Movie/TV clichés

[Sits]

The amount of whispering and mumbling in modern drama is ridiculous. As someone with hearing loss, it's impossible to follow most dialogue, which is why I mainly watch documentaries.

This. An example: Mrs. S’ hearing isn’t what it was, and as a big fan of Downton Abbey she got fed up with not being able to understand what Elizabeth McGovern was saying.

[jwdd27]

It was a BBC adaptation of Jamaica Inn which was the most notable mumblefest in recent years.

[Hot Pepsi]

The orange-blue thing is to create contrast and make the people in the shot stand out. I haven’t really noticed it’s a problem. But maybe in 20 years it will be out of style.

If you can’t hear, turn on the subtitles. I do that even though I don’t have any particular hearing issue.

[elguapo4]

The amount of whispering and mumbling in modern drama is ridiculous. As someone with hearing loss, it's impossible to follow most dialogue, which is why I mainly watch documentaries.

[Snake Plissken]

I thought the knock against Wolf Hall was that it didn't do the sound recording in the usual way so everything sounded mumbled. Or was that Poldark?

[ursus arctos]

Shutters are also ubiquitous in Italy

[Sporting]

On the subject of curtains, most Spanish people who stay in private British homes say they are far too thin and let light in too early in the morning. Shutters are pretty much ubiquitous here, thus avoiding this problem.

[Various Artist]

Oh, yes, unquestionably it is something we're meant to just go along with. As I said, I used to, like most people. The trouble with 'wising up' to these conventions is that once seen, you can't unsee it. Like the teal-and-orange colour grading on films (and increasingly TV), where not only is the (night) lighting and/or shadows bright blue but people's faces are still glowing orange at the same time, which is a whole different class of absurd.

[Hot Pepsi]

Ahh, good old Hollywood Darkness. Of all the cliches on this thread, this is one of the most pervasive aspects of film 'grammar' that I used to just tune out automatically, but now can't ever see without it seeming ludicrous.

I think it’s one of those things that audience is supposed to go along with for the purposes of following the story. I seem to recall seeing that mostly in multicam sitcoms, which are already “stagey” in lots of ways.

[Various Artist]

Kubrick managed it with Barry Lyndon in the 70s

Oh, hang on, that's something I've heard only recently too – and might well actually be what I was thinking of just now!

[elguapo4]

Indeed – TV Tropes, whose 'Hollywood Darkness' page I linked to above, calls this the 'Nuclear Candle'.

Speaking of candles, great point from Sits re: Wolf Hall. I think they lit the entire production entirely with natural light and candles, didn't they? I seem to recall the latter part of it was definitely a massive technical challenge, possibly including special cameras/lenses.

Kubrick managed it with Barry Lyndon in the 70s

[Various Artist]

Also you have the hollywood candle, where a single flame will illuminate the whole room rather than the 2 foot radius it actually would.

Indeed – TV Tropes, whose 'Hollywood Darkness' page I linked to above, calls this the 'Nuclear Candle'.

Speaking of candles, great point from Sits re: Wolf Hall. I think they lit the entire production entirely with natural light and candles, didn't they? I seem to recall the latter part of it was definitely a massive technical challenge, possibly including special cameras/lenses.

[Jah Womble]

Maybe they like morning light, or simply like to see what's outside.

What tee rex said, basically. Being able to see what’s outside isn’t really part of the equation when I’m going to sleep, but whatever butters one’s muffin...

I don't even have curtains

If you lived where I do, you probably would.

[Sits]

I haven’t checked, but I imagine it will stay the same height for an inordinate amount of time.

[jwdd27]

Also you have the hollywood candle, where a single flame will illuminate the whole room rather than the 2 foot radius it actually would.

[S. aureus]

I don't even have curtains

[ursus arctos]

One of the many advantages of living on the 19th floor of a building across the street from a park and about 50 metres from the river is that we only need to close ours at the peak of afternoon sun. Though we do tend to get up early.

[Sits]

I've thought about starting a thread on this in the past but wasn't sure how to phrase it. Not just the blue light in sit coms but other methods, like LotR's floodlights in the distance and historical methods like a blue filter even if you can see the sun in the sky. I'm sure there are others.

It is a real issue with film though as proper dark means you're doing a radio show.

They did natural lighting really well in Wolf Hall but it would have a been a major effort I’m sure. Generally though I find a lot of modern drama series too bloody dark.

[tee rex]

Characters that don’t close their curtains before going to bed do my head in, too.

Not only that, they can be fearing for their lives, hiding indoors from the bad guys who are searching for them, and still not close the curtains. Or they can be the bad guys, murdering somebody, and still not close the curtains. Basically movie people hate curtains.

[Sporting]

Yes, that annoys me - like, how can anyone sleep with all that light?

Characters that don’t close their curtains before going to bed do my head in, too.

Maybe they like morning light, or simply like to see what's outside.

[Levin]

I've thought about starting a thread on this in the past but wasn't sure how to phrase it. Not just the blue light in sit coms but other methods, like LotR's floodlights in the distance and historical methods like a blue filter even if you can see the sun in the sky. I'm sure there are others.

It is a real issue with film though as proper dark means you're doing a radio show.

[Jah Womble]

I realise that it's necessary to keep the narrative going, but when people switch the lights off in their bedroom to go to sleep, dark blue light (presumably coming through a window) illuminates the room.

Yes, that annoys me - like, how can anyone sleep with all that light?

Characters that don’t close their curtains before going to bed do my head in, too.

[Various Artist]

I realise that it's necessary to keep the narrative going, but when people switch the lights off in their bedroom to go to sleep, dark blue light (presumably coming through a window) illuminates the room.

Ahh, good old Hollywood Darkness. Of all the cliches on this thread, this is one of the most pervasive aspects of film 'grammar' that I used to just tune out automatically, but now can't ever see without it seeming ludicrous.

[Hot Pepsi]

That can apply to women too. Ex: While You Were Sleeping.

[G-Man]

Rom Com trope: the guy can have done ghastly deceptions, pretending to be somebody else to mislead and set up the woman (initially because he hates her), and still she'll gratefully fall in his arms instead of coming to the natural conclusion that this cad is not trustworthy and therefore best avoided. (cf. Pillow Talk; You've Got Mail)