Beginner DP Pitfall: Movement vs. Staging - Which is Worse?

Hey everyone,

I'm Tanya Volkov, a working DP, and I’m wrestling with a question that keeps coming up when I mentor newer cinematographers. I've been shooting a lot of short-form narrative content lately, mostly on my V-RAPTOR XL with Cooke S4/i's, often lighting with 1x1 SkyPanels and a couple of amaran 150c's. My crews are usually lean, so efficiency is key.

I find myself constantly correcting two distinct issues with beginners. On one hand, there's the 'cinematic effect' movement: gratuitous dolly moves, unnecessary pans, or gimbals swinging around without any narrative motivation. It often distracts from the story. On the other hand, I see a lot of truly flat, theatrical staging, actors lined up, little use of depth, almost like a stage play without the stage. It just sits there, visually uninteresting.

I’ve tried demonstrating blocking and motivated camera moves, showing how even a simple push-in on an FX6 can be powerful when motivated. I've also tried emphasizing the 'Z-axis' and creating layers. But which of these, in your experience, is the single most destructive pitfall for a beginner DP to fall into? Is unmotivated camera movement or flat, theatrical staging the greater long-term hurdle for developing strong visual storytelling?