Many people have been reporting an issue with the 5D Mark III that Canon has now finally addressed. It seems that when the top LCD backlight is turned on in a dark environment, it's possible that the camera's automatic exposure will be affected and the resulting photos will not look correct. For video, this is a non-issue, but the fact that Canon is possibly going to fix or replace 5D bodies out there is a pretty big deal. They won't go so far as to call it a recall, but it seems that essentially all cameras that have been released up to this point may suffer from the issue.
To Users of the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital SLR Camera
Thank you for using Canon products.
The phenomenon described below has been confirmed when using the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital SLR Camera.
Canon is now examining the countermeasures and once the countermeasures are decided, we will post the information on our Web site.
Phenomenon
In extremely dark environments, if the LCD panel illuminates, the displayed exposure value may change as a result of the AE sensor’s detection of light from the LCD panel.
Affected Product Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital SLR Camera
Support Once the preparations are complete, we will be making an announcement on our Web site.
This information is for residents of the United States and Puerto Rico only. If you do not reside in the USA or Puerto Rico, please contact the Canon Customer Support Center in your region.
Please register the EOS 5D Mark III. By registering, we will be able to notify you via email when service updates are available. If you already registered, please ensure you are opted-in to receive the notification.
Thank you,
Customer Support Operations
Canon U.S.A., Inc
Contact Information for Inquiries
Canon Customer Support Center
Phone: 1-800-OK-CANON 1-800-652-2666
TDD: 1-866-251-3752
Email: carecenter@cits.canon.com
For additional support options: www.usa.canon.com/support
So is it possible that this could affect your stills shooting at night? Maybe, it really depends on whether you are more comfortable changing settings while looking through the viewfinder or you would rather look at the top LCD with the light on. If the light is off, there are no issues. If you forget to turn it off yourself, it will turn off after a certain amount of time. Keep in mind this is a metering issue - it does not actually affect the exposure directly. It is good that Canon is officially recognizing this problem instead of ignoring it, and it seems like they are going to come up with a solution in a timely manner, as those who shoot at night with automatic exposure could be affected by this in a great way.
For most people who've tested this, it seems many cameras can be affected by having the top LCD panel light turned on while shooting photos. The exposure can also be affected by not shooting with your eye pressed against the viewfinder because light can bounce around inside - something all motion picture film shooters know something about. But the good news for video shooters is that it's not an issue in live-view mode since the mirror flips up and there's no light leaking to the sensor. I think talking about issues like this is important, because for those with 5D Mark IIIs, they might actually be affected by this problem. But it's always best to see what the response is from the company before overreacting, and while it does seem that there is a problem, it doesn't seem like a serious one - and Canon will be working out a solution.
So the good news is that if you're a Mark III owner and you only shoot video, you're not going to be affected in any way.
No other filmmaking technique connects us, the audience, more directly to on-screen characters than a good ol' fourth wall break. When a character "breaks the fourth wall" by looking at us, speaking to us, or even venting to us about their problems, it draws us right into their cinematic world despite digital boundaries, giving us an experience that is far more intimate and immediate.
Now, I am sure some of you might be wondering…
What is the Fourth Wall, and What Does It Mean to Break It?
In filmmaking, the Fourth Wall is an imaginary wall that separates actors from the audience. Obviously, the audience can see through this wall—they're watching a movie, after all—but the actors cannot. In short, the audience can see the actors and their world, but the actors cannot see the audience.
Going by this logic, when the actors communicate directly with the audience, we say they have broken the fourth wall.
Now, you still might be wondering why and how this convention is used. Let’s see.
By Breaking the Fourth Wall, Some of These Objectives Can Be Achieved:
Provide commentary/satire
Characters can break the fourth wall to offer commentary on society, politics, or even the medium of storytelling itself, helping the audience understand a deeper message or critique.
Example: Deadpool (2016) frequently mocks superhero clichés, film tropes, or even the studio’s budget constraints, making fun of itself to entertain the audience.
Provide deeper insights
Breaking the fourth wall can be used to reveal a character’s thoughts, intentions, or hidden truths that might not be apparent through traditional storytelling.
Example: In House of Cards, Frank Underwood often turns to the camera to explain his manipulative plans, giving the audience a privileged insight into his cunning mind.
Provide humor
Characters acknowledging the audience often create comedic moments, playing with the audience’s expectations and disrupting the normal narrative flow.
Example: In Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), Ferris talks directly to the camera, giving hilarious advice on skipping school and enjoying life.
Provide emotional rapport
When a character directly engages with the audience, it creates a sense of intimacy, making viewers feel like they are a part of the story.
Example: In Fleabag, the protagonist shares glances and remarks with the audience, making them feel like her confidante in her chaotic life.
Provide surprise value
Since the audience doesn’t usually expect the fourth wall to be broken, doing so can create an unexpected and memorable moment.
Example: In Fight Club (1999), The Narrator (Edward Norton) suddenly realizes that Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) is a figment of his imagination. This revelation not only shatters his perception of reality but also forces the audience to re-evaluate everything they have seen so far, effectively breaking the fourth wall in a psychological sense and making them question their own role as passive observers.
Now, let’s see how this technique works.
How a Character Can Break the Fourth Wall
Making eye contact with the audience (i.e., camera)
This is the most basic and subtle way of breaking the fourth wall. We often see Jim Halpert making eye contact with the audience in The Office. By doing so, he makes us his confidantes.
Speaking to the audience
This is the most basic way of breaking the fourth wall by directly communicating with the audience. Frank Underwood in House of Cards is famous for doing this.
Meta-reference
It means self-reference. When the character acknowledges the fictional nature of his/her world, the fourth wall breaks. In Family Guy, the lead characters often acknowledge that they are a TV show.
Internalized monologue
The Shakespearean plays often include monologues where a character narrates his/her state of mind and innermost thoughts to the audience. This way, the audience gets deeper insights into that character’s mind, which the other characters might not be aware of.
7 Films That Famously Break the Fourth Wall
1. Pick a Star (1937)
Scene: Oliver Hardy gives a cutting look directly to the audience when a character breaks a wine bottle on his head.
This was one of the earliest examples of breaking the fourth wall in a movie. Oliver Hardy often communicated with the audience by merely giving them a look. ‘The Hardy Look’, as people called it, widely became known for its highly amusing effect.
2. Psycho (1960)
Scene: Norman Bates eerily smiles into the camera.
Norman Bates is completely taken over by his dead mother’s personality. And as he sits in jail, he mulls, in his mother’s voice, that "she" will prove the murders were Norman’s doing. That’s when Norman looks into the camera and flashes an eerie smile. Hitchcock, famous for his use of innovative cinematic techniques, thus used breaking the fourth wall in Psycho to give the climactic end a chilling effect.
3. Annie Hall (1977)
Scene: Alvy Singer expresses his frustration to the audience.
Alvy, frustrated by an ill-informed bystander’s consistent criticism of Federico Fellini’s work, breaks the fourth wall and expresses his anger to the audience. Allen goes a step ahead and gets the bystander to join Alvy and breaks the fourth wall, too. Then, while breaking the fourth wall, Alvy imagines the philosopher Marshall McLuhan appearing and deriding the bystander for his poor comprehension of Fellini’s work. Here, the fourth-wall break is used to be unconventional and to surprise the audience.
4. The Truman Show (1998)
Scene: Truman Burbank realizes his world is made up, finally acknowledges it, and claims freedom.
The Truman Show is a prime example of the intelligent use of this technique to convey the central theme of the movie, i.e. constructed reality using media and surveillance. Truman’s entire life is a made-up world, and thus, his every action is breaking the fourth wall. When he realizes this and becomes fully aware of his audience, he directly talks to them and leaves after saying goodbye. This is a perfect example of Meta-reference as it directly acknowledges the made-up state of Truman’s world and the fact that his life is a TV show.
5. Funny Games (2007)
Scene: Paul breaks the fourth wall to talk directly to the audience.
Paul often looks, smirks, and winks at the audience and even talks to them while he commits gruesome acts. Using the technique this way gives the audience an uncomfortable feeling as if they are in cahoots with Paul. In this scene, he doesn’t only break the fourth wall, but he breaks the flow of the narrative when he, using a remote control, rewinds the ‘scene’. This is another, and quite bold, example of using meta-reference to break the fourth wall.
6. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Scene: Jordan Belfort explains to the audience the Ponzi scheme he used to commit fraud.
Here, the technique is used to convey some technical information that the audience may not have grasped - i.e. how the scheme was carried out. Pretty plain and simple!
7. Deadpool (2016)
Scene: Deadpool breaks the fourth wall and acknowledges his fictional world as a movie.
In Deadpool, the protagonist, while breaking the fourth wall, clearly acknowledges that he is a character in a movie and that what the audience is seeing is a fictional and cinematic world. And obviously, breaking the fourth wall comes with a generous dose of comedy.
To Sum It Up…
“Breaking the fourth wall” is more than just a stylistic choice. It’s a handy tool that deepens the audience’s understanding and engagement. It also challenges storytelling conventions and adds layers of meaning to a film. Filmmakers employ varied methods of using this technique and even experiment with new methods to achieve different objectives, from generating humor to providing thought-provoking commentary.
Whether it’s being used to give the viewers access to a character’s inner world or to shatter the cinematic illusion altogether, this technique shows us that some of the most memorable moments happen when the screen stops being a barrier and becomes a bridge.
Many people have been reporting an issue with the 5D Mark III that Canon has now finally addressed. It seems that when the top LCD backlight is turned on in a dark environment, it's possible that the camera's automatic exposure will be affected and the resulting photos will not look correct. For video, this is a non-issue, but the fact that Canon is possibly going to fix or replace 5D bodies out there is a pretty big deal. They won't go so far as to call it a recall, but it seems that essentially all cameras that have been released up to this point may suffer from the issue. 
