History Main / FalseCameraEffects

* "False" Fish Eye Lens shots use a type of [[UsefulNotes/GraphicalPerspective drawn perspective]] that replicates the curved shape of the retina and the curved lens of the eye. While much more complicated than linear perspective, it creates a better sense of depth and scale, and allows a more immersive field of view.

* "False" Fish Eye Lens shots use a type of [[UsefulNotes/GraphicalPerspective drawn perspective]] that replicates the curved shape of the retina and the curved lens of the eye. While much more complicated than linear perspective, it creates a better sense of depth and scale, and allows a more immersive field of view.

* The new ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'' has this by the truckloads. Nearly every scene "shot" in space has at least one shot with fake camera effects added to make it seem as though a real cameraman was trying to keep up with the action. Cue the ShakyCam, LensFlare, focus adjustments, and various {{zoom}}ing levels as though scanning for objects to pay attention to. And this is a time when CGI itself already looks very lifelike on its own. Best of all is when debris from an explosion seems to hit the camera and break it, in a completely CG shot.

* In the UsefulNotes/GameCube remake of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil'' if you go into the holding cell [[spoiler:where Chris or Jill was imprisoned in the underground lab]] the FixedCamera is grainy, angled from one of the corners on the ceiling, and has a fish-eye distortion effect as if you're looking at a surveilance camera feed on your tv.

* The depth of field effect depicted in the page image, with or without double vision effects. [[note]]This one is easy to demonstrate to yourself in real life: place a finger about a hand's width in front of your nose and look at it. Now look at something behind it. Now look at something behind ''that''. Some people may also notice "double vision" on distant objects when looking at their finger and doubling of their finger when looking at the distant objects. The brain sometimes edits this out for people with a strongly dominant eye, however.[[/note]]

* ''Literature/MoribitoGuardianOfTheSpirit'' uses this in episode one. When one character dives into a river to save another and goes under, the camera pans across the river, only to suddenly stop and whip back as the character surfaces, having skipped over her.

* The new ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'' has this by the truckloads. Nearly every scene "shot" in space has at least one shot with fake camera effects added to make it seem as though a real cameraman was trying to keep up with the action. Cue the ShakyCam, LensFlare, focus adjustments, and various zooming levels as though scanning for objects to pay attention to. And this is a time when CGI itself already looks very lifelike on its own. Best of all is when debris from an explosion seems to hit the camera and break it, in a completely CG shot.

* One of the best examples occurs in the ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy''. When the environment is very bright, you'll sometimes see a ghostly reflection of Samus' face on the screen. There are a few other effects, too -- the screen fogs up when near sources of steam, and raindrops dot the screen if you look up in rainy areas. These are all justified because the protagonist really ''is'' supposed to be viewing the world through a piece of glass (She wears a helmet).

* ''LightNovel/ThePetGirlOfSakurasou'' anime adaptation has several uses of the FishEyeLens in its third episode.

* Near the end of ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', there is a brief JitterCam shot as the Parr family runs from the limo into their house.

* ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'' has a scene where water droplets splatter the camera lens.

* The film of ''Anime/GhostInTheShell'' gives us a lot of horizontal LensFlare effects, especially from red warning lights.

* Most of the NonIndicativeFirstEpisode of ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' consists of a [[ShowWithinAShow fake amateur science fiction movie]] filmed on a camcorder by the main characters, including jump cuts with non-matching sound, characters appearing out of frame, production crew wandering ''into'' frame, and the whole thing appearing in 4:3 aspect ratio, where the rest of the series is in 16:9. The animators even added the slightly grainy quality of many lower-cost camcorders, and out-of-focus shots. Even later on in the series, there would be the occasional FishEyeLens shot. The producers even used cheap-sound synthesized music to create the effect of a cheap high school background music production.

* ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist'' uses a false-focus effect so often you don't even realize that animation isn't supposed to work that way.

* Episode 1 of ''Anime/TheVisionOfEscaflowne'' includes {{Lens Flare}}s in outdoor shots when Hitomi is practicing track and field.

* Episode 1 of ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'' includes a brief sequence of Nanoha running that is made to look like it was filmed with a hand-held camera. There are also water droplets on the camera during Nanoha and Fate's final battle.

* Most of the NonIndicativeFirstEpisode of ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' consists of a [[ShowWithinAShow fake amateur science fiction movie]] filmed on a camcorder by the main characters, including jump cuts with non-matching sound, characters appearing out of frame, production crew wandering ''into'' frame, and the whole thing appearing in 4:3 aspect ratio, where the rest of the series is in 16:9. The animators even added the slightly grainy quality of many lower-cost camcorders, and out-of-focus shots. Even later on in the series, there would be the occasional FishEyeLens shot. The producers even used cheap-sound synthesized music to create the effect of a cheap high school background music production.
* ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'' has a scene where water droplets splatter the camera lens.

* ''LightNovel/ThePetGirlOfSakurasou'' anime adaptation has several uses of the FishEyeLens in its third episode.
* The film of ''Anime/GhostInTheShell'' gives us a lot of horizontal LensFlare effects, especially from red warning lights.
* Episode 20 of ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'' has a scene where Fujiwara is taking a picture of Iino with a filter. There is a slight delay between Iino moving her face and the filter lining up to simulate the app calculating where her facial features are.

* Near the end of ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', there is a brief JitterCam shot as the Parr family runs from the limo into their house.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}'': When Cleo the fish watches Pinocchio as he is made to dance using his strings, he is seen distorted by the water in her fish bowl.
* In the Creator/{{Pixar}} film ''WesternAnimation/WallE'', when the title character disturbs a pile of shopping carts, as he runs past the camera point-of-view, there is a brief moment when the image goes out of focus, then quickly back in again.
* ''Anime/ChildrenWhoChaseLostVoices'': There is a JitterCam effect during certain action sequences, as well as a ridiculous amount of attention paid to shifts in lighting within scenes.

* The new ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'' has this by the truckloads. Nearly every scene "shot" in space has at least one shot with fake camera effects added to make it seem as though a real cameraman was trying to keep up with the action. Cue the ShakyCam, LensFlare, focus adjustments, and various zooming levels as though scanning for objects to pay attention to. And this is a time when CGI itself already looks very lifelike on its own. Best of all is when debris from an explosion seems to hit the camera and break it, in a completely CG shot.

* The ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' games had several.
** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', the camera lens will freeze over in the coldest area of the game (the permafrost stages, such as Vulcan Raven's boss fight room). This is repeated in ''The Twin Snakes'' and ''4'' with more visible, realistic frost spirals.
** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'', looking around in First Person View when outside can give you a lens flare which shifts, brightens and vanishes as you turn your gaze towards and away from the sun - and changes the background noise to make it sound like it was shot through a SteadiCam. The game also animates water dribbling down the camera lens if you get it wet, and even fogging up if you take it from a wet environment to a dry one.
** If Snake gets hit in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'', the camera gets noisy every time he's struck.
* Both ''VideoGame/{{Penumbra}}'' episodes give off a strong effect if the character looks too long on the monsters around him. Used in gameplay, too, because eventually he'll panic and give himself away.

* ''VideoGame/{{Killzone}} 2'' uses false TV effects. The menu screens mimic the pop, picture shake, and chroma-separation effects of poor-quality [=SDTVs=]. Quite strange to see on an LCD at first.
* In ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'', not only is there film grain added, but there's even a slider in the options menu to control how much grain you see.
* In the ''VideoGame/{{Thief}}'' series, there is at least one point in ''Deadly Shadows'' used False Camera Effects, right after the mission 'Killing Time'.

* ''VideoGame/LostOdyssey'' uses the focus effect during cutscenes, often taking a moment to focus on the subject or deliberately blurring the background.

* First-person horror game ''VideoGame/TheTape'' uses grain and distortion filters to give the player the feeling they are watching a well worn VHS FoundFootage tape, through night vision no less. The filters can be adjusted for intensity or turned off entirely, but that sort of defeats the purpose of the game in the first place.
* Some of the SceneryPorn-tastic cutscenes in ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'' use LensFlare to show off how shiny the place is now that you've cleaned it up.
* One of the best examples occurs in the ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy''. When the environment is very bright, you'll sometimes see a ghostly reflection of Samus' face on the screen. There are a few other effects, too -- the screen fogs up when near sources of steam, and raindrops dot the screen if you look up in rainy areas. These are all justified because the protagonist really ''is'' supposed to be viewing the world through a piece of glass (She wears a helmet).
* ''VideoGame/NelsonTethersPuzzleAgent'' has an intentionally low framerate to match the cartoons it is based on.
* ''VideoGame/SamAndMaxTheDevilsPlayhouse'' utilizes film grain in order to better resemble an 70's detective flick.
* When dropping the vehicle in the first ''Franchise/MassEffect'', the camera would use a zoom effect like it was trying to get the perfect zoom on it.
* ''VideoGame/SilentHill2'' adds film grain which makes the movie look more like a J-Horror film. You can disable it in the options menu, but the atmosphere suffers.

* In the ''Franchise/KamenRider'' fighting game ''Climax Heroes'', the Showa Kamen Riders[[note]]Those from the 70s and 80s[[/note]] have a special ability that adds a pale sepia tint and film grain to the screen, making it look like a Japanese TV show from the 70s. The effect lasts until they land a special move...at which point the game pauses and a {{Narrator}} gives a short [[{{Exposition}} expository]] speech about the attack, just like in the Showa-era shows.

* ''[[VideoGame/EverythingOrNothin James Bond: Everything or Nothing]]'' uses a blurred fadeout when Katya uses a [[InstantSedation tranquilizer dart]] on Bond.
* In the UsefulNotes/GameCube remake of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil'' if you go into the holding cell [[spoiler:where Chris or Jill was imprisoned in the underground lab]] the FixedCamera is grainy, angled from one of the corners on the ceiling, and has a fish-eye distortion effect as if you're looking at a surveilance camera feed on your tv.
* If you outfit your character in ''VideoGame/KillingFloor2'' with eyeglasses, a gas mask, or the like, a glare-on-dust effect is visible when you look toward bright lights. Note that these items are otherwise meant to be purely cosmetic.
* ''VideoGame/FridayThe13thTheGame'' tries to capture [[Main/TheEighties an 80s]] SlasherMovie vibe which include [[InterfaceScrew VHS static]] whenever Jason teleports nears one of the counselors.
* In ''VideoGame/Fallout4'', when switching from a brightly-lit environment to a dark one, the scene goes extra-dark for just long enough to notice before fading back to a more normal brightness, simulating the eye's (or an auto-balancing camera's) adjustment to changes in the light level.

* ''Webcomic/LucidSpring'' makes use of it [[http://lucidspring.thecomicseries.com/comics/1 several]] [[http://lucidspring.thecomicseries.com/comics/2 times]] in ''Pacem and Viktor.''

* In the Creator/TexAvery short ''The Magical Maestro'', after the third use of the "rabbits on his hands" gag, a hairline suddenly appears on the bottom left of the screen, as if the filmreel was having problems at that point of the cartoon. After about 30 seconds of this, the opera singer (and the music) abruptly stops to pull it out and throw it away before continuing as if nothing happened. The studio eventually put red stickers on the film cans telling projectionists about the gag so they wouldn't try to clear the hair out of the film gate.

* VideoGame/{{Bulletstorm}} uses the same 'water on the screen' effect as ''Bioshock'', for the same reason.

* Taken UpToEleven in ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory4''. The whole thing was made to look like it was shot with actual cameras, not computers. Spherical lenses, Anamorphic lenses, split diopters, you name it. An explanation can be found [[https://youtu.be/AcZ2OY5-TeM here]].

** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2'', looking around in First Person View when outside can give you a lens flare which shifts, brightens and vanishes as you turn your gaze towards and away from the sun - and changes the background noise to make it sound like it was shot through a SteadiCam. The game also animates water dribbling down the camera lens if you get it wet, and even fogging up if you take it from a wet environment to a dry one.
** If Snake gets hit in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4'', the camera gets noisy every time he's struck.

Sometimes the animation team for an {{anime}} or video game, or the artist of a comic, will draw (or generate, on more recent shows) a shot that looks as if it had been filmed on a set with an actual camera using an unusual lens or other [[CameraTricks camera trick]]. In addition to giving the moment a special emphasis, when well done the result looks enough like the corresponding live-action film moment that the viewer is not likely to consciously notice it. Alternatively, it can be used for a film-within-the-film, such as an out-of-focus effect to show amateur film-making, or scratch effects to indicate old film. Admittedly, this has become easier in recent years with the advent of computer-assisted and -generated animation, but the stylistic technique first appeared years ago, when such distortions and effects had to be meticulously created by hand.

* In the Creator/TexAvery short ''The Magical Maestro'', after the third use of the "rabbits on his hands" gag, a hairline suddenly appears on the bottom left of the screen, as if the filmreel was having problems at that point of the cartoon. After about 30 seconds of this, the opera singer (and the music) abruptly stops to pull it out and throw it away before continuing as if nothing happened. The studio eventually put red stickers on the film cans telling projectionists about the gag so they wouldn't try to clear the hair out of the film gate.
* The pilot for ''WesternAnimation/MoralOrel'' used fake JitterCam for dramatic moments, mainly when [[StepfordSmiler Bloberta]] was alone.

* At the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode [[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE22JokersFavor "Joker's Favor"]], when the Joker threatens Charlie Collin's family by phone, we see the camera "blurries" on Charlie inside his house while his wife and son scene outside the house "focus" on them, then when he hangs the phone, the focus is on Charlie again. This is ''Emphasis by Focus'', showing the audience that Charlie has to occult the peril he faces from his family, visually showing the DramaticIrony.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/SymBionicTitan'' episode "Under the Three Moons", when we see Kristin practicing her martial arts, there's a shot in which the "camera" appears to shake.
* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': In "Brian & Stewie", when eating Jenny Craig bars, the camera at first focuses on Brian, but then blurs him and focuses on Stewie.
* In general, ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'' has a subtle film grain effect. In a more specific example, the season three episode "The Campfire Car" utilizes RackFocus for some scenes.

* ''Anime/DennouCoil'' often used very subdued JitterCam effects when a horror element presented itself.

Common types of FalseCameraEffects include [[LensFlare lens flares]], FishEyeLens shots, wide-angle shots, simulated scanning lines, the VertigoEffect, and RackFocus. If the action bumps or shakes the "camera", it's CameraAbuse. OminousVisualGlitch can be related. Most often, these effects are replicated because of TheCoconutEffect: for instance, we think of [[SingleMaltVision swirling multiple exposures]] as being "what inebriation looks like", even if ''eyes'' [[RealityIsUnrealistic don't work that way]].