Jittery/Fast Scary Movie Effect?

A

amoildani

Well-known member
How does one do the effect found in movies like...13 ghosts, and Gothkia. Where something is moving fast, but is really jittery? Im guessing something like raising the shutter speed and playback time, but that doesnt seem right? Its alsmost as if its missing frames then freezes for a second then goes fast?

Do you guys know what Im talking about, one small scnee I remember can be seen int eh gothika trailer when a girl is seeing walking down a hall. She takes a step then kind of freezes, then quickly takes another.

Im trying to use this effect or something similar/creepy for a short thriller im trying to make.
 
I'm not familiar with the exact scene you're talking about, but using a fast shutter speed will give you a jerky motion. You might also want to try filming someone walking backwards, then reversing the footage in post so that it looks like they're walking forwards. This will give a very unnatural and creepy look to the footage.
 
I think I know what you're talking about. Do a test. Lock the camera down and film someone walking (maybe down a hallway, but not across the frame -- I think perspective is part of the look). Then cut it up, drop some frames, and shuffle like you said, add some freeze frame and speed ramps too. What's your NLE?
 
yeah like in gothika, they just under cranked the scene and dropped a few frames to induce that imminent jerky look.. simple in camera trick woudl do it but you could also drop some more frames to make it as "jiterey" as you want...
 
The best way I have found to do this, and I have had a lot of people asking me about this recently, is to actually have the subject move very slowly. You then speed up the footage by 4 or 5 hundred %, start dropping frames, and you have a look that is very hard to mimick. This is similar to another thing you can do, something I have been experimenting with, in using a digital SLR to capture 2 fps, while your actor moves very slowly throught he scene.
You can see some work that I have done here that incorporates this look.

http://www.stefweb.net/Demoreel.wmv
 
yeah, scharky has a great scene with such an effect, but it is tough to make for the actor i guess.
 
Yeah, make sure your really nice to your actors if you are shooting intesive scenes like this. It is hard on the muscles, and a good workout by the end of the day. maybe I should start my own fitness clinick, specializing in jerky motion.:laugh:
 
also, the fact that the ghosts do move in a strange or awkward way helps as well. sudden jerky moves and such but I think what sharky said is really the way it's done. At least that's what I thought from watching the Ring series.
 
awesome tips guys, thanks for the video example sharky, thats pretty much what Im looking to do.

I'll test some shots this week, then post to see what you guys think
 
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