Handheld Cinematography

[Darren Wertheim]

Hey

 

I am currently writing my thesis on the use of handheld camerawork and gritty looks that are used in film. I am currently concentraiting on 3 directors and the cinematographers that have used this style beautifuly in there films.

 

Ajenandro Gonzalez Inarritu - Cinematographer Rodriego Prieto (Amorres Perros, 21 Grams, Babel)

Rob Zombie - Cinematographer Phil Parmet (The Devil's Rejects)

Paul Greengrass - Cinematographer Oliver Wood (Bloody Sunday, The Bourne Supremecy)

 

I would really appreciate peoples opinions on this style. Personally I feel that in the right film it increases the emotional intensity 10 fold and allows the performer more space to move and be free with there performance.

 

If any of the cinematographers that shot these movies could even say why they did it and how it effected their work, it would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

Darren Wertheim

[Tim Myers]

I agree with you that handheld camera work -can- increase a film's intensity. However, I also feel that too many directors these days that use said camera techniques are simply trying to be "edgy." And that's just annoying. In Devil's Rejects and Babel, I didn't even notice the camera work on first viewing because it was done so well. I was 100% enveloped in the directors' visions. Of course, with repeated viewings I see more and more things I love. Then there's Greengrass, and because of that guy, the last 15 minutes of Bourne Supremacy just about gave me motion sickness and I was wondering what the hell was going on. Just shaking the camera a lot and cutting to new angles every nanosecond is not artistic and quite irritating. He may think he's making everything seem more "real", but in my life at least, the world doesn't start shaking to the point of zero visibility just because I'm in a fast car. But that's just my two cents.

 

BONUS:

Directors who are super talented but need to take it easy on their Avid and buy a Steadicam:

Tony Scott

Wayne Kramer

Mark Neveldine

Brian Taylor

Darren Lynn Bousman

James Wan

 

Good luck with your thesis!

[Jason Debus]

There's a long thread addressing this subject that may be of use to you:

 

What drives cinematography fads such as handheld?, VERY sick of overuse.

[Jonathan Bowerbank]

There's a long thread addressing this subject that may be of use to you:

 

What drives cinematography fads such as handheld?, VERY sick of overuse.

 

 

Yeah, besides, this thread is miscategorized.