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BBC - It's time to sort out the camerawork


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Old 07-11-2009, 22:08
Erinfan
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The camerawork is horrendous. It's distracting, frustrating and does the dancing an injustice. Most of us have moaned about it from time to time and I feel like a broken record as I moan about it every week. Something really needs to be done though....

It's important to see the feet when you're watching dance. Not only does it create the full line, but the quality of footwork is an essential part of judging how well the celebrity is doing.

Secondly, you can't appreciate the movement created by dance when the shot is whizzing around. It doesn't make the shot look "funky" or "exciting", it's just distracting!

By moving from shot to shot and zooming in and out, you totally lose the dance.

Please, please, please get some advice from a company that is used to filming dancing or big stage productions. I try not to be too critical of the programme, but the camerawork is a real weakness for me.
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Old 07-11-2009, 22:09
claire2281
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I thought it was particularly bad this week, the size of the Tower ballroom emphasising things when the camera zoomed out too far.
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Old 07-11-2009, 22:11
Erinfan
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I thought it was particularly bad this week, the size of the Tower ballroom emphasising things when the camera zoomed out too far.
Yep, agree.
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Old 07-11-2009, 22:13
isis333
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The camerawork on SCD is an abomination.
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Old 07-11-2009, 22:16
EmilyIRE
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Definitely really bad this week. I felt like I was getting motion sickness at one point.
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Old 07-11-2009, 22:18
fatskia
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I've been saying that for weeks on other threads.
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Old 07-11-2009, 22:20
Wingpatrol
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AND while your at it BEEB can you please ditch Dixon!!

The girl can't speak. Her grammar is appalling! At least find a judge who has had an education
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Old 07-11-2009, 22:28
thenetworkbabe
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Not sure how they are doing it but the camerawork seems to avoid close ups of feet but also manages to miss faces and even when it shows the whole body its too far away or there's one person in frame when you need two and you don't get the overall impression that well . People claim that X lacks personality or look wrong or has bad footwork but most of the time its impossible to know apart from the odd passing shot.
Suppose thats partly inevitable live but what you see may not be what was on sale and that may be one reason why the last tour audiences bought very different goods.
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Old 07-11-2009, 22:29
Gill P
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There didn't seem to be so much swirling round the dancers this week though. Their one camera was at the Albert Hall!
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Old 07-11-2009, 22:56
boddism
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The camera work during the celeb jive and Pro VW was particularly AWFUL!!!
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Old 07-11-2009, 23:03
dancebananas
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I noticed this particularly in the Pro VW. I found those bloody chandliers got in the way of any long shot and that you didn't get a sense of the spectacle of the dance as a whole it was far too disjointed and the camera never lingered longer than a few seconds on any one dancer.
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Old 08-11-2009, 00:24
HotsforLilia
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The camerawork is horrendous. It's distracting, frustrating and does the dancing an injustice. Most of us have moaned about it from time to time and I feel like a broken record as I moan about it every week. Something really needs to be done though....

Please, please, please get some advice from a company that is used to filming dancing or big stage productions. I try not to be too critical of the programme, but the camerawork is a real weakness for me.
Yep truly awful camerawork - why the director thinks we want to see a different camera shot every few seconds is beyond me. Please let's just watch them dance.
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Old 08-11-2009, 00:27
ealingkid
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I really noticed how bad it was tonight too.
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Old 08-11-2009, 00:31
Starpuss
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Yep truly awful camerawork - why the director thinks we want to see a different camera shot every few seconds is beyond me. Please let's just watch them dance.
Yes!

Why do they feel the need to switch from shot to shot all the time. It is infuriating!

If they can't get it right then for gods sake just put one camera somewhere and let us watch from there. I'd rather that than a close up of someones face as they do a tricky step or lovely twirl
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Old 08-11-2009, 00:37
allisuzy1
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I was there tonight at the tower and most of the filming of the dances is done by some poor guy having a camera strapped to a metal thing round his waist and him running around trying to film the dance. The Pro VW was filmed with those chandelier only a couple of foot off the floor and then winching them up as the dance progressed so it's not surprising the camera work was a bit off. LOL
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Old 08-11-2009, 00:38
Tidlee
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Completely agree - it was really awful tonight. The group VW was ruined. And its so frustrating when they change shot just as something interesting is happening. Really noticed it on Brian & Ali's dance.
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Old 08-11-2009, 08:23
Camino
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The ceiling camara was pointless you couldnt see anything bloody awful camerawork last night!
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Old 08-11-2009, 08:45
brompton
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have to agree, the camerawork is distracting and breaks up the sense of the dance...

they used to have a static camera shot of the dances on the BBC website, but i don't think they have it this year..
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Old 08-11-2009, 09:43
ESPIONdansant
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Dreadful. In and out, up and down. Bleurgh.
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Old 08-11-2009, 10:55
cassieconvinced
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OP you forget to put AGAIN in the title. It was going alright for a while but tonight was particularly dire ... again.
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Old 08-11-2009, 18:54
DebbieH
 
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I agree with the above it was shockingly bad this week.

Every week they have a least one lot of camerawork that makes me grit my teeth to stop myself swearing at the tv. But this week at times it got ridiculous, huge wide shots followed immediately by close ups that were too tight to properly see what was going on!

I also hate the constant cutting between cameras and the way they use the hand held camera to race around the couple at times during a routine. Not only does it ruin the effect of the movement of the dancers, I’m always on edge that they are going to collide. They seem to get way too close to me and I seem to remember one year where one of the female pros got clipped with a camera during a spin like this. I can’t remember who it was but I’m sure I’m remembering that right .

I don’t know what we do about it though, I seem to remember loads of us complaining over the years only to be fobbed off by an idiotic 'standard letter' reply. I don’t think they’ll listen to us no matter how loudly we shout about it.
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Old 08-11-2009, 20:15
fizzy T
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The camerawork reached its lowest levels due to the Pro VW. It should have been a spectacular performance and I'm sure it was for all those in the ballroom but I got thoroughly cheesed off with seeing bits of dancers and then other bits of other dancers and then distance shots! So confusing! All I wanted was to see each couple to see the girls dresses
and appreciate how gorgeous the men looked in their tails and then to have some shots where I could see their whole bodies and appreciate how beautiful the dance was overall. I felt that I didn't have enough time to appreciate it as it was so constantly chopping and changing!

When are they going to watch back and see how bad it is???
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Old 08-11-2009, 20:31
northernsoul54
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The annoying thing is that the camera angles are all preplanned for each dance - it was shown on ITT not so long ago. The producer or whoever, plans the camera angles and shots for each stage of the dance, which they rehearse on a Friday when the couples are in the studio for the first time. For the live show, each camera operator has a list of all the shots they have to fulfil for the whole show so that they can be in the right positions in time.

So it's not as though they have the excuse that it is all filmed live and they are doing their best - they know what is going to happen beforehand and someone is making these editing decision - PLEASE SACK THEM!! or at least educate them in the art of filming dance.

It must be so frustrating for the choreographers and dancers to put so much effort into the dances for them then to be spoiled by poor camerawork.
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Old 08-11-2009, 20:40
letsdance
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I agree, the camera work has been disgraceful for several series now.
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Old 08-11-2009, 21:40
Mr Giggles
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This is what ruins my enjoyment, poor camera work, get a grip BBC.
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