Hollywood actress and filmmaker Justine Bateman has decided to have a little fun with the flood of meltdown videos clogging up social media after President-Elect Donald Trump’s victory. Apparently, for every freakout post, there’s Bateman on X (formerly Twitter) taking a red pen to their “performances.” It’s the critique nobody asked for, but her breakdowns might be the most entertaining thing about these videos.
Take, for instance, a video of one distraught Harris supporter bent over her camera, ranting about how Trump’s America will be like The Handmaid’s Tale. Bateman, ever the filmmaker, skips right past the hyperbole and goes straight to production notes. She points out that this woman’s chosen setup—a low-angle shot from a phone sitting on her lap—has been “overused.”
In Bateman’s words, a low camera angle “suggests an unjustified submissiveness for the viewer.” Maybe the plan was to go for dramatic impact, but Bateman’s advice? Try raising the camera a bit so viewers don’t have to look up the actor’s nose as she rants.
Bateman doesn’t stop there. She offers tips on everything from lighting to dialogue delivery, treating these meltdown videos like rough cuts that just need a few tweaks. For instance, she critiques one particularly frantic clip where the “star” is ranting about Trump while adjusting her hair every two seconds, noting that the fidgeting breaks the emotional connection.
Apparently, if you’re going to have a meltdown about the end of the world, at least look into the camera and commit. Bateman even suggests a stable, locked-off camera instead of the shaky handheld style most of these users go for—because if you’re already hysterical, adding shaky footage is just “overkill.”
– The second major issue is the unpredictability of the camera movements. Because the emotions are high, the scene would have benefitted from a locked-off camera position, or a slow, graceful movement. The jiggling of the camera doubles down on the emotions, and is overkill. 2/
— Justine Bateman (@JustineBateman) November 7, 2024
And then there’s her take on Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s tearful video. Bateman doesn’t mince words on the lighting here, noting that the vague overhead lights leave AOC’s face “flattened” without any dimension. Even AOC’s choice of a white shirt gets flagged as a missed opportunity. “The wardrobe of a white shirt doesn’t give us much … information about the character,” Bateman quips, as if AOC’s “character” needs a little more backstory.
“Again, we see this lighting mistake that many are making. Notice the vague, overhead lights, the absence of a ‘key light’ on her face, and the way her face is flattened as a result.”
“However, the dialogue is a major issue here,” she added. “There are very long sentences spoken that are difficult to follow, and don’t suit the short duration of this video. A rewrite could help a lot to simplify and focus the intent. The wardrobe of a white shirt doesn’t give us much … information about the character…”
– However, the dialogue is a major issue here. There are very long sentences spoken that are difficult to follow, and don’t suit the short duration of this video. A rewrite could help a lot to simplify and focus the intent.
– The wardrobe of a white shirt doesn’t give us much 2/— Justine Bateman (@JustineBateman) November 7, 2024
But her biggest critique might be reserved for the “acting” itself. Bateman notes that a lot of these meltdowns feel like they’re on “take 2 or take 3,” meaning the raw emotion was probably spent in the first take, leaving these performances feeling a bit “drummed up.” For anyone watching these clips, that’s likely spot-on. Half of these videos do feel like their creators are trying to manufacture the intensity, almost as if they rehearsed the freakout to ensure it went viral.
Another filmmaker #SocialMediaVideoCritique.
– My biggest problem with this is that it feels like it was take 2 or take 3. The emotional performance feels drummed up, like it was fresh on take 1, but they couldn’t really get the same intensity back on subsequent takes. 1/ https://t.co/QHYsoEdDcj— Justine Bateman (@JustineBateman) November 7, 2024
Bateman’s critiques are a refreshing dose of levity amid the election hysteria. For every camera fumble and lighting fail, she’s there with a snarky comment that cuts through the noise. Maybe she’s onto something here—if people are going to post these reaction videos, maybe a little production value wouldn’t hurt. It turns out that if you’re going to claim that democracy is over, you should at least make sure the lighting’s right.
