The sequence is in these screencaps:
https://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=280&page=17
Camera shot addition/subtraction to improve an episode
- Thread starter Talos IV
- Start date
The sequence is in these screencaps:
https://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=280&page=17
On the whole zoomies thing...
It's been years since I was around TV students. (Film students were typically geeked into the whole camera work thing.) One of the things a newbie would do, almost without fail, is constantly zoom in and out, and pan around like those annoying, attention deficit disorder Hill Street Blues shots.
The cure was to sit them down, and make them edit their own camera work (instead of letting someone else in the team bite the bullet). "Why didn't I hold the shot longer? Stop drifting around, dammit!" Always made me smile. And it improved the camera work very rapidly.
It's been years since I was around TV students. (Film students were typically geeked into the whole camera work thing.) One of the things a newbie would do, almost without fail, is constantly zoom in and out, and pan around like those annoying, attention deficit disorder Hill Street Blues shots.
The cure was to sit them down, and make them edit their own camera work (instead of letting someone else in the team bite the bullet). "Why didn't I hold the shot longer? Stop drifting around, dammit!" Always made me smile. And it improved the camera work very rapidly.
Well, it is at least evocative of the Batman scene transitions. Notice how the bat logo zooms in and out.
I recall the zoomies effect was used only in "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" - an interesting attempt, but definitely falls into the category of "overdone". I didn't loathe it, and there's little from TOS in terms of camerawork that comes close to being "bad" IMHO, especially with the equipment of the time...
However, I can one-up this - okay, it's not TOS, but for Trek overall, it's still an award-winning biggie.
I recently sat through some late-70s sci-fi and saw progenitors, but I'll spare the novella* on possible influences, but as much one can credit TNG for taking a new camera angle combining depth of field with a figure coming in from one direction to improve the action, the following is one of the greatest contenders ever in terms of dramatic misfires:
From TNG, early season 3, and never once ever done ever never ever again. Not a bad try, but the last time I saw the episode**, I burst out laughing.(Also, insert trite gag reference of "spitting one's recently-drank fizzy liquid all over the chair" bit here.)
The only thing worse would be to do an "Airplane!" gag seriously and have Picard coming in from the ceiling downward. And you know it's bad whenever an idea in a comedy is attempted in a serious show but goofs up***...
However, I can one-up this - okay, it's not TOS, but for Trek overall, it's still an award-winning biggie.
I recently sat through some late-70s sci-fi and saw progenitors, but I'll spare the novella* on possible influences, but as much one can credit TNG for taking a new camera angle combining depth of field with a figure coming in from one direction to improve the action, the following is one of the greatest contenders ever in terms of dramatic misfires:
From TNG, early season 3, and never once ever done ever never ever again. Not a bad try, but the last time I saw the episode**, I burst out laughing.(Also, insert trite gag reference of "spitting one's recently-drank fizzy liquid all over the chair" bit here.)
The only thing worse would be to do an "Airplane!" gag seriously and have Picard coming in from the ceiling downward. And you know it's bad whenever an idea in a comedy is attempted in a serious show but goofs up***...
* scary, but true
** might have been "The Bonding"? Now I have to rewatch all of season 3... but I'm not going to complain too much...
*** Sliders took a main plot point from Red Dwarf's "Backwards" and tried to take it seriously. Didn't Quite work. Worse, Galaxy Quest's intentionally over-the-top scene involving vent systems and the reset switch in the dumbest place for comedic intent was tried several years later as serious, "po-faced" sci-fi... nope, still looked more stupid than sensational... but some people think my taste in sci-fi is stupid too, so it all balances out, it's all good.
On edit; Found it, cuz stuff'n'reasons: Star Trek Moments TNG - Episode. - 53. The Bonding. (youtube.com)*** Sliders took a main plot point from Red Dwarf's "Backwards" and tried to take it seriously. Didn't Quite work. Worse, Galaxy Quest's intentionally over-the-top scene involving vent systems and the reset switch in the dumbest place for comedic intent was tried several years later as serious, "po-faced" sci-fi... nope, still looked more stupid than sensational... but some people think my taste in sci-fi is stupid too, so it all balances out, it's all good.
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Fixed it:
Nice.
Still, his facial structure wasn't 100% symmetrical, and TOS was loaded with instances of "flipping the neg". Time and budgetary constraints made it a necessity, this was long before it was decided that sci-fi could be given tons of money. Ditto for the constant re-use of two specific bridge shots, of which neither was redone once Chekov became part of the crew. It's always "Sulu with rando" or "Chekov with rando". With "rando" being a colloquial euphemistic diminutive of "random person", rather than Chief Petty Engineer Welshy's bestie, Junior Grade Lieutenant Rando, of course!
I have always wished they'd cut a couple of shots out of WNMHGB:
Kirk, sitting in the command chair surrounded by the department heads as they start through the barrier, and Shatner doesn't yet know what to do. He's looking around like a lost kid, wondering where his mommy has gone. I know this was his first outing as Kirk and he was just getting comfortable with things; but later in the series, he really sells the "man in control" schtick during scenes like this. The episode could be improved by cutting this scene differently to keep this off screen or at least shorten the shot.
Also, Gary Lockwood holding Andrea Dromm's hand in the same scene. I don't buy it at all. Just cut it.
Two minor blemishes in an otherwise top tier episode.
Kirk, sitting in the command chair surrounded by the department heads as they start through the barrier, and Shatner doesn't yet know what to do. He's looking around like a lost kid, wondering where his mommy has gone. I know this was his first outing as Kirk and he was just getting comfortable with things; but later in the series, he really sells the "man in control" schtick during scenes like this. The episode could be improved by cutting this scene differently to keep this off screen or at least shorten the shot.
Also, Gary Lockwood holding Andrea Dromm's hand in the same scene. I don't buy it at all. Just cut it.
Two minor blemishes in an otherwise top tier episode.
Delete every scene of Shouting Spock. 
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I *think* they reversed the footage so that once he opens his eyes and Chapel is startled, we cut back to a reverse of the earlier shot, this time he is closing his eyes.
Delete every scene of Shouting Spock.
Vulcans never shout, my asteroids.
Not to mention he appears to be humping his console here and in three or four similar shots.
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