Dominic Case Posted October 26, 2006 Share Posted October 26, 2006 Stuart, if it looked any good, I wouldn't cuss it. But it doesn't. It looks like a soap opera set in a fairground. So what's wrong with a soap opera set in a fairground. Who is expecting high art? Here on the other side of the world I've been looking forward to Torchwood, having cancelled all appointments to stay in for the last Doctor Who series. You guys have now dashed all my expectations, but I'll ignore that and keep waiting. I have to say I'm with Stuart on the subject of Phil though. I'm not usually one to address personal issues on this list - but Phil, what are you doing still in the UK? If it is treating you that badly, put your feet where your mouth is (no, not IN it :P ) and get out. Leave. Emigrate. Follow the sun, or the money, or the honey or whatever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Keith Mottram Posted October 26, 2006 Premium Member Share Posted October 26, 2006 (edited) So what's wrong with a soap opera set in a fairground. Who is expecting high art? Nothing Dominic, the problem is the show is shot on HD and is billed as an adult Dr Who spin off- complete with swearing!!! ("ooh you never guess where those fu**ing aliens have put my leek daffid"). So soap opera or not I cannot see why this has to be incompatable with decent cinematography or any of the other craft aspects, although to be fair there was good prosthetics and half way decent sets- lit like a supermarket. As for Phil, as long as he's seen it I cannot see why his opinion is not valid- even if he comes across like Marvin. Oh and, without sounding like a complete nob Julien your supposed to use your surname and stating viewer figures is of no relevence to the quality of the cinematography... Edited October 26, 2006 by Keith Mottram Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Stephen Williams Posted October 26, 2006 Premium Member Share Posted October 26, 2006 Still too early to say but episode one got 2.4 million viewers (highest ever for BBC3) and episode 2 got 2.3 million. Hi Julian, So 100,000 people who watched episode 1, agreed with Phil! Stephen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Rupe Whiteman Posted December 4, 2006 Premium Member Share Posted December 4, 2006 Saw some of Torchwood over the weekend. Pretty awful stuff. Deeply flawed script, acting and clunking production. Just like Doctor Who then... What's all the fuss about?! Rupe Whiteman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Holland Posted December 4, 2006 Share Posted December 4, 2006 Have to agree with most of your comments about "Torchwood" also has some very weird "video look " on panning and tracking shots , can anyone explain this to me ? John Holland ,London. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Williams Posted December 4, 2006 Share Posted December 4, 2006 I thought torchwood was going to be silly and cringy and It was to begin with BUT its maturing and growing on me like an adult Dr who universe crossed with X files and a soap I really hope they get past the bad writing and the actors settle in because I really miss the X files and want a serial fix once a week that I can look forward to and this could be it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_Alderslade Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 (edited) I've given watching it a try several times but I never quite manage to sit though more than 10 minutes. Cinematography its not bad, but unfortunatly everything its trying to do stylisticly has been done a million times before on productions shooting 16mm or even 35mm film, which looking at this kicks HD's ass. Quality wise the format as seen here does not make a great example of the benefits of HD. Nice use of practicals and art direction from what I saw though. In terms of story and acting is where it really falters. The one reason Dr Who is currently watchable is simply because David Tenant is perhaps the bigest acting find in past years - this show only has a Matrix wannabe who has all the acting ability of a Thunderbird. I'm also really disturbed by the quality of current British TV writing which displays two current traits at the moment. a) An inability to understand that writing, life and dialougue is multi level - That even a soldier going to war, or a somone dieing of cancer could say crack a joke. 'Constipated' is the word i would use to describe the current singular style of all UK TV dialougue writing, while happy, hopefull, curious, cunning, drunk, disatisfied, vague, vulgar, deceptive, shy, inquisitive, proffesional and all the other million ways in which humane beings behave or present them selves are completly absent. B) The Group of proffesionals working togther formula...... Take one group of proffesionals who work together at a [Hospital, Police Station, Secret Service, Extra-terrestrial Agency] add storylines that mix their proffesional life with private life. Add one messy affair, ladle out all humour, smiles and any other positve emotional feelings. Don't worry about mixing in any genuine research, cook all characters evenly to avoid genuine identification and serve in a heavely melodramatic style. Bon Appetit Casulty, Spooks and Torchwood. Edited December 12, 2006 by Andy_Alderslade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Williams Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 I thought torchwood was going to be silly and cringy and It was to begin with BUT its maturing and growing on me like an adult Dr who universe crossed with X files and a soap I really hope they get past the bad writing and the actors settle in because I really miss the X files and want a serial fix once a week that I can look forward to and this could be it. Torchwood has detoriorated.. Some of the highlights last night from the script " We can be f*ck buddies and a lovingly recreated of how they think sex should be tastefully created from a young buck sex symbol lead..It was awful. Perhaps they believed this was a reflection of society? and we would all feel at home surrounded by characters just like in real life, just like us.. That is insulting.. Just like them maybe.. WHO are these scriptwriters? They really need a crash course.. It IS formulaic and so a little addictive they have things laid on nowadays with so much story development available... Its like a formula 1 racing car being fed diesel. ItS how I imagine it.. I was truly disturbed by the ability of scriptwriters and of directors to utterly and completely screw up an idea that had potential.. I had hoped it could be a little like the X files. Sorry X files that was class this is imitation.. Strangely though I will probably watch it next week.. In the hope it will get its act together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Phil Rhodes Posted December 18, 2006 Premium Member Share Posted December 18, 2006 Hi, As far as I know this all happened because, based on the success of Who, the BBC thinks Russell Davies is a good writer. They are wrong. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Buick Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 Bad news, folks, there's going to be yet ANOTHER Dr Who spin-off, this one is aimed at the kiddies ans stars Sarah Jane 'n' K9. I also found that ''Totally Dr Who'' pathetic enough to make me sick, there was this stupid contest for wannabee Dr Whos where they ha to battle each other to be Dr Who's ''assistant'', the judges were even worse than the contest they were judging, the kids were screaming at having to put their hand in a bucket or Spagetti, and at the end the judges would say 'you've all been big, brave and clever, so brave infact that we can't vote any of you off', there were seven candidates and twelve episodes, and that same sort of thing happened (you've guessed it) five times, the BBC is truly pathetic, keeping the same crappy cast and sinking into a shithole of political correctness. This media torture must stop, send me a nuclear warhead and I will drop it on the BBC. MWAH HA HAH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_Alderslade Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 Torchwood has detoriorated... HA! Uneven I think is the impression i'm getting, friends will find it watchable one week and then auful the next. Somebody told me that the idea for the show was a British Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I was never a fan of that series (not quite my cup-of tea) but I can appreciate the writing was at least quirky and heaven forbid 'ironic', but aslo multi-layered for intance the stories though fantasy in text were often based on basic teen experiences, gangs, bullying, hormones etc. Monsters and gooles were essentialy a way of making the reality into something fun. Such a basic thing doesn't seem to have occured in british writing. I do think possilby the worse thing about Torchwood though is the false 'Americinzation' with the lead and that black SUV they drive about in (which is completly against the current concerns over vehicle emitions.) It all seems like a pathetic attempt (not to disimiliar to what Jerry Anderson did with childrens TV) to make it look cool and commerical, well the UK has churned out James Bond and Harry Poter films for years, though admitedly with US money but i'm sure the global audiences would agree they are both cool and commerical products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Wyndham Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 I loved Buffy. It was incredibly well written with superb characterisations. The characters started off as teenagers, but progressed as they left school, went to college, left college and had to get real jobs etc. Yet there always quick banter, good action, and good multi-level storylines. I agree with you totally on all the points you mentioned Andy. The BBC has drastically underestimated the sophistication of the audience. It has forgotten that programmes like 24 are a global phenomenon and that we watch those programmes. Therefore Torchwood, Dr Who, Spooks etc are all competing with them. Although I do have to say that Spooks IMHO is the one British programme that I hold in similar esteem to the US series, despite one or two cock ups, which every series has from time to time. The useless smeary video look given to the cinematography is the nail in Torchwoods coffin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Holland Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 Simon , i have asked the BBC today via email to explain the terrible quality of there showcase prog. Totrchwood. have had a reply saying will take between 7-10 days for answer. When i have it will let everyone know. John Holland , London. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_Alderslade Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 I agree with you totally on all the points you mentioned Andy. The BBC has drastically underestimated the sophistication of the audience... Thats exactly it, all these shows are now competing globaly, with UK viewers watching high quality US drama, and cable viewers round the world now seeing UK productions, UK productions can't afford to look cheap. Yes its true UK productions are never going to have similar budgets, but they must avoid looking inferior and there certainly isn't any budget restraint on imagination. This whole issue has become even more potent when DVD box sets first started arriving on the shelves of HMV and WHSmiths, were there is probably more profit than in TV sales, yet its only recently that a BBC production like Doctor Who has made a significant apperance to join the ranks of Smallville, Six Feet Under, The OC, Friends, Nip/Tuck, The West Wing etc. Thats why I can't help geting concerned that the BBC (and with public money) is pushing these shows on formats which are yet to be proven as financially beneficial and provide acceptable quality. Robin Hood feels wrong on HD, especially considering as a daylight based show it could have been shot on sharp medium-speed super 16 film stock. Using HD on a sci-fi like Torchwood seems more appropriate, but speaking to lots of friends and family who have tried watching the show they feel the image quality makes it look cheap, and complain about the art direction. In honesty I wonder if the deep shadows of the HD video are giving the sets an artificial quality, when they would otherwise be satisfactory, better even. Of course Doctor Who looks better, but Digi Beta is now a solid and established format, though admitedly I'm not a fan of the ProMist on video look. Yes Spooks does seem like its more in league with the US shows, the fact its shot on Super 16 and lit so well really gives it the edge, though the quality of the writing is inconsistent, and at times dangerous. The very fictionaly styled show (as fictional as The Avengers) sometimes tries to tackle real political issues, which makes me really unconfortable as I don't believe it has the intelectual or moral capacity to do so. Rember James Bond films never covered real issues of the day, the IRA, the west-contributions to Iraqs arms stocks etc, should this entertaining tv series be trying to do the same. Anyway these are just the thoughts and concerns of powerless 24 year old. Just a thought, is it possible the 'smeary' look people are talking about is from using a ProMist with so many practicles? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Phil Rhodes Posted January 3, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted January 3, 2007 Hi Andy, I can't do much but wholeheartedly agree with everything you said. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Keith Mottram Posted January 3, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted January 3, 2007 (edited) I dont buy into the idea that it is the cameras fault they are shooting on 750P's right? i have seen some great footage from 750Ps, editing some at moment. as for robin hood HD doesn't add rows of machine stiching to their costumes or turn camera movements into something more akin to eastenders does it? in both cases the budgets are very reasonable- remember that the talent is cheaper here than in the US. so that leaves the production team as the only other factor. why are US shows better- i think the answer is that in america competition means that programme makers dont employ talentless civil servents to make their shows... keith Edited January 3, 2007 by Keith Mottram Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Stephen Williams Posted January 8, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted January 8, 2007 Hi All, I saw it last night, and thought it was better than I expected after reading this thread! You should see the crap on Swiss Television! I guess on of the suits in editing does not like 25p, & managed to 'fix it in post' LOL Stephen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Holland Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 After my contact with the BBC about " smearing on tracking ,walking and panning shots" got a reply today saying ,they have not had any other complaints , am i sure my tv is set up correctly !!!. John Holland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Phil Rhodes Posted January 21, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted January 21, 2007 Hi, I believe the superb Mr. Brooker has neatly summarised my complaints: Probably not safe for the office, fair warning. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Brereton Posted March 6, 2007 Author Share Posted March 6, 2007 At the risk of stirring things up again, I'd thought I'd pass this on. I'm currently away shooting a commercial in China. We have an editor travelling with us, who has a lot of experience in On-Line post. He commented on the smeariness of the pictures in Torchwood, much like a lot of people have done here, but he's fairly certain it's as a result of the down-conversion. He said it happens a lot with a particular hardware down-converter (can't remember the name, sorry) Sounds reasonable to me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Holland Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 thanks for that Stuart, so we can look forward for poop pics for years then . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Phil Rhodes Posted March 6, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted March 6, 2007 I'm sitting here scratching my head trying to figure out why a rescaler would have any reason - any reason at all - to cause temporal smearing. Scratch scratch. Scratch. Scratch. Um, no. Anyone? P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Buick Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Perhaps it was broken? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_Alderslade Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Will this thread about this unfortunate program ever die.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Holland Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Think it had ,but you just ignited again . hope not . :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now