Movie Discussion - Snap Zoom

[Inprogress]

Maybe this could become a thread subject template "Movie Discussion - Shaky Cam" as another for example. Just a thought.

I watched "Unstoppable" last night...actually I started watching it just after twelve in the morning. I was making some coffee as the movie started and immediately noticed the use of snap zooms - the reason I think I noticed it is cause it was in a seemingly general conversation with no indication of action. I started to count the number of snap zooms, and apart from the few I am sure I missed while watching and the part where I let the doggy out for a wee, I counted two hundred and seventy five snap zooms.

It started to annoy me a bit. I understand the use of snap zooms, but it just seems WAY overused in this movie. I got the impression that Tony Scott found a new toy and LOVED it, and come hell or high water, he will use it as often as he can. I found it completely overused, that and the exact same sweeping dolly shots within a conversation cut sequence.

So here is the question and I would like to hear what others think about it. To me, the combination of movement shots were completely overused. Shaky cam, the same sweeping dolly shots, and the constant snap zooms. I think its the constant mix, like Mr Scott had this list written down of types of shots, "Remember: Shaky cam, sweeping dolly, snap zoom" and all he did was make sure in every cut either one or both or all three is used, no matter what. Maybe I'm being too critical since I noticed the snap zooms and then noticed everything else. To me it felt like, and please take this with the knowledge of a student trying to learn from films I see, to me I get the sense that there was some laziness. Mr Scott was a bit lazy to find creative ways to create a tense scene with a sense of urgency and movement, and thus he just reverted to applying sweeping dolly's, snap zooms, and shaky cam. There where numerous places in dialogue where I thought of possible angles, stationary angles with close up shots, slightly canted, which I think would have created more dramatic effect. And the use of the exact same sweeping dolly within the same dialogue sequence was, well I found it annoying.

I saw snap zooms in Bourne, which was sparingly used to my recollection. In the series "Battle Star Galactica" I initially started watching it due the use of the slight shaky cam and snap zoom in the space scenes. I remember seeing it often, yet I found that it worked to create that bit of disconnect, as well as vastness of space and the enormity of the fleet in space. It created a sense of size for me - you see the fleet in space, and you get a sense of size, but then shaky snap zoom into some action of raptors flying out which you wouldn't see if the camera didn't zoom in. So in BSG it worked for me. In Bourne it worked for me.

What are your thoughts, it is entirely possible that I'm just missing the point due to my lack of knowledge and experience.

EDIT: Correction. When I refer to the "Sweeping dolly shot" I am actually talking about the arc shots. However there also seemed to be a lot of back and forth dolly shots with the dolly track in the exact same position during the movie, just sometimes we dolly left, then we go right, then we go left again, oh, next cut, go right.

 

[LiamR]

It's a classic case of, doing something once and it won't have much effect, do something to much and it loses it's effect, there has to be a perfect middle ground found. I find in particular sequences or scenes this can work well and will have a good overall effect, but all throughout a movie I could not handle and sounds like a massive overkill, especially if it's over the top. I have not seen Unstoppable but it sounds like they went a little over the top.

 

[j1clark@ucsd.edu]

Maybe this could become a thread subject template "Movie Discussion - Shaky Cam" as another for example. Just a thought.

I watched "Unstoppable" last night...actually I started watching it just after twelve in the morning. I was making some coffee as the movie started and immediately noticed the use of snap zooms - the reason I think I noticed it is cause it was in a seemingly general conversation with no indication of action. I started to count the number of snap zooms, and apart from the few I am sure I missed while watching and the part where I let the doggy out for a wee, I counted two hundred and seventy five snap zooms.

I'd say you definitely have too much time on your hands to count that many of a particular technique...

But there are many techniques that have a certain vogue, and really do tie the technique to that era... the 'power zoom', very popular in the late 60's early 70's... only seen later in chinese kungfu movies, really screams that era.

I think shaky cam and similar will tie things to the last 10 years or so.

Same for speed ramping, super slow mo, etc...

In a sense all of these sorts of techniques became 'possible' in the last 15 years, and so they are being used to the hilt.

Eventually they will die down in usage, as well as 'amount', to the point where one really is drawn into the story, rather than being bounced around in the frame.

For example, there are still 'zooms', but very often it is very subtle, a slow creep of the frame and the central figure. Further it only lasts about 2-3 seconds at most, because of modern cutting practices...

 

[Paper_bag]

Haven't seen Unstoppable, but perhaps it's also a case of fitting camera move to subject? If it's inappropriate, it'll stick out. For instance, a lot of wedding videos use focus pulls, crane shots, slider shots just for the hell of it, just because it'll impress the client. I think John Alton in Painting With Light says something about camera moves often being like icing trying to cover rotten food.

How ought one use snap zooms? I don't know. But I've got a feeling that, in the sorts of contexts they're used, it's often a case of the eye of the camera itself having a consciousness or commenting on the action, and that the operator should use the camera to look at the things he or she would naturally look at in the way he or she would naturally look at them. For instance, if you're suddenly surprised by a new person speaking offscreen, maybe a whip pan is appropriate. If you catch sight of a small but important detail, maybe snap zoom...

My worthless $0.02 anyway.