OK, I have to vent.....

[David Rice]

I sat down last week and watch two new Nature Television Series. Both were seasoned big budget productions. After watching the programs I became so mad I couldn't see straight. Almost every scene in both productions were in slow motion! Now slow motion scenes have their place, but it looked to me that the whole production was slowed down to the point of being ridiculous. What happened to reality filming of Nature and Wildlife? Are the producers in the future going add computerized clones of wildlife that talk to each other? I don't like where all these new productions are heading.

Then to add insult to injury, up pops a television commercial promoting the new Hollywood production of TRUE GRIT. Remake TRUE GRIT? They must be joking....

Dave

[Sverker Hahn]

I agree.

All this slow motion is annoying. I wonder how many in the audience really understand that reality is much faster.

It is a kind of lying with the camera, a falsification.

[Steve Moses]

Ha, it only requires half the number of scenes shot, maybe that's the reason :(

[Richard Alvarez]

It's a stylistic phase. Documentaries go through them the same as Narrative features. I don't think it's 'lying' any more than using an extended telephoto or night vision equipment is 'lying'. You can't actually SEE in the dark without it, you're not ACTUALLY that close to the subject - neither one of those represents normal human vision anymore than slowing down action to appreciate what is taking place.

As a stylistic choice - it will pass. And be replaced with some other style du-jour. I'm sick of fast shutter speeds ,'bullet time' in action sequences, and multi cuts of the same explosion from different angles - some day it will be as dated as the over use of ZOOMS in the seventies. Every style has it's use and over use.

[Sverker Hahn]

Slow motion is overused, to the point that many people probably think that they see real speed. My personal feeling is that I don´t like it because I know it is unnatural.

I do not mind the use of telephoto because sometimes I want to see the animals bigger than small dots. Furthermore most people know how binoculars enlarge and that lenses can do the same.

I do not mind the use of infrared technology to capture night scenes because I want to see what happens in the dark,

I do not like the trend of extreme closeups when a more moderate telephoto lens also will show some of the surroundings.

I do not like the trend of nature documentaries consisting solely of clips shorter than 5 seconds.

There are certainly more trends in nature documentaries, but the overuse of slow motion is the most annoying.

Questions to Richard: do you really like this use of slo-mo?
How fast do you think it will pass?

[Steve Moses]

I do like seeing the eating scenes, the killing scenes are needed, but much we see them gorging in a slasher style movie close-up...we get it, they eat what they kill.......in slo-mo!!!!!

[Richard Alvarez]

"Why do people paint portraits of Elvis on black velvet?" - Because somebody buys them. Doesn't matter to them that I won't be buying them. Just that enough people will.

Obviously, what I like or dislike is going to influence my approach to how I create a film. What the AUDIENCE is asking for... will also influence that to a certain extent.

Slo-Mo is 'in'. Sure, I think it's over used. Interviews in 'limbo' were all the rage at one point - then they were 'out' - now I see them creeping back in. **Shrug**

"Many people" - that's a strong assertion. Some people might be mislead by slo-mo if there is nothing to indicate it IS slow motion IE water drops falling, running, explosions or wing-beats - things that the eye is trained to see as 'faster' than the film presents. So watching an animal turn it's head, or approach the camera in slow motion - does the audience KNOW its turning its head in slow motion? Does it MATTER? If the filmmaker's intent is to allow us to appreciate the beauty of the action, allow us to dwell in the moment that is transitory - the same thing is done if you show a still in a documentary. The still isn't 'real' its a frozen moment - perhaps only 1/1000th of a second, held on screen while the narrator comments.

Does the shot 'work' ? Is the first question to ask. Doesn't matter if it's documentary or narrative. Every shot needs to advance the narrative, or illuminate character. Best if it can do both at once.

[Jonathan Shaw]

Originally Posted by Steve Moses

Ha, it only requires half the number of scenes shot, maybe that's the reason :(

LOL...I think good slo mo is great but it is totally overused.....

[Leon Lorenz]

I believe the best use of slow motion is when it's applied to scenes that are nearly impossible to follow at normal speed. It can also bring to the viewer's attention, beauty, grace and detail that could be missed otherwise. Yes, I have to agree it is being overused as is computor images, same tight shots used over and over, staged shots, game reserve filming and I could go on and on. Where is the wilderness feeling you should get when you watch wildlife programming?

Leon Lorenz
Canadian Wildlife Productions: Grizzly Bears, Bighorm Sheep in Alberta & BC Rockies DVD Videos

[Bo Skelmose]

It will pass as the flyovers that are so popular that hole films consists of it.
I love the mix of slomo, flyovers, supercloseups and standard recordings. Just do not overdo anything.

[Mat Thompson]

"Where is the wilderness feeling you should get when you watch wildlife programming?"

The fact is there not much real untouched, unmangaged wilderness out there, everything is unfortunately structured by the hand of man in some way! I'm working on a programme at the moment about the wildlife of London and it has some great wildlife sequences all juxtaposed against the backdrop of urban living. In some ways I actually find this refreshing as it is more honest and isn't an US and THEM viewpoint showing how resourceful nature can be!

[Vishal Jadhav]

The use of Slow motion is a technique to make the actions which normally people wont be able to view at normal speed.
I completely support it when its used discreetly and to give the viewer more details in moments which are usually not noticed, hunts, feeding , flights etc.

However i do agree that nowadays many people are using this technique to the "T" , which is sometime more dragging. Sometime i do get pi........... off to see too much of slowmo used. But as it is isnt the whole model of wildlife film making changing. Almost 80% are just a presenter documentary which also is something i dont support. but then people are buying it hence its selling.

[Dale Guthormsen]

Good evening,

I really like slo motion that allows me to see what I would not otherwise!!!

I like it modestly used for an effect.

I far more dislike the attention deficit films of compounded short clips!!!

[Helen Habib]

Agreed. Slow motion has its place, but it's getting ridiculous now. I see it appearing in sports as very slowed down, well tennis particularly, as a replay, but the slow motion is too slow! It's been slowed to an impossible degree now - why must the viewers wait forever to see the ball and Nadal's racket connect?!? I have to say, I don't get the way they're using it now.

[Jonathan Shaw]

May be we will all live longer is everything we do is in slo motion...

oh sorry back to the real world