Filmmaking / Directing : Sergio Leone closeups with .... by Peter Roach

A Fistful of Dollars, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West, Once Upon a Time in America...I don't think contact lenses can diminish that body of work. Audience isn't looking for flaws, they're looking for good stories. Besides, it's all relative, especially to the time period. Will say it again, it's hard to pick at that kind of popular and critical success. We should all be so lucky to be writing, producing or directing films that have that kind of impact and stood the test of time.

In today's world of 4-12K digital cameras and 4-8K tv, every tiny detail matters - not so much in the 35mm days. As a Director nowadays, I notice little technical and makeup flaws in even the local news broadcasts - so what. There are a few nutz out there who thrive on that sort of stuff (I'm not one of 'em). Who cares?

Ah Neal , perhaps I should have said Sergio Leone type closeups. I am a big Once Upon a Time in the West fan. I am talking about other recent shows/movies.

Something that small is not taking away from a brilliant story. I just wondered if no one noticed those during the rushes or editing.

Peter, I didn't think you were critiquing Sergio Leone at all. Read your post with the humor it was intended. As for noticing cringeworthy items, I shudder every day I look at dailies. But I also know we are trained to look for what is wrong (even when it's likely imperceptible). That's part of our job and more than likely our natures. Not that we shouldn't, but unless it takes the audience out of the moment, they probably care far less than we do.

Well, I absolutely care as an avid audience member. Stuff like that throws me out of the story experience; classic or older films being the exception. The other stuff that bums me out is too obviously built sets, costuming that is way too clean or has poor fake “aging” or “dirt,” and modern-day makeup in a period piece and/or makeup that does not go past the jawline or on exposed arms, legs, poor prosthetics, etc. You do not have to be trained to notice. The other bummer is editing inconsistencies and bad CGI. Sorry, audiences are far more sophisticated these days. We’ve seen it all and we have high expectations. Plus we have high definition screens. Lol! If you see it as a filmmaker, then we see it. ;)

I've never noticed an actor's contact lenses, ever. As an actor who wears contact lenses and has really bad eye site without them, I hope you're not saying actors who need them for sight shouldn't wear them.

No Lydia. Not in a movie set today. But if you were playing Queen Lydia vs the Barbarian Horde an extreme closeup that shows your contacts may get a couple people saying "Hey Queen Lydia wears contacts."

Haha gotcha Peter

Lydia, I wear contacts too. Lol! Perhaps that's why I notice them so easily on actors in film and tv, and in photos. Depending on the brand, prescription contacts tend to have a blue tint and are a tad bit larger than the iris, so you see the lenses and their blue edges on closeups to mediums shots.

Anyhoo, I have a family friend who does special effects for a living—little things like this are not that hard to retouch/remove digitally. Of course, it depends on a project's budget and time, if an actor's contact lenses distract in a specific closeup scene, if it even matters per the context/setting of the film, if the filmmaker cares, etc. But with high definition TVs now being so common and many new releases coming out on VOD, these weird teeny tiny details add yet another element to consider for filmmakers... or not. Could be just one of those silly things. ;)

I was working post-production when tv and movies switched from film to digital and dailies looked terrible for a while. Cinematographers and Colorists were learning digital palette on the fly.

Anyways, 4K looks great for live sports but for make-believe entertainment, the Talent has to be on point, from good skin to dandruff-free hair.