Chris Hicks writes in today's Salt Lake City Deseret News:
I learned something while watching Quantum of Solace for the second time recently: Quick-cut edits can have the same effect as shaky-cam.That is to say, when the camera's point of view or angle changes in rapid succession, it has essentially the same effect as a hand-held camera that rapidly bounces up and down.
This is not a good thing.
During this second viewing of the latest 007 movie, I found myself counting the seconds between cuts. And I decided that there are two apparent rules: The seven-second rule applies to character or dialogue scenes, and the three-second rule applies to action.
I'm not kidding.
I don't think a single shot in an exposition scene lasts more than seven seconds, and no single shot in a chase scene lasts more than three.
This is a strange evolution . . . or devolution . . . of filmmaking technique, since there was a time — not so long ago, really — when directors took great pride in long takes, those single "tracking" shots that could last from 30 seconds to a few minutes, and which required a great deal of rehearsal, of both the players and the camera.
Hicks goes on to discuss the use of long takes by Hitchcock, Welles, and De Palma, contrasting their intricately planned and rehearsed takes with Baz Luhrmann's current Australia, where, according to Hicks, "an emotional moment leads to an overhead shot that travels from the top of a water tower to the farmland below to the desolate landscape in the far distance. It makes for touching, sweeping symbolism. But it's perhaps 15 seconds in length — and it may be the lengthiest shot in the film." Hicks concludes:
The point is, movies seem to be in such a hurry these days that they often feel like theme-park rides. Quantum of Solace, though enjoyable on its own terms, is much more of a mindless thrill ride than its character-driven predecessor, Casino Royale. But the ride is getting a little too bumpy. Quantum of Solace is also occasionally headache-inducing. Not to mention incomprehensible. Who's driving which car? Who's slugging whom? Where the heck are we now? Are these really the questions you want your audience asking?