The reason why people often get travel-sick is because the motion of their body doesn't match what their brain is telling them. Either their body is perfectly still while the horizon is moving around them, such as when on a boat, or they are moving and the horizon is not, such as when they spin in a chair.
Too many movies are trying to be clever with their photography, attempting to give a sense of energy and pace, to emulate "reality" or pseudo-documentary footage, by moving the camera in a consciously shaky way, and playing with the zoom back and forth, deliberately framing things poorly. It's transparent nonsense, and only getting worse.
And it makes people nauseous.
In the real world, when your head moves around, your brain still tells you that the ground is firm and the horizon remains in its usual steady-as-a-rock place it always does. But as soon as you watch shaky-cam footage, the horizon is now moving around erratically and unpredictably, while your body is firmly seated unmoving. End result, dizziness, headaches, and nausea.
Here's an idea, you pretentious dickheads. Keep the fucking camera still.
5 Reasoned Responses:
I see you feel quite strongly about this. I'm not going to argue to the contrary. The first time it was used it was kind of a novel idea. And I think in small amounts, when they're not violently shaking it, the technique can be used effectively. Most of the time though it's pretty much crap.
'In the real world, when your head moves around, your brain still tells you that the ground is firm and the horizon remains in its usual steady-as-a-rock place it always does."
Hah! There speaks a man who's never had transitory Meniere's syndrome! I did this year. Unpleasant! Like having all the balance bits of your brain following your eyes around in a small cart on a long piece of string. yes, exactly like that.
Guilty as charged. Though I have had periods of dizzy spells, which have thus far gone uninvestigated, for the most part my brain and body have worked in harmony.
Yeah the old "shaky cam" process has gone too far over the top in recent times. You can probably thank The Blair Witch Project for bringing it into the forefront of peoples minds.
I still recall the opening fight scene from Spider-Man 3 where Spidey has a barney with the Green Goblin and it's clear what happens at the start of the scene and what happens at the end, but as for everything else in between, I have no idea what takes place as it's simply too quick and disjointed.
Dags
The other thing too.. Shake your head around a bit. I almost guarantee you that your eyes at least will _try_ to stay fixed on one point.
So all this bollocks of trying to involve someone sitting STILL in an audience in the "action of the piece" is a load of crap.
HATE shaky came. a lot.