Just rewatched 24 - can´t believe how bad the quality is

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Dark Side of the Camera
I just rewatched 24 - can´t believe how bad the quality is.
I have no idea if it is the DVD conversion or what happened here.
Though it´s shot on film, blown out blotches in peoples faces - so bad, they sometimes turn blue-purple.
Pretty clean material, and than an insert at the same scene with noise (grain) up the a....
Over exposure all over the place. Camera and sound guys stepping into the frame, more than one time on every show.

I always thought that Rodney Charters is a pretty good DP.
How could that happen. They have to see that stuff in editing (even my girlfriend saw it) - why did they keep this material in there.
They shot every scene with several cameras at once, so they should have plenty footage to choose from.

Frank
 
is that season 1? i watched the last season recently, it was decent to very good, things were planned out, the cinematography was good, you mostly always knew where everyone is in the action sequences. and overall all, it was pretty good cinematography wise.

too many convenient timings and twists and character's change of heart on the story side.
 
I remember that they used many pal dv cameras pd 150 . They said pick up shots and background plates for driving. But sounds to me that camera made it to other scenes aswell. BTW I'm not a fan of this show....doenst do it for me !
 
I think I watched about four episodes of season 1 before tuning out. Same with Prison Break (three episodes), and Life on Mars (the UK one). Half episode 1 of Heroes season 1. Never tried Lost.

I just can't watch television.

The only recent show except Southpark, Robot chicken and Futurama that I love is the Danish show Klovn, which the movie was a follow up to. That show is all brilliant, every single episode in the six seasons.
 
I don't watch "regular" tv. Cable is the way to go. With that said...a great production is "Game of Thrones" on HBO. Great show shot on the Alexa. Looks like a high budget movie. "24"...I caught the first season...then a piece of the second but was tuned out after that. That shakey cam thing just doesn't do it for me.
 
I think part of the deal is that stuff that looked okay then often doesn't now. Go back and look at Battlestar Galactica (after the first two hours filmed on film), and all the cheesy tricks being done with the 2/3 inch cams to make them look 'filmlike.' Or older 4/3 versions of the x-files (so before season 6?). Would just be unacceptable now.
 
Jawa Ex Machina said:
I think I watched about four episodes of season 1 before tuning out. Same with Prison Break (three episodes), and Life on Mars (the UK one). Half episode 1 of Heroes season 1. Never tried Lost.

I just can't watch television.
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You started watching all the wrong shows! There has been some great TV this last decade:

Just the US ones off the top of my head: The Wire, Breaking Bad, The Shield, Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, Deadwood, Curb your Enthusiasm, Dexter, Mad Men ... list goes on and on. Some great UK shows as well.
 
simonpwood said:
You started watching all the wrong shows! There has been some great TV this last decade:

Just the US ones off the top of my head: The Wire, Breaking Bad, The Shield, Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, Deadwood, Curb your Enthusiasm, Dexter, Mad Men ... list goes on and on. Some great UK shows as well.
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My girlfriend loves Mad Men. I've seen a few episodes from season 1 with her, but it's just a good looking soap opera isn't it?
 
Something has changed on Mad Men this season. I believe someone said the nets came out of the windows, and the backings now look too clear. I think I preferred the more abstract blown-out look in earlier seasons. I don't know what Manley is doing, but I think the look isn't for the better. Still, the writing is fantastic and the characters are on fire this season. Lots of fun stuff.

Really thought Thrones was beautifully shot. Looks better than many features. Sets don't look Hollywoody at all.
 
I think a lot of these shows depend on what you're expecting, and looking for, and patient enough for. Certainly on a technical level, it's hard watching old shows shot in 4/3 on video (drama, or anything with effects at least). But a lot of older shows predicated on social trends that can't stand on somewhat historical level are painfully dated, which aids in 24's dating (same with West Wing). Or shows like X-Files seem like cliches of themselves.

Looking back at a lot of shows listed by others, I have to admit I simply couldn't get into them at the time, and watching many now would seem dated, even if technically proficient. At the time I couldn't get into 24, Prison Break, Lost, Heroes, JAG, Alias, The Unit, Nip/Tuck. Watched maybe one episode of each. Not bad, just not for me. Liked what I saw from The Wire, Medium, and The Shield. But didn't see that many episodes. Couldn't get into the Sopranos. But people loved these shows, in droves. Even the shows I watched many episodes of, such as ER or Numb3rs, I don't have a lot of interest in re-watching. Every so often I'll go back and watch a Law & Order, but the oldest episodes are quite dated. I was glued to many episodes last year of Harper's Island, and vow to watch them all again in a few years. I wonder how it will hold up?

In today's TV, I do watch some shows, and there are others I like but just can't make the time for (Walking Dead, Luck, etc.) I do seem to watch Person of Interest, and Hawaii Five-0 (for the scenery, LOL!) when I can, same with The Good Wife, and Revenge, as both look so very nice. I wonder though if I will come back in a decade and scoff at how old and technically dated these shows look?
 
Jawa Ex Machina said:
My girlfriend loves Mad Men. I've seen a few episodes from season 1 with her, but it's just a good looking soap opera isn't it?
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Except unlike a soap opera it has good writing, acting, directing, cinematography, editing, costumes, set design and music. If actual soap operas were done this well I would watch more soap operas.
 
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