A television poll

I was watching the MotoAmerica superbike race this weekend, and I decided I need to find out if anyone, anywhere, other than TV directors like the quick cut multiple camera shakey shot modern style of tv. I presume some people must like it, but I've never met anyone who does.

Am I just old and cranky? I won't slag you if it makes you happy, I'm just curious.

Doesn't bother me and I am old.....I think.

It's a steady diet of new adults brought up on the seizure fest that was pokemon and its ilk. We're a dying breed, those of us that can pay attention.

Its an actual thing. Shot "length" has gone down significantly in cinema and tv over the past two decades. Plenty has been written about it.

It's berkeleying awful :(

It's been around long enough that I'm mostly used to it. But that doesn't mean I like it.

I seldom notice it unless I'm thinking about it pr the switches get REALLY fast.

You can thank shows like Road Rules/Real World and Survivor. They got so popular, people started imitating anything they could to get some of their success, even the shaky camera.

I'm okay with a faster cut pace, but when the camera is on a figure eight path, it makes the person on camera look like they're at sea, and that makes me sick (of watching the show).

The best so far is that some of you are used to it, and don't notice. No likes yet...

I hate it. Buy a freakin' tripod.

mndsm wrote: It's a steady diet of new adults brought up on the seizure fest that was pokemon and its ilk. We're a dying breed, those of us that can pay attention.

I blame Sesame Street.

I remember it being a big deal in 93 that NYPD Blue didn't use a steady cam and the shakey camera was supposed to make it seem more "gritty" and "real"

At least that is what the media blitz about it for a month before the episodes aired tried to convince us.

Jumper K. Balls wrote: I remember it being a big deal in 93 that NYPD Blue didn't use a steady cam and the shakey camera was supposed to make it seem more "gritty" and "real" At least that is what the media blitz about it for a month before the episodes aired tried to convince us.

Yep, that was the first time I remembered seeing it.

HiTempguy wrote: Its an actual thing. Shot "length" has gone down significantly in cinema and tv over the past two decades. Plenty has been written about it. It's berkeleying awful :(

yes, I agree. I blame bad actors and poor stunt work.

Depends. In Saving Private Ryan the action scenes were shaky. Same with Band of Brothers. But those were hand held cameras. I get that.

It's been that way since I was about 10 as you guys mentioned, so I don't really notice it anymore.

What I did notice this weekend, was the difference between BTCC and Pirelli Championship. I can't stand how the American series CONSTANTLY call out 2-4 sponsor names every-single-damn-time they mention a car. And of course the driving seemed much more amateurish, at least at Long Beach this week.

Tom_Spangler wrote:

Jumper K. Balls wrote: I remember it being a big deal in 93 that NYPD Blue didn't use a steady cam and the shakey camera was supposed to make it seem more "gritty" and "real" At least that is what the media blitz about it for a month before the episodes aired tried to convince us.

Yep, that was the first time I remembered seeing it.

I was sad, because I couldn't watch that show without nausea. I like cop shows, I like Dennis Franz, I hadn't learned to hate the red headed dude...

Fox baseball. I would rather see how the field is preparing to defend the batter than to be able to count the blackheads on his nose.

HiTempguy wrote: Its an actual thing. Shot "length" has gone down significantly in cinema and tv over the past two decades. Plenty has been written about it. It's berkeleying awful :(

This. I was in the TV industry in a previous life, and studied it in school of course. 5 to 10 seconds or more of shot length was the norm, now anything more than 2 seconds people think of as slow and boring. Many shots change in a second or less. Even in plenty of supposed "still" shots, there is usually plenty of movement. I'm sure this is causing cancer...

racerdave600 wrote:

HiTempguy wrote: Its an actual thing. Shot "length" has gone down significantly in cinema and tv over the past two decades. Plenty has been written about it. It's berkeleying awful :(

This. I was in the TV industry in a previous life, and studied it in school of course. 5 to 10 seconds or more of shot length was the norm, now anything more than 2 seconds people think of as slow and boring. Many shots change in a second or less. Even in plenty of supposed "still" shots, there is usually plenty of movement. I'm sure this is causing cancer...

But I still haven't heard from anyone who actually likes it.

The "younger" audience may claim not to like it, but show them a movie from 20, 30 or 40 years ago and they will complain about it being too slow.

I blame "the blair witch project" they started the whole "shaky cam" thing on the big screen and were a really big hit (especially for being a no budget movie)

CBS used to piss me off with the cutaways during their college basketball coverage. They love to cut to the under the basket camera on fast breaks. If anything other than a dunk happens, you miss the play. One camera, high up at mid-court is the best was to actually watch a game. Zoom in if you want.

So you mean shoot it like a hockey game.

racerdave600 wrote: The "younger" audience may claim not to like it, but show them a movie from 20, 30 or 40 years ago and they will complain about it being too slow.

I'm not young and I can't watch any of the older movies or TV shows where the camera sits in one spot and the actors tend to also, without thinking it's stiff and unrealistic, and not even as interesting as a stage play. I do find really long shots impressive, especially if they cover a lot of ground while doing it, as there's so much involved in getting that right. But not long shots where the camera doesn't move.

You'd hate watching Cary Grant in the brilliant Arsnic and Old Lace.

Appleseed wrote: So you mean shoot it like a hockey game.

Yes, but with more people watching.