{"id":83823,"date":"2016-12-01T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-12-01T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/?p=83823"},"modified":"2016-11-30T13:08:37","modified_gmt":"2016-11-30T19:08:37","slug":"snap-zoom-in-video-editing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/snap-zoom-in-video-editing\/","title":{"rendered":"Video Editing: Snap Zooms Should Never Be a Snap Decision"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 id=\"the-snap-zoom-may-feel-like-a-cliche-these-days-but-this-once-ingenious-filmmaking-technique-deserves-to-be-used-in-new-inventive-ways\">The Snap Zoom\u00a0may feel like a clich\u00e9 these days, but this once-ingenious filmmaking technique deserves to be used in new, inventive ways.<\/h2>\n<p><em>Top image via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.universalpictures.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Universal Pictures<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>One of the more popular trends of the current mega-blockbuster era is a clever (if a bit over-used) technique that, when executed properly, can yield stunning results. The <strong>snap zoom<\/strong> is an effective way to quickly immerse an audience into a created world and add hints of realism and spontaneity to a film.<\/p>\n<p>The technique is easily recognizable and simple \u2014 it begins with a wide shot of a large object or character, and then the camera rapidly (with a &#8220;handheld&#8221; shakiness) zooms in on the subject. The move is supposed to give the film an almost <strong>documentary-like<\/strong> vibe. More often than not, the zoom is <strong>digitally executed\u00a0<\/strong>during post-production.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"why-it-works\">Why It Works<\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nwkYaxkDO3c?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>One of the earliest adopters of the\u00a0<strong>snap zoom<\/strong>\u00a0was\u00a0Joss Whedon, who used the technique fairly frequently in\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0303461\/?ref_=nv_sr_1\" target=\"_blank\" data-wpel-link=\"external\"><em>Firefly<\/em><\/a>. By using the <strong>snap zoom<\/strong> in an observed, character-POV fashion, he grounded a fantastic sci-fi\u00a0universe in a very live-in human reality.<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0407362\/?ref_=nv_sr_1\" target=\"_blank\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Battlestar Galactica<\/a> <\/em>was another pioneer of the <strong>snap zoom <\/strong>(and the complementary zoom out)<strong>,<\/strong>\u00a0using the technique to cultivate an almost &#8220;newsreel&#8221; feel during massive space battles\u00a0(see video above). Though <em>Battlestar Galactica<\/em> aired shortly after <em>Firefly,<\/em> these two shows laid the groundwork for what the <strong>snap zoom<\/strong> would eventually become.\u00a0The technique was new, it was well thought out, and it worked.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-84817 size-full\" title=\"Video Editing: Snap Zooms Should Never Be a Snap Decision - Man of Steel\" src=\"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Man-of-Steel-SNAP-ZOOM.gif\" alt=\"Video Editing: Snap Zooms Should Never Be a Snap Decision - Man of Steel\" width=\"755\" height=\"283\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Three of the biggest directors working today \u2014\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0923736\/?ref_=nv_sr_1\" target=\"_blank\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Joss Whedon<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0811583\/?ref_=nv_sr_3\" target=\"_blank\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Zack Snyder<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0009190\/?ref_=nv_sr_1\" target=\"_blank\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">J.J. Abrams<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 include the <strong>snap zoom<\/strong> in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=G1a3QpvFLN0\" target=\"_blank\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">almost all of their work<\/a>.\u00a02013&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0770828\/?ref_=nv_sr_1\" target=\"_blank\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Man of Steel<\/a>\u00a0(seen above via <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/company\/co0026840\/?ref_=tt_dt_co\" target=\"_blank\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Warner Bros.<\/a>) made excellent use of the zoom, as did \u00a0<em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt2488496\/?ref_=nm_knf_i1\" target=\"_blank\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Star Wars: The Force Awakens<\/a>, <\/em>in which<em>\u00a0<\/em>Abrams<em>\u00a0<\/em>took his fancy for <strong>snap zooms<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=QGNfrNJZin4&amp;t=00m58s\" target=\"_blank\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">from the Star Trek universe<\/a> to a galaxy far far away.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 id=\"why-it-fails\">Why It Fails<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-84801 size-full\" title=\"Video Editing: Snap Zooms Should Never Be a Snap Decision - The Force Awakens\" src=\"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/TFA-SNAP-ZOOM-2-gif.gif\" alt=\"Video Editing: Snap Zooms Should Never Be a Snap Decision - The Force Awakens\" width=\"755\" height=\"299\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, relying heavily on the technique is a trap that many of the above-mentioned pioneers have fallen into. With an <strong>uninspired vision for why the camera is zooming in<\/strong>, many of these shots <strong>lose significance<\/strong>\u00a0due to lack of motivation. <em>The Force Awakens<\/em> has a couple of\u00a0<strong>snap zooms<\/strong>\u00a0that never really live up to the originality (and fun) of past uses. There&#8217;s no real purpose for them existing, aside from <strong>adding flare<\/strong> and mixing up the established style.<\/p>\n<p>Aside from the point-of-view take on the effect, the actual movement of the image itself should be taken into consideration. Even when used well, the <strong>snap zoom<\/strong>\u00a0is a <strong>jarring<\/strong>, <strong>sudden move that forces the audience<\/strong> to focus on a specific subject. So, unless the scene is sporadic and violent (like the scene below, via <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0121765\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Attack of the Clones<\/a><\/em>), the failure to simply let the image breathe is a misunderstanding of what the zoom\u00a0can imply.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-84784 size-full\" title=\"Video Editing: Snap Zooms Should Never Be a Snap Decision - Attack of the Clones\" src=\"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Snap-zoom-attack-of-clones-.gif\" alt=\"Video Editing: Snap Zooms Should Never Be a Snap Decision - Attack of the Clones\" width=\"755\" height=\"298\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Opinions\u00a0are mixed on the effect as a whole. While some celebrate the technique as an effort to bring the audience into the story through a cinema-v\u00e9rit\u00e9 approach, others feel it&#8217;s a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=p-58mYQWNig\" target=\"_blank\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">cheap ploy<\/a> that thematically and narratively doesn&#8217;t make sense. If you do decide to use the <strong>snap zoom, <\/strong>be sure to<strong> consider your audience<\/strong> and the circumstances presented by the film up to the point the technique is employed.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>What are some of your favorite snap zooms?<\/strong> Share in the comments below<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Snap Zoom may feel like a clich\u00e9 these days, but this once-ingenious filmmaking technique deserves to be used in new, inventive ways.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":84826,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4519,3843,39,583],"tags":[1093,536,5376,472],"class_list":["post-class-post-83823","post-class-post","post-class-type-post","post-class-status-publish","post-class-format-standard","post-class-has-post-thumbnail","post-class-hentry","post-class-category-cinematography-2","post-class-category-filmmaking-2","post-class-category-video-editing","post-class-category-video-production-2","post-class-tag-cinematography","post-class-tag-filmmaking","post-class-tag-video-editing","post-class-tag-video-production"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v18.5 (Yoast SEO v21.5) - 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