Shaky Cam: Discussion and debate

[retablo]

I love it when it's used properly. Like in The Celebration (1998) which was shot on hand held DV cameras, or Breaking the Waves and Bourne. Done properly, it can lend immediacy to the on-screen events, and an instability to put the viewer more in line with how the characters on screen feel. If done poorly or unnecessarily (like Friday Night Lights or Hancock), it offers nothing but a faux stylish approach that seems out of place and draws attention to itself. But I guess WHEN and in WHAT FILMS it works is all a matter of opinion, so...