Why is Army of the Dead blurry in some scenes? Don’t worry, it’s not your television
Army of the Dead flashes by in a blur – quite literally in some cases. If you’re firing up Netflix to sample Zack Snyder’s new zombie heist, you may notice several scenes seem out of focus or are otherwise a little bit smudged.
Don’t worry, you don’t need to invest in a new television, nor do you need to fiddle with your picture settings. The reason why Army of the Dead, as you’ll soon see, is twofold – and is because of both creative reasons as well as those borne out of necessity.
Why is Army of the Dead so blurry?
First and foremost, some scenes have a blurry, dreamlike quality to them because of Zack Snyder’s use of the Canon 50mm f/.0.95 lens, nicknamed the Canon Dream Lens, a relatively obscure piece of equipment developed in Japan in the ‘70s.
Snyder, who also acted as cinematographer on Army of the Dead, specifically utilized the full-frame Rangefinder lenses, which imbues the footage with an almost ethereal overlay (thanks to YM Cinema) and has an incredibly shallow focus.
It’s also a camera and technique used in Zack Snyder’s Justice League in the Knightmare sequence. It remains to be seen whether the camera will become a trademark of Snyder’s, though he’s certainly getting some use out of the old kit modified and adapted for modern-day cameras. It’s rarely used in modern cinema, which is why it stands out so much in Army of the Dead. But, in short, the blur is primarily there for artistic purposes.
Another reason, though, why some group shots are so blurry is because of the unfortunately unique situation surrounding Tig Notaro and her character, Marianne Peters.
Originally, Chris D’Elia was set to appear in the film, but he was replaced by Notaro following sexual misconduct allegations. Notaro, best known for appearing in Star Trek Discovery, was then filmed completely separately on a different green screen-filled set. Her scenes were then digitally inserted into the already-shot movie.
To mask the uncanny look that can sometimes be an issue with CGI, Peters is out-of-focus or blurry in some scenes. For her trouble, Snyder gifted her – according to an interview with New Yorker magazine (via Vulture) – an ‘Oscar’ for Best Out-of-Focus actor.
There you have it. Panic over. It may take some getting used to – but at least you’re not to blame for some of the more blurtastic moments in Army of the Dead.
Looking for something else to watch after Army of the Dead? Make sure to check out the best Netflix movies streaming right now.
No comments