5. You know, There's A Thing Called A Steadicam, Bub...
The Wolverine has the most cohesive story of the summer so far. Unfortunately, it also has the most incoherent fight scenes of the summer - and that's saying something. This was a huge surprise to me, since James Mangold delivered some truly amazing, old-school action scenes in 3:10 To Yuma. I'm sure no one in Hollywood would ever actually read my sad, depraved ramblings on this site - but if someone in the filmmaking business is reading this, can I ask you a favor? I'm sure you're making a big action/sci-fi movie right now. Who isn't, really? I don't have to tell you that movies are made of thousands of individual camera setups. I want you to try something during one of the action scenes, just for one setup. First, decide where you're going to place the camera. Done? Good. Now move it back five feet. This will ensure that all the characters are properly in the frame, and that we have a clear understanding of where they are to each other and their environment. Your next instinct will probably be to go with a handheld aesthetic, which makes everything look exciting and kinetic and all that. That's fine, you can do that later. For the time being, I want you to look around you. There's probably a steadicam rig, crane, or even a good, old-fashioned tripod lying around somewhere. Use one of these handy devices - they're there to keep the camera still, so we can see what's going on. You may ask, how's the scene supposed to be exciting now? Well, by filming something that it is exciting, which requires some combination of good planning, impressive stunts, or just solid fight choreography. The rest will take care of itself. Finally, film at least a few seconds of footage. The more seconds the better, actually. If you're filming something real and exciting, then audiences will believe they're watching something real and exciting. That's it. Enough soap-boxing.