I am a bit behind on popular culture, television, and movies. For example, I’ve never seen Game of Thrones. I watched Downton Abbey for the first time during the pandemic and found it entertaining.
I’m guessing this is partly age-related. Maybe I am becoming one of those people who gradually stops engaging with pop culture and instead rewatches the same few movies repeatedly. That certainly seems to be happening.
Still, I think my lack of interest can also be attributed to something else.
Whenever I watch modern movies, everything feels strangely unreal. It isn’t that I can’t suspend disbelief and enjoy the plot either.
It’s the way they look.
Recently, I was at my dad’s while he was watching Jack Ryan. Within a few minutes, I felt that old familiar feeling of irritation coming back. The actors were fine. The acting was fine. But everything looked incredibly sharp, polished, and unappealing.
I’ve seen this criticism before. The usual explanation seems to be high-definition technology and excessive post-production editing. That’s probably some of it, but after reading about contemporary cinematography, I realized I wasn’t alone in this perception.
One of the better explanations I’ve found is a YouTube video by Like Stories of Old, which I’ll link below. If you prefer reading, I’ve also included a written summary.
Youtube Video: Why Movies Just Don’t Feel “Real” Anymore
One issue is the gradual disappearance of the environment within the shot.
Much of modern cinematography isolates the subject. The background softens, the environment blurs, and all attention is directed toward the person on screen. The result is emphasis rather than full scene immersion.
Focusing on a face can be an effective stylistic choice depending on the scene, but it seems to have become the default in many modern films.
Older films typically included far more environmental context.
We could perceive the room’s lighting, weather conditions, physical distance between characters, clutter, and the general awkwardness of human interaction. The subject existed within a tangible world.
Today, however, scenes often feel visually disconnected from their surroundings.
It’s as if everyone is being filmed in portrait mode.
An aesthetic that also seems pervasive online and within style culture.
Portrait Mode in Style Culture:
Style culture often seems to value the same kind of visual emphasis.
People frequently pose in front of mirrors, take carefully curated photos in their bedrooms, or stand in carefully selected locations. The outfit or individual becomes the sole focus while everything else fades into the background.
The technology accomplishes exactly what it was designed to do: highlight the subject.
But it also strips away contextual information.
The environment stops participating.
Even common style advice revolves around “standing out”.
Increase contrast. Add visual interest.
Create a focal point. Make the outfit pop.
The goal is rarely to belong to an environment. Instead you’re encouraged to separate yourself from it.
The result is often a cleaner image and sometimes it’s even a more striking one.
But I think there’s a tradeoff.
When too much emphasis is placed on the subject, and the surrounding context begins to disappear, things start to feel unreal.
I suspect that’s why older films often feel more believable to me.
The people aren’t simply being looked at.
They’re part of a world.