Why is shaky cam used so much when nobody likes it?

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Also what's up quick editing as well? This stuff kills movies for me as if they think spending to much still time the audience will grow bored (for me its the opposite). Its especially bad during action scenes as it just kills the impact. Hell i didnt even like shaky cam in Saving Private Ryan.

Obviously it can be used effectively but mostly i dont think it is. It doesnt tend to make me sick just harder for me to get immersed in what im seeing usually.



You can't win an argument just by being right!
. It doesnt tend to make me sick
It does actually make me sick. I had to walk out of Irreversible - both the shaky cam and the sound had me gagging.



Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
Shaky cam is used so much because it's cheap and allows anyone to make a movie. Many movies use the "found-footage" or "I'm making a doc" scenario.
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My guess would be to add realism or make the audience a bit physically uncomfortable?
If they wanna make the audience feel physically uncomfortable the right way they should take notes from Angst (1983).



If you are talking about "home VHS camera shaky effect" rather than "movie camera shaky effect", I feel The Blair Witch Project (1999) might be at least partially responsible for some of it. It was a big success with very original shaky camera editing. Unfortunately everyone and their mother started doing it hoping they would cash in. Most quickly realized it takes a bit more than that. You also have to have the right amount of it otherwise it becomes a gimmick and a distraction and it will send people running, sometimes literally.
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My guess would be to add realism or make the audience a bit physically uncomfortable?
If they wanna make the audience feel physically uncomfortable the right way they should take notes from Angst (1983).
I haven't seen that. Adding it to my list right away. I like films that make me uncomfortable in some way.



. It doesnt tend to make me sick
It does actually make me sick. I had to walk out of Irreversible - both the shaky cam and the sound had me gagging.
I didnt see it in theater but i found it more mesmerizing at least until the novelty wore off and I got bored. Reminds me of The Cremator though which I recall making me very uneasy.



You can't win an argument just by being right!
I didnt see it in theater but i found it more mesmerizing at least until the novelty wore off and I got bored. Reminds me of The Cremator though which I recall making me very uneasy.
I like being pushed off the lounge with uncomfortable stuff but vomiting during my screen entertainment is not enjoyable. I gave it a second attempt but only ever got as far as just after the fire hydrant scene. The 2 of them screaming in the car just sent me over the edge.



My guess would be to add realism or make the audience a bit physically uncomfortable?
If they wanna make the audience feel physically uncomfortable the right way they should take notes from Angst (1983).
I haven't seen that. Adding it to my list right away. I like films that make me uncomfortable in some way.
Its probably the most uunnerving and visceral movie ive ever seen. Then again I need to rewatch The Cremator again as i remember that also making me very uncomfortable. Both are essentially fever dreams with you following and hearing the thoughts of madmen.



What's worse is when a movie has shakly cam footage for a walking tracking shot and then has a static tripod loked shot for the very next scene. Those are some ugly mismatched socks, mister!



Gotta give it that realism look to just the awful Jason Bourne movies, feel like you're on a rollercoaster on that film and then riding a snail in the dialogue of characters just stood there



That elusive hide-and-seek cow is at it again
The second Bourne flicked annoyed me so much. Tracking, from a jeep, a character bouncing around another jeep two streets over. And zoom in to a terribly close close-up in which only head and shoulders fit the frame. All while you both jump the **** around for 5 minutes. Then! Zoom in even more to frame just the eyes from time to time. Then lay Moby over as soundtrack for contrast.

I can't watch but the first Bourne movie because of it.



The second Bourne flicked annoyed me so much. Tracking, from a jeep, a character bouncing around another jeep two streets over. And zoom in to a terribly close close-up in which only head and shoulders fit the frame. All while you both jump the **** around for 5 minutes. Then! Zoom in even more to frame just the eyes from time to time. Then lay Moby over as soundtrack for contrast.

I can't watch but the first Bourne movie because of it.
Same here. The first fight in the second movie, couldn't tell what the hell was going on so I turned it off and haven't attempted another Bourne movie since. Bummer, because the first film was very good.

For me, fight/action scenes are like watching a good dance number. I want to see what the choreographer came up with and not the editor. Daredevil (tv) and The Raid: Redemption are examples of getting it right. Would Singing in the Rain be a better film had they used a shaky cam? Probably not.

Sometimes it works for me, but not often. It was fine for [REC] and I didn't even mind it in Irreversible since it was designed to disorient you and make you sick (it was successful) but, in general, it's over used and I wish it would go away.



the worst shaky cam used in a movie is : quantum of solace by marc forster, anything else is ok



Movie Forums Squirrel Jumper
That's exactly what I was thinking. Not one person I asked liked shaky cam, so why use it?



You can't win an argument just by being right!
I can't tolerate it. Gives me really bad vertigo. A bit here and ther for mood is OK, same with jump scares. A bit more than a little bit is way too much.



Movie Forums Squirrel Jumper
Some people say shaky cam enhances the movies, but I dunno... For example in United 93 I didn't like the shaky cam, but people were telling me if it was filmed with big budget Hollywood style camera movements, that it would come off as exploitative. But doesn't the shaky cam come off as exploitative too for that kind of movie, since it's kind of pretentious though?