of film
Cloverfield - good for this type of film
The Counterfeiters - I watched this yesterday and I didn't notice any shaky cam.
Deja Vu - it's a Tony Scott film, it's expected for the camera to be wild.
Domino - it's a Tony Scott film, it's expected for the camera to be wild.
The Kingdom - good for this type of film
Man on Fire - it's a Tony Scott film, it's expected for the camera to be wild.
United 93 - good for this type of film.
I would also like to add that choppy slo-motion is right up there with Shaky Cam as being another form of annoying, headache-inducing filming. (smooth slo-mo is awesome, but choppy slo-mo is so amateurish and bad):
I know that Wong Kar Wai films use the choppy slo-mo a lot.
Overpar
08-11-08, 02:07 PM
The Counterfeiters - I watched this yesterday and I didn't notice any shaky cam.
You're kidding, right? The whole film was shot handheld. It wasn't Bourne Ultimatum, but it was shaky, handheld.
toddly6666
08-11-08, 02:20 PM
Overpar, well I guess it was done in an artistic way, instead of an annoying way, cuz I didn't notice it...
FiveO
08-11-08, 05:46 PM
The last 15 minutes of GI Jane....the beach scenes. Although that was more of a quick zoom in and zoom out....it appeared very shaky...and annoying.
Overpar
08-18-08, 03:23 PM
Added The Signal.
Draven
08-18-08, 03:54 PM
God, you are missing out on some outstanding movies.
In The Bourne Ultimatum, a stuntman actually jumped with a camera following another stuntman...one of the coolest shots I've ever seen, and I'm a former photojournalist/videographer who never goes anywhere without my tripod.
I think this stuff works fine in a lot of movies.
hugo1000faces
08-18-08, 05:44 PM
As I recall, NYPD Blue was a shaky cam pioneer on television. I remember it being specifically mentioned on shows like Entertainment Tonight. The shake seemed incredibly distracting to me when I first saw it. It felt strange to have the camera jerking around during, say, a calm discussion around a desk. It was supposed to generate tension but it looked more like something terrible was happening to the camera man.
Now I'm conditioned to only notice extreme shake. I agree that it can get unpleasant, however I think it can be a good thing when used properly.
Overpar
08-18-08, 08:37 PM
God, you are missing out on some outstanding movies.
In The Bourne Ultimatum, a stuntman actually jumped with a camera following another stuntman...one of the coolest shots I've ever seen, and I'm a former photojournalist/videographer who never goes anywhere without my tripod.
I think this stuff works fine in a lot of movies.
I saw the Bourne Ultimatum and it was great except for the shaky cam. I'm sure I'm missing out on some great stories, but not great movies. We each have our own opinions and perceptions. Thanks for the contribution.
troystiffler
08-18-08, 10:34 PM
The only movie that I've seen where the camera work actually bothers me is Domino. Horrible, horrible camera work in that movie.
= J
My friend described it best when he called Man on Fire something like "cinematic crack". I've never smoked cracked. But I bet it's something like Domino's camerawork.
The thing with Domino and Man on Fire... In the end, I think they both worked.
orderandlaw
08-19-08, 02:27 PM
Any film Paul Greengrass directs.
wm lopez
08-19-08, 06:13 PM
I'm sure once 2010 comes that shaky cam and that tint,green,teal cinematography will be gone from movies.
Overpar
08-20-08, 02:54 PM
I'm sure once 2010 comes that shaky cam and that tint,green,teal cinematography will be gone from movies.
I hope so!
Added -
The Line (2007)
Poor Boy's Game
wm lopez
08-21-08, 03:25 AM
As I recall, NYPD Blue was a shaky cam pioneer on television. I remember it being specifically mentioned on shows like Entertainment Tonight. The shake seemed incredibly distracting to me when I first saw it. It felt strange to have the camera jerking around during, say, a calm discussion around a desk. It was supposed to generate tension but it looked more like something terrible was happening to the camera man.
Now I'm conditioned to only notice extreme shake. I agree that it can get unpleasant, however I think it can be a good thing when used properly.
After 2010 NYPD BLUE will be dated just like MIAMI VICE is with it's style.
runnersdialzero
08-21-08, 05:28 PM
I usually don't mind the shaky cam or notice it for that matter.
But the one movie where it really bothered me was "Ocean's Twelve".
It was almost like Soderbergh was using it just because. It didn't add to the movie at all.
One of the few times I noticed it and was like, "Dude, what are you doing?"
Overpar
10-25-08, 09:26 AM
Added Felon.
Overpar
11-16-08, 06:51 PM
Added Bloodrayne 2.
Dr Mabuse
11-16-08, 06:59 PM
My friend described it best when he called Man on Fire something like "cinematic crack". I've never smoked cracked. But I bet it's something like Domino's camerawork.
The thing with Domino and Man on Fire... In the end, I think they both worked.
They both work very well.
Fantastic film making both of them.
Tony Scott, in each of those cases, was moving films forward in a meaningful way, not just change for the sake of change as can happen in artistic/creative enterprises.
Most people resist new things. It's always been that way.
Rockmjd23
11-16-08, 07:12 PM
Add Quantum of Solace :p
Brack
11-16-08, 07:20 PM
QoS is more of a quick-cut movie than a shaky cam movie, but maybe I'm so used to it now that I've become desensitized. Lucky me.
eiker_ir
11-16-08, 08:40 PM
Ocean's Twelve
Yeti4623
12-05-08, 04:34 PM
I know there are a lot fake trailers on youtube. Does anyone know of any fake trailers that spoof the shaky cam style?
Yeti4623
12-28-08, 10:50 PM
An example of this done right, is The Mist. I barely even noticed, a lot of the movie is handheld. It's done in a way, where the camera man doesn't seem drunk.
RocShemp
12-29-08, 01:57 AM
Though neither bothered me one bit (in fact I feel it adds to the experience in these two particular cases) the series Firefly and the motion picture followup Serenity both employ plenty of shaky cam.
RichC2
12-29-08, 02:17 AM
Slumdog Millionaire has a mix of shakey cam and Tony Scott-style visual editing (which is not something I usually associate with Danny Boyle).
DJLinus
08-22-09, 11:00 AM
Add District 9 to the list. Before I saw it, I read reviews and blurbs saying it was shot "documentary style" which is usually code for "epileptic cameraman off of his meds" and I was expecting the worst. But it turns out that the film actually uses a documentary conceit and, IMO, the camera was excessively shaky in only a handful of scenes.
Yeti4623
11-20-09, 10:14 PM
I wonder if there's any filmmakers who speak out against it?
Buy: