What is one cliché movie technique that you never get sick of?

ThatsNotSixInches · 3 months

I want to see the dotted-lines-charting-progress-across-a-map making a comeback.

talk_to_me_goose · 3 months

the muted audio between when a big thing flies into the air and hits the ground

opsomath · 3 months

Showing you the scary-ass thing indirectly, through the eyes of another, a security camera, or a mirror. My favorite example: the alien reflected in the glass near the end of "Signs." Or, the scene in Breaking Bad Season 1 where he realizes the guy in his basement has a blade by putting the rest of the broken plate together.

jwilsonjx · 3 months

Wet streets for night time scenes. It just looks better.

mincerray · 3 months

vertigo zoom / dolly shots, like this one or this one

long, uninterrupted shots, like this one

We_are_all_Kosh · 3 months

When someone is looking for an exact location, and they hold a photograph. They move it out of frame, and the guy happens to be at the right distance and angle.

Example

bodycounters · 3 months

I like reflection shots, where the camera is pointed at a mirror or window instead of right at the actor. There was a good one in Blue Valentine where it was a double reflection and it looked like Michelle Williams was in the shot twice.

uneditablepoly · 3 months

My favorite is when a high-energy scene is played without its sound and a seemingly contradictory melody is played over the top.

Very modern editing technique, although it got a bit overused. Still never tire of it.

Not a movie, but favorite example.

KhamanV · 3 months

Fake news footage. Zombie coverage in Shaun of the Dead, the awesome CNN-style footage of the Brazilian alien in the otherwise meh Signs, the newsbreaks in Robocop. God, I love the newsbreaks in Robocop.

spunky-omelette · 3 months

Dramatic music scores with a choir singing/chanting. It has been used so many times, and I should know by now that just because people are singing in ominous Latin it doesn't mean the scene is more dramatic.

Oh. And the "TIME TO GET EVERYTHING DONE" montage. If only I could do that in real life...

Eliot_2000 · 3 months

I love seeing a fruit stand, a pile of crates or two guys carrying a pane of glass, because you know sooner or later that stuff is getting smashed.

van_benson · 3 months

I like it when people talk on phones and they just hang up without saying "bye!" I want to be that hardcore.

G_Morgan · 3 months

Self narration. But instead of cliched it is awesome.

MaxTheMad · 3 months

OP if you love that, watch the episode of LOST where they play around with Diegetic and non-diegetic music by incorporating it into Hugo listening to his walkman.

Ausrufepunkt · 3 months

slow ballad during action scene

;)

truesound · 3 months

Gearing up. The Crow and Rambo First Blood Part II are great examples for this. I think there was a good one in either Escape From New York or Escape From LA. I used to get dressed every morning to the Cure's "Burn".

N0V0w3ls · 3 months

The "Good-guy Was a Step Ahead All Along". I actually loved this in the Sherlock Holmes films.

EggDung · 3 months

Smash cuts. I can't get enough of them. Especially if it's one of those, "who would ever think that was a good idea" immediately cuts to some dumb fuck doing exactly that, smash cuts. All hail Edgar Wright.

Autokeith0r · 3 months

Bonus scenes AFTER the credits. Makes me think I'm getting my money's worth at the movies because I get to sit through the entire end credits.

enginerd11 · 3 months

The panning of a city or fly over mountains to set the scene. It always looks pretty cool.

lostaruban · 3 months

A team of specialists getting together. They are all living their own lives while they get called up to help out in this cause.

Tamlar · 3 months

I love when the camera not only zooms in (and almost always includes slowing down), but zooms in to enough detail that you could never realistically capture.

This includes things like showing a man firing a handgun at distance - and zooming all the way inside the gun to show the action of the spring before zooming back out to continue the action - and hey if they want to go to cellular level, that's even better.

If i had to guess a name for this technique then probably "action-building enhancement"

360walkaway · 3 months

Similar to OP's...

In The Big Lebowski, when The Dude is in the fireplace room with Lebowski and there's this epic opera music playing to go along with Lebowski's rant about what makes a man and what cowards will do.

Then when The Dude and Brent leave the room and close the door behind them, the music suddenly gets quieter. Wasn't background music, just playing in the fireplace room.

Ichthasen · 3 months

I love when they add "what happened to the characters after the events of the movie" narratives at the end of films it's usually in a slideshow format. Perhaps I feel it adds closure to the film, but any movie that does this is instantly better

confuzzledfather · 3 months

When they say the name of the movie in the movie!! The universe feels right when that happens

The_Intrepid_Fool · 3 months

similar to the OP, but I enjoy scenes where there is no sound other than the music. Bonus points if the music is completely dissonant to the action.

example - Star Trek (09), Kirk's Mom is flown out of the Kelvin, gives birth as Kirk's dad takes on the Narada and saves the escaping pods. All silent except for a beautiful soundtrack.

Girricane · 3 months

Training montage. If someone could splice a movie together of nothing but training montages I would be set.

shays · 3 months

I love when somebody throws a random object off-screen and a cat shrieks .

2coold · 3 months

Gun purchasing scenes. When the character goes to some weapons dealer in an unremarkable room, then at the push of a button all the walls flip over and shows off an entire arsenal on chrome based wall.

sqazm · 3 months

Bullet time.

YOU DON'T KNOW ME, DON'T JUDGE.

pedro1191 · 3 months

When Morgan Freeman does the voiceover.

sir_weasel · 3 months

Breaking the fourth wall always makes me smile, I wish I could think of an example right now but I just woke up...

Also, as others have mentioned in different ways, if the music throughout the movie always does a good job setting the mood I am happy. Wes Anderson always has a strong impact for me with this technique, although my wife falls asleep during his (and all others', she doesn't discriminate!) movies.

mxt920 · 3 months

In comedies, I love the smash-cut. "What could possibly go wrong?" Cut to things going horribly, hilariously wrong.

TheBlaggart · 3 months

The villain, or his main henchman, dying by falling from a great height. It must be the most overused cause of death in action movies, and despite that it never seems out of place.

Morphenomenal · 3 months

Long artistic inspired opening credits, they can be like miniature films within the film.

fizgigtiznalkie · 3 months

impossible escape sequences where the hero gets away from his captors.

Bonus points if the enemies outnumber the hero but decide to be gentlemanly and fight him one at a time.

username_generator · 3 months

People walking in slow motion to cool music. Master Class

[deleted] · 3 months

The call is coming from inside the house!

fench · 3 months

When cars take off with only the minimum of ramps...... generally when action movies take a massive dump on accepted notions of physics is something I enjoy. Shit you, Newton.

Tobislu · 3 months

Cross-cutting between dialogue. If you can merge conversations together without losing story in the process, this is the most exciting thing you can see on screen.

Archer does it constantly, one of the reasons why it's my favorite show.

Herborist · 3 months

Basically how women act in horror movies.

"Billy? Billy is that you? No? Ok, I'm gonna take a shower..."

Sneaky_Zebra · 3 months

Time remap - Slow mo then spead up back to slow mo all the time with that WwwwHHoooooooopm sound Basicly the woodland scene from the new Sherlock.

Scottland83 · 3 months

A happy ending. Usually you need it to justify the rest of the movie. A tragic play, on the other hand, has to be meaningful from start to finish.

LieutenantUnicorn · 3 months

Witty banter/rants between characters that is funny and clever and people would never talk like that in real life because we're not cool enough.

Like Sherlock Holmes. Everything he says. I haven't seen the second one...is it any good?

EDIT: Wow! Wasn't expecting so many replies! :) Thanks for all the recommendations people! Gunna rent some Kevin Smith stuff and possibly Pulp Fiction this weekend.

serout7 · 3 months

Fake Bloopers in animated films - especially Monsters Inc. The bit with Rex's audition in brilliant

gwyd · 3 months

I love when two people have a comically awkward conversation because they're talking about two different things, but they both think the other is talking about what they are.

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