MovieChat Forums > How Do You Know (2010) Discussion > What the crap is with the cinematography...

What the crap is with the cinematography?!

posted 14 years ago by gazboselectamo
21 replies | jump to latest

It's all over the place!

Random hand held camera shots come out of nowhere completely disrupting the flow of a sequence of otherwise steady and nicely framed shots.

The lighting is over the top and saturates all the colours, night looks like day (to the point where it looks like there's actual daylight inside George's flat while he's supposed to be on the phone at night).

When George meets Lisa for the first time, there's a simply horrific shot that steadily zooms in too close to George's face then pans off towards a close up of his shoulder. Completely unacceptable for a film that cost this many millions to make. What on earth was going on?!

Janusz Kaminski was the director of cinematography on this picture and considering how similar in content this was to "Jerry Maguire" (which he also shot), you'd have thought he would have known how to handle it. Then again he also shot "Indiana Jones and the Crystal *beep* so....

EDIT: John Bailey who shot "As good as it gets" for James L Brooks was busy with several projects in 2010. I'm sure he would have been considered, a pity he wasn't available.

[–] jenndear12 13 years ago

First of all, thank you for using the phrase "what the crap".

I came to imdb because I'm watching this and shocked at how awful it is.

Then I read this thread and learn who the d.o.c. was and I'm at a loss. Everything the man does is gorgeous (IMO) and I just don't know what was happening on this movie. The shot w/Paul Rudd when they meet in the restaurant that everyone's talking about-I thought my tv was too small or something. But that's how it really looks? I don't get it.

[–] gazboselectamo 13 years ago

Maybe the fella's developed a drug problem and literally fell asleep at the wheel during that shot? Everyone on set was maybe too polite to say anything due to his past pedigree.

I am of course joking but you get the point...

[–] carolinasu8 13 years ago

I agree!! Now I'm not normally one to notice technical stuff seeing as how I've never studied film-making but my husband and I were literally like "WOW!" Otherwise we loved the movie but that was definitely distracting!

[–] 13 years ago

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