Current TV Convention Pet Peeves

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/7/09 at 9:34am

1. The phantom cameraman. Why? Are these supposed to be documentaries? I love Modern Family, but are they on a reality show or something?

2. Starting the episode with the climax, then blacking and going back to "_______ days earlier" or whatever. I think I see this an average of three times a week. Why? Why must they do that?

[GoSmileLaughCryClap]

Posted: 12/7/09 at 10:01am

1. News stations creating logos for national events. A hurricaine doesn't require a branded logo.

2. Music underscoring during a hard news story. How did this even begin?

[danmag]

Posted: 12/7/09 at 10:14am

Every local news reporter telling me I can reach them via Twitter, Facebook or Myspace. I really have no desire to do that.

[tazber]

Posted: 12/7/09 at 1:29pm

Everything about the reality show "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant".

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 12/7/09 at 1:32pm

Phyllis...

I agree about your #1. In fact, it's the reason I stopped watching Modern Family. The show is funny but that just annoyed me too much. Do we really need a "shaky cam" for this?
Just because it works for The Office doesn't mean it has to be in every sit com.

[madbrian]

Posted: 12/7/09 at 1:38pm

Supposed news networks pushing viewer comments as news. Frankly, I don't give a rat's ass what Jim from Peoria thinks about healthcare reform.

[Plum]

Posted: 12/7/09 at 4:10pm

Washed-out and/or blue-tinted cinematography standing in for "gritty" or "serious". It's just dreary.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/7/09 at 4:16pm

Ending every episode of a drama series with a music montage. God, this drives me nuts.

Posted: 12/7/09 at 4:22pm

Phyllis the "faux documentary" approach is either networks saying "Hey, the office is successful, make it just like that" or flat out laziness. I love Modern Family but really- why IS there a TV cameraman with them at the kids school or at their Dad's wedding?

[jasonf]

Posted: 12/7/09 at 4:23pm

Ridiculously long hiatuses between the "fall" season and "spring" season.

Teasers that don't live up to the hype or deliver as promised "I'm looking at you, Desperate Housewives.

Oh, and those damn musical montages. Enough already!

The shaky cam/mockumentary doesn't really bother me that much as a means for story-telling.

[Pgenre]

Posted: 12/7/09 at 4:23pm

PRS both of the conventions you list as hating were used on DH last night and you said after viewing the episode, "Now THAT was good".

So should I take it to mean you only hate these conventions when they are used on other shows with the increasingly tired, cliche and awful DH getting a pass? Just curious.

P

[clever name]

Posted: 12/7/09 at 4:35pm

I don't know if this counts..but I HATE that every show seems to run over about a minute into the next show. My dvr cuts off the last scene of a lot of shows.

[SNLMedia]

Posted: 12/7/09 at 4:59pm

When the show returns from the last commercial break, and the announcer says "More so-and-so up next!", when there's about 30 seconds left in the timeslot. We know the credits always roll under/over the "tag" scene. Why lie?

[Gothampc]

Posted: 12/7/09 at 5:04pm

When graphics on the screen intrude into the enjoyment of the show. Not long ago, Fox was doing graphic pyrotechnics for one of their new shows at the start of "Act 2" of a new Simpsons episode. Their graphics for "So You Think You Can Dance" or whatever the show was covered what was in Homer's hand. The Simpsons has always been a show that has rewarded viewers who pay attention with little sight gags. What's the point if we can't see them because of the graphics.

[Weez]

Posted: 12/7/09 at 5:04pm

Characters being killed and replaced with evil shapeshifters. There's a reason I'm not watching any sci-fi this season, y'know.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 12/7/09 at 5:07pm

tazber, that show gives me nightmares.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/7/09 at 5:09pm

Pgenre, I said nothing about last night's episode of Desperate Housewives. They did do the annoying flashback, like Grey's does about twice a month, and Private Practice did the other night, which was was prompted the thread but I don't remember them having the fake cameraman.

Updated On: 12/7/09 at 05:09 PM

[Pgenre]

Posted: 12/7/09 at 5:21pm

What you call "fake cameraman" is actually called "POV shot" in screenwriting jargon, though even that is being used less and less as a term as writers are being allowed to express less and less creativity and direction in their scripts, but that's another story. Anyway, POV shots were used repeatedly, particularly in the perspective shots of the plane "landing" on Wisteria Lane and a few other places. The one thing I like about DH is they at least used to have quite good traditional multi-camera cinematography but now it seems they are just throwing everything at the screen to see what sticks. ::sigh::

Either way, sorry about any confusion, love!

P

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/7/09 at 5:23pm

I'm talking about when a show is shot like it's a documentary, and then they have people sitting on a couch talking directly to the camera, like The Office, Modern Family, Parks and Recreation, etc

[Pgenre]

Posted: 12/7/09 at 5:33pm

I know exactly what you are talking about, I'm a screenwriter, darling. It's a POV shot. The most extreme example of this was popularized by THE SHIELD, actually, but was first used on NYPD BLUE.

Modern comedies like MODERN FAMILY or whatev are trying to find a new format for the cliche sitcom/laugh-track style of yore so they have come up with this hybrid of shaky POV shots ala THE OFFICE and mixed it with the more hand-held POV style of 30 ROCK as well as a few other cinematography styles thrown into the mix. Weird. I'm sure if you check who the DP is on imdb you will find he worked on THE SHIELD or some such POV style show.

P

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/7/09 at 5:35pm

Okay, but I didn't notice it in Desperate Housewives last night. I guess it only bothers me if they also talk to camera.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 12/7/09 at 5:44pm

The climax, then flashback thing worked beautifully in DH last night. Beautifully.

On V, it was really bad. Brothers & Sisters (a show I love overall and almost always makes me cry damn Sally Fields) is a show that uses too many of these gimmicks listed here.

I'll list some news ones:

Newscasters (local) who act very tight-assed and nerdy when something hip or odd or gay or artsy or whatever is on. They act ignorant. Maybe they are. It's annoying. I want news people to be cultured, intelligent, aware.

The obligatory 2nd units shots that Jon Stewart made fun of on the Oscars one year--close-ups of people smoking, people typing, fat asses.

And EVERYTHING is Breaking News.

[Gavin Rehfeldt]

Posted: 12/7/09 at 5:51pm

1. Heterosexual love triangles.

2. Unredeemable gay male characters; saintly lesbians.

3. Joss Whedon shows being cancelled. (Last Friday's DOLLHOUSE episodes were incredible!)

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 12/7/09 at 6:29pm

I love when the Soup makes fun of I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS PREGNANT!

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 12/7/09 at 6:34pm

Washed-out and/or blue-tinted cinematography standing in for "gritty" or "serious". It's just dreary.

Did you watch Alice last night too?