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[synchronicity]

I'm not sure if this thread will have much interest, but I've been considering posting it for a while now to see what any might have to say. You can post any issues that drive you mad in the world of cinema and/or television. The focus is as broad as your annoyance.

For me, I want to talk about editing. And in particular the editing "technique" that will show the back of a character who is talking. What drives me absolutely insane is watching this character who is talking - delivering lines - but the head and bodily gestures clearly do not correspond to that of a person who is speaking. Sometimes the audio doesn't even match the environment as it has been clumsily cut/pasted into the scene.

Even worse, and just lazy to a degree I cannot comprehend is that sometimes a good portion of the side of the character's face can be viewed. Yet, there is zero jaw movement and somehow magically speech is occurring. When I see this, I feel Kubrick must be rolling in his grave.

 

[V2Tommy]

That's a good one. Clearly used for some kind of trickery, because it always looks wrong.

 

[teezzy]

A lot of those back of the head shots are cut to specifically because the editor didnt have any usable footage of the character talking while turned to the camera. Usually if they have to add ADR or change a line in post. They're very much last resort shots, but better than the character's lips suddenly fumbling out of sync.

 

[JareBear: Remastered]

The use of the word “father.” I feel like every single movie or show uses “father” instead of dad. I’m sure there are a lot of people who say “father” but pretty much everyone I know will say “my dad,” of “how is your dad doing,” etc.

 

[synchronicity]

A lot of those back of the head shots are cut to specifically because the editor didnt have any usable footage of the character talking while turned to the camera. Usually if they have to add ADR or change a line in post. They're very much last resort shots, but better than the character's lips suddenly fumbling out of sync.

I know this isn't always practical and will come off as snobbish, but re-shoot the damn scene!

 

[Dazrael]

Story hand holding in TV shows, when the dialogue is specifically written to explain something that happened prior and awkwardly inserted when clearly the audience should be intelligent enough to follow the story already.

The Arrowverse shows are guilty as hell of this, none of it sounds like natural dialogue.

 

[bati]

Presenting a piece of story or clues to the viewer but leaving the character in the dark. It creates a desync I just can't get past.

 

[StormCell]

The use of the word “father.” I feel like every single movie or show uses “father” instead of dad. I’m sure there are a lot of people who say “father” but pretty much everyone I know will say “my dad,” of “how is your dad doing,” etc.

*breaths* Luke... *breaths* I am your Dad...

 

[-Arcadia-]

(Disastrous/crazy event unfolds onscreen, leaving you immediately wanting more)

(Cut to 24 hours earlier, explaining everything)

Hate, hate, hate this trope. Tell your stories in order, please. I’m sure some storytellers can make this format work, but it’s way overused, and often for no reason.

 

[Husky]

Presenting a piece of story or clues to the viewer but leaving the character in the dark. It creates a desync I just can't get past.

I often dislike the opposite as well, especially in mysteries. They're giving our detective the clues, and not giving the audience a chance to try and solve the mystery themselves? Fuckin ass.

Flashbacks to moments I've already seen are uncomfortably hand-holdy. Please, no, I don't need a reminder that I saw Chekhov's gun fifty minutes ago, pLEASE stOP

 

[StormCell]

(Disastrous/crazy event unfolds onscreen, leaving you immediately wanting more)

(Cut to 24 hours earlier, explaining everything)

Hate, hate, hate this trope. Tell your stories in order, please. I’m sure some storytellers can make this format work, but it’s way overused, and often for no reason.

So basically a third of the episodes from Star Trek Voyager...

(Ship is on fire, your favorite character(s) are mangled and dead)

(Cut to hours earlier when Captain Janeway is sipping her coffee)

 

[MetalAlien]

When something bad happens that has a really good explanation but the character who is going to get in trouble makes no effort to explain.

So person A. is going to be late because because a firetruck blocked the road to put out a fire. When person B. confronts person A. all they do is stand there and take the scolding.

 

[TindalosPup]

Flashbacks always piss me off. I know it seems unreasonable because it's adding to the story, but I just can't stand them most of the time. I have a pet peeve about things being chronological, I don't mind characters being nostalgic and recounting memories, I just don't like when they make me see it. It messes with how the story flows IMO

 

[-Arcadia-]

When something bad happens that has a really good explanation but the character who is going to get in trouble makes no effort to explain.

So person A. is going to be late because because a firetruck blocked the road to put out a fire. When person B. confronts person A. all they do is stand there and take the scolding.

To expand on that, unnecessary drama in general. Something will be clearly able to be worked out between two characters, yet one or both, pick the absolute most retarded way of dealing with it.

I really enjoy some drama, but please, don’t artificially manufacture it in place of actual storytelling ability.

 

[DKehoe]

It's really nitpicking since I get that it's done for pacing reasons but characters don't start or finish phone conversations in a way that real people do.

 

[TindalosPup]

It's really nitpicking since I get that it's done for pacing reasons but characters don't start or finish phone conversations in a way that real people do.

My mom watches cop dramas and the way they just hang up sometimes without saying anything irks me, it's just so rude

 

[MetalAlien]

To expand on that, unnecessary drama in general. Something will be clearly able to be worked out between two characters, yet one or both, pick the absolute most retarded way of dealing with it.

I really enjoy some drama, but please, don’t artificially manufacture it in place of actual storytelling ability.

Oh I got an example! I watched Hugo the other night.

Hugo spoilers

Spoiler

Hugo is trying to fix a robot boy that his father found in a museum. He has as book will all the details of the robot written/drawn down. Hugo steals parts from a toy maker in the train station to fix the robot. The toy maker catches him and finds the book. He asks Hugo where did he get this book where did he find it? Hugo stands there in silence for NO reason at all. If he had spoken up Hugo would have found out the toy make built that robot and thought it had burned up when the museum burned down. The toy maker also decided not to mention he built the robot despite looking at a drawing of it while yelling at the boy.

So you have TWO characters that could have ended the movie if either of them as said a fucking word about what they were BOTH thinking about the very relevant situation.

 

[CloudNull]

Breaking the 4th wall makes me want to punch babies. I understand some shows do it as functional part of their DNA like Malcolm in the Middle. I’m okay with that. What I’m taking about is when the movie/show breaks the 4th wall and it has nothing to do with the story telling. Perfect example is Into the Wild when dude is eating an apple. A great movie but still to this day I hate the scene.

 

[xrnzaaas]

"I was trying to protect you" it almost feels like some Hollywood inside joke which has to be included in as many movies and tv shows as possible

 

[ZeroZeroQuatre]

Fake-eating in TV shows.
Watching actors just push the food around - this is beyond frustrating.

 

[Doom85]

The use of the word “father.” I feel like every single movie or show uses “father” instead of dad. I’m sure there are a lot of people who say “father” but pretty much everyone I know will say “my dad,” of “how is your dad doing,” etc.

The 90's Lost in Space movie managed to go even further. The family's dad to the mom: "I love you, wife." Did I miss the part in the movie where Dr. Smith replaced the dad with a robot who doesn't understand how humans speak? The fuck was that?!

 

[TacosNSalsa]

Very quick cuts during fight/fast scenes and very dark scenes(looking at you last season of GoT) . A friend of mine that works in the industry said it's normally done to hide bad looking effects that they couldn't get right or didn't want to take the time/money to get right so they put this nauseating fast/dark/shaky cam in to mask it .

Very clear and heavy plot armor . Last season of Power comes to mind where a particular character , a major thorn in the side of the protags for the ENTIRE 6 SEASONS, survives an encounter with Tommy , a character who killed his own father because he believe he ratted on him .

 

[MetalAlien]

Fake-eating in TV shows.
Watching actors just push the food around - this is beyond frustrating.

 

[Doom85]

Fake-eating in TV shows.
Watching actors just push the food around - this is beyond frustrating.

Some people: Man, how can the characters of Big Bang Theory not be overweight given all the Chinese and Thai takeout they eat?
Me: Because they rarely eat it, instead they all join together in the practice of picking at and moving their food around.

Leonard probably could have afforded his own place years ago if he'd stop blowing money on takeout he's not even eating!

 

[MilkyJoe]

Whispered dialogue, especially during key plot points.

No one says bye on the phone

Woke Hollywood

 

[TaySan]

Non stop sex scenes just because. Outlanders comes to mind....

 

[Nymphae]

Overly long movies. I haven't done the research but I'm willing to be the average movie is closer to 2 hours or longer now where I feel like it used to be closer to 90 minutes, comedies in particular.

Heavy handed messaging and propaganda also drive me nuts on some level but I sort of enjoy spotting it and thinking about it nowadays.

 

[It's Jeff]

Television episodes should stop having episodes where the guys face off against the ladies.

The guys always lose. We get it. Men are too retarded to live. Next episode, please.

 

[Shizumapower]

I'm not sure if this thread will have much interest, but I've been considering posting it for a while now to see what any might have to say. You can post any issues that drive you mad in the world of cinema and/or television. The focus is as broad as your annoyance.

For me, I want to talk about editing. And in particular the editing "technique" that will show the back of a character who is talking. What drives me absolutely insane is watching this character who is talking - delivering lines - but the head and bodily gestures clearly do not correspond to that of a person who is speaking. Sometimes the audio doesn't even match the environment as it has been clumsily cut/pasted into the scene.

Even worse, and just lazy to a degree I cannot comprehend is that sometimes a good portion of the side of the character's face can be viewed. Yet, there is zero jaw movement and somehow magically speech is occurring. When I see this, I feel Kubrick must be rolling in his grave.

ADR/post-sync. Automated Dialog Replacement (ADR) is the process of re-recording dialogue by the original actor (or a replacement actor) after the filming process to improve audio quality or reflect dialogue changes (also known as "looping" or a "looping session").

Script / dialogue can be changed just days before.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Laugh tracks are the worst, why does a show about scientists have people laughing in the background?

 

[HellforLeather]

Laugh tracks are the worst, why does a show about scientists have people laughing in the background?

Because people need to be told when to laugh, especially for something as unfunny as this shit show.

 

[JBat]

I hate when you are seeing a scene from the POV of character A and character B leans in close to whisper something important into their ear but the audience doesn't hear what is said just to drag out the mystery.

 

[MadAnon]

Shaky cams and extremely fast cuts during action scenes.

 

[YukiOnna]

Kiss scenes and sex scenes. I don't know why, but it feels like this industry is convinced that is absolutely required to depict some genuine romance and it just comes off as forced. Especially when said scene is a mandatory shot in the trailer. It's the same crap every time and I just don't care since they're terrible at developing a romance.

Waste of time for me.

 

[JareBear: Remastered]

So I don’t see this often anymore but I used to always notice in older stuff that anytime character is supposed to be driving a car, the actor will just have their hand on the wheel turning it back and forth in little motions. Like, that’s not how you drive.

 

[MasterCornholio]

Bad acting

Acting so bad that the characters just seem fake. I really hate seeing that in movies and many times when I see alot of it I just stop watching the movie.

 

[StormCell]

Overly long movies. I haven't done the research but I'm willing to be the average movie is closer to 2 hours or longer now where I feel like it used to be closer to 90 minutes, comedies in particular.

Heavy handed messaging and propaganda also drive me nuts on some level but I sort of enjoy spotting it and thinking about it nowadays.

This one especially gets me. Sometimes I want something other than episodic content and just want a nice movie to get lost in. Everything newish seems to be 120-200 minutes now. If it's a work night, forget it. Back to the TV shows. Or watch an older movie. No one has 2+ hours of evening for a movie in addition to cooking and chores.

 

[-Arcadia-]

I also hate legendary movie characters coming back, just to die or be shoved to the side, and push the ‘new generation’, which is usually as uninteresting as it gets.

The primary culprit should be obvious, but it’s quite the trend.

Like, just let them have their last hurrah, the fans as well. Stop trying to lay groundwork for sequels, and make your boring OC characters better by standing on the heads of some of the most loved characters ever.

 

[Nymphae]

One thing that really grates my nerves is awkward swearing. This is fairly infrequent, but it's like nails on a chalkboard when I hear it.

Some people just don't use swears naturally or overuse them, and it just does not sound like authentic speech in the slightest.

For example, from recent memory the Starz show Counterpart with JK Simmons, in the first several episodes he overuses the word fuck so much it's crazy, and not once does it feel naturally placed, it's like you can actually tell it's a word he doesn't use much personally but was told to throw it in a bunch.

 

[-Arcadia-]

One thing that really grates my nerves is awkward swearing. This is fairly infrequent, but it's like nails on a chalkboard when I hear it.

Some people just don't use swears naturally or overuse them, and it just does not sound like authentic speech in the slightest.

For example, from recent memory the Starz show Counterpart with JK Simmons, in the first several episodes he overuses the word fuck so much it's crazy, and not once does it feel naturally placed, it's like you can actually tell it's a word he doesn't use much personally but was told to throw it in a bunch.

That’s millennial writing for you (am a millennial). For some reason, a fairly large part of this generation thinks that saying fuck every other word, makes them cool (it doesn’t).

 

[SirKicksalot]

Shaky cams and extremely fast cuts during action scenes.

The trick is to never focus on a specific element of the image. Just stare at the screen and the match cuts will do their job. That's how Michael Bay's editing works. It assaults you with movement and it's annoying as fuck if you try to isolate and process individual elements, which is how you usually watch a movie.

Of course, it can all go terribly wrong, like in Taken 3 or the average TV fight scene. It's a different kind of visual language and the editor needs to learn it. When it works, it's beautiful.

 

[synchronicity]

Television episodes should stop having episodes where the guys face off against the ladies.

The guys always lose. We get it. Men are too retarded to live. Next episode, please.

I remember when I first started noticing this in media. It didn't take long before it was obvious that it was a trend with some push behind it because it became so prevalent. Someone clearly has an interest in shaping the perception of men/women in this way because it's so common.

ADR/post-sync. Automated Dialog Replacement (ADR) is the process of re-recording dialogue by the original actor (or a replacement actor) after the filming process to improve audio quality or reflect dialogue changes (also known as "looping" or a "looping session").

Script / dialogue can be changed just days before.

Yes, I understand why it's used, but that doesn't make it any less off-putting. And I think a real craftsman would be very reluctant to allow it into their work.

 

[Shizumapower]

I remember when I first started noticing this in media. It didn't take long before it was obvious that it was a trend with some push behind it because it became so prevalent. Someone clearly has an interest in shaping the perception of men/women in this way because it's so common.



Yes, I understand why it's used, but that doesn't make it any less off-putting. And I think a real craftsman would be very reluctant to allow it into their work.

I agree with you. It's helpful but overused and now a crutch. Once you start to notice, it's very prevalent.

 

[Insane Metal]

Shaky cams make me angry

Also 99% of "car chasing scenes". The sound makes it seem like they're at 80mph but the video clearly shows them at like 40. At most.

 

[dan76]

Musical montages at the end of a tv show. Usually with some god awful modern song moaning on, slo mo scenes of characters going about their business. I'm thinking The Walking Dead here, but loads of show do this.

High shutter speed / fast editing during action scenes. This is a big one because it shows the "filmmaker" doesn't actually know how to direct or block a sequence. It's just a lazy overall impression of something you stare at but aren't invested in in any way because you can't tell what's the hell is going on.

Colour grading of virtually everything! I swear I watched an episode of the 1979 Buck Rogers tv show (Vegas in Space) and it looked better than anything made I never the last 10 years. The colours were balanced, everything looked real, no blue scenes, followed by green scenes. Skin tones looked natural, not orange! What the hell has happened to colour in modern films and tv? An episode of Columbo is more cinematic that and of those dip shit marvel movies.

 

[StormCell]

Musical montages at the end of a tv show. Usually with some god awful modern song moaning on, slo mo scenes of characters going about their business. I'm thinking The Walking Dead here, but loads of show do this.

High shutter speed / fast editing during action scenes. This is a big one because it shows the "filmmaker" doesn't actually know how to direct or block a sequence. It's just a lazy overall impression of something you stare at but aren't invested in in any way because you can't tell what's the hell is going on.

Colour grading of virtually everything! I swear I watched an episode of the 1979 Buck Rogers tv show (Vegas in Space) and it looked better than anything made I never the last 10 years. The colours were balanced, everything looked real, no blue scenes, followed by green scenes. Skin tones looked natural, not orange! What the hell has happened to colour in modern films and tv? An episode of Columbo is more cinematic that and of those dip shit marvel movies.

I think it has gotten cheaper to do the digital special effects than it has to replicate or recreate them. For instance, they used to shoot some big stunts like cars hitting ramps and going airborne while on fire. I doubt they even bother to do that anymore since you can cheaply do a digital render and have it look as real as anything else these days.

 

[StormCell]

Shaky cams make me angry

Also 99% of "car chasing scenes". The sound makes it seem like they're at 80mph but the video clearly shows them at like 40. At most.

The 1% obviously being that police chase in Blues Brothers.

 

[MetalAlien]

Woke Hollywood

 

[LegendOfKage]

Any scene where someone says "just let me explain!" rather than explaining. Bonus points if it's said repeatedly while a character is doing something horrible because of a misunderstanding.

 

[Fbh]

I think I'm in the minority but I've never liked stories that leave large parts of the plot (particularly the ending) "up to interpretation". There's a few instances where it works but IMO 9 out of 10 times it just feels like a cheap way to avoid having to actually write a compelling ending.



On a silly note: When people don't eat/drink their food.
Character sits down, orders a coffee/beer/cocktail/sandwich/hamburger/etc takes a small sip or bite, then has a short conversation with another character and leaves. No one does that, you don't order a $10 drink to just have a sip