cinematography-induced seizure?

[O2BBubbleFree]

My wife and I really don't like the recent cinematography style, where the cameraman can't seem to hold the camera steady.

Friday we went to see Bourne Ultimatum. They director really made use of that style, plus all the action sequences seemed to be made up of close up clips pasted together. Know what I mean? Where you can't really see what's going on, just a lot of movement?

On top of that, the regular flashback's that Bourne experienced were the same kind of cinematography. They started off with a white flash, and the scenes themselves were filmed in gray and white (with a lot of bright white), so they were almost like a strobe.

There was a lady sitting next to my wife who went into a seizure in the middle of the movie. I have heard that strobe lights can induce seizures, so I don't know why the movie couldn't have. She claimed that she had never had a seizure before.

The ER doctor (that happened to be watching the movie as well) stated that the movie may have triggered the seizure, but I'm not sure how much weight to put in his statement. At the time he was trying to convince her to go with the paramedics to the hospital, and she was saying she was going to watch the rest of the movie, then drive herself to the hospital (I'm sure she was still in a postical state).

Anyway, what do you think? I know I'm biased, since I don't like this cinematography style, but do you think it could have induced a seizure in a 30-something-year-old woman who had no history of seizures?

 

[justleesa]

I don't know about that....but I agree with you - the style is VERY annoying...

 

[JahJahwarrior]

Some music videos are using a style like this as well. Sometimes, it can work. But, like anything, if it's used too much.............................................case in point, three periods would work but three bajillion are too many


That said, some videos do develop a thematic style that works with it. Music videos really do this, (I watch way more music videos than cinematic videos) and sometimes it's annoying other times it's good. Some Justin Timberlake videos recently make use of tilting the camera from side to side very effectively. Some heavy metal videos seem like the cameraman and the band are completely wasted and someone left on the strobe lights in the background....

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

Some music videos are using a style like this as well. ...

Speaking of which, I was telling a co-worker about what happened, and he said he recently saw someone seize at a concert that was using a lot of strobe lights.

 

[Bubble Junky]

We get warnings before programmes containing flashing sequences here in England. Check this link concerning one such incident - here. Think it's called 'visually induced epilepsy'.

 

[Homunculus]

a few years ago some japanese cartoons had the same effect on kids - many kids had epileptic seizures. i haven't seen the mentioned film nor japanese cartoons but the doctor's conclusion might have been true. the syle of a shaky camera can be very interesting though but it all depends on the many factors and the degree of shakiness. some films with "unstable" camera are very good.

 

[Spratman]

yep, as Mikhail said they will definitely trigger an epileptic seizure. It's amazing the way the brain is wired to react to certain things. That is why the Spec Op sroups use flash/bang grenades. Sometime the flash will induce vomiting in addition to serious disorientation.

Hope she is alright.

 

[Mako Mark]

This happened to the Simpsons when they went to Japan.

 

[DavidPT40]

Same way bright sunlight can cause sneezing.

 

[JahJahwarrior]

In one band I played with, the other guitarist had a sister with some "issues" that made us have to make sure she didn't come to shows where we used a strobe light, and that kept us from using it other places.

Also in youth theatre where I spent several years running the technical side of things, I had to be careful about using strobes. One year we did use some in a show attended by school students and I believe the program director sent notices to all of the teachers letting them know that we had strobes and which part of the program they would be used.