We have got used to poor camerawork on this show over the years but this week must surely be the nadir. It cannot get any worse. The talentless idiot who was directing this show must have some aversion to showing dancer's feet. Fred Astaire, who knew a thing or two about dancing always insisted upon have a full body shot whilst dancing in his films. With the number of cameras available on the SCD set it would surely be possible to have good camerawork and and full body shots at least most of the time. It ruined the show for me this week.

The continuing use of the (un)steadycam detracts from the show immensely.

As someone who works in the television industry, I take massive offence to this post.

The director is creating an entertainment show, not a professional dancing show.

An entertainment show about dancing to be fair though. Where they are judged, at least in part, by what they do with their feet. So ,imo, OP was fair comment.

edit for spelling

I managed to see their feet plenty of times (I saw Pixie's jump out of time with Trent) so he really isn't correct at all. Maybe he needs to put his glasses on.

I'm glad I'm not alone in my dislike of the camera work on Strictly.
The most annoying for me is when the camera follows the dancers around when they spin which means we don't actually get to see the spin and also when the couple split and we only have a camera on one so we have no idea what their partner is doing !!!

I'm afraid I agree with the OP. The feet are not shown much at all, and I too don't like all the camera swirling. The dancing, music and costumes should be entertainment enough. We don't need the camera's do anything else but show the dancing. We armchair judges can't form a true opinion as the camera misses so much.

To each his own
But I'm with Mr Collins & Ms Dee on this one.

edit to add: I think, from what the judges said, Pixie stumbled which caused her to jump out of time. We didn't see it though.

What do you work on? The news?

Well frankly this week is a pretty appalling show, camera work or not. The dancers should at least try to dance to appropriate music. I spent most of my time on my laptop.

Almost as bad as the OP's spelling

OMG op I'm crying of laughter

It's true to a certain extent though

As a dancer, I would like to see more of the dancer's feet, although to be honest half of the foot action we did see tonight was pretty poor. But - playing devil's advocate here - the show is not aimed at dancers, but at an audience which the bbc perceives as being mainly non-dancers, who, they feel, are probably not interested in niceties like foot-action (their idea, not mine, so please don't shoot the messenger!)

Thing is, I think the bbc under-estimate their audience. I know a number of people who have never danced a step in their life but having watched Strictly for several years, have learnt a great deal about technique.

For that reason, I'm not saying the camera work is necessarily bad, but it would be nice to see the whole dancer, or feet rather than head & shoulders.

Unfortunately these days the camera work puts me off so many TV programmes. I just cannot watch anything where the camera is shaking or swirling. They are just trying to be clever all the while and I don't think the majority of viewers want it.

For years now, everyone I know who loves the show moans primarily about the camera work, some weeks are worse than others and I totally agree with the Op about tonight's show, why oh why does it have to zoom in, zoom out, round and round, constantly?
Half the time you just cant get the feel of the dance, or see the footwork. I am surprised that anyone actually likes it but there you go, each to his own.

Freelance, so various different programmes.

I imagine for a professional the swirling cameras add a different dimension and artistry, and it's part of the craft, but for a viewer (especially a viewer not comfortable even on fairground rides) it's disconcerting. If the camera circles, it takes away the movement of the dance itself. I'm certainly not opposed to going on a 360 if the dancers are still. Now that would work and add potency! But if they're moving, for me it leads to a loss of dynamism, sorry to say…

Yes no need for showing feet on the news.

But in an allegedly dancing related show "Strictly Come Dancing" feet should be on view at all times.

Why not just show the audience clapping and screaming? That seems to be what the crass producers seem to be after?

I dislike the whirling dervish camera-work in any context. Less is more is a good rule for cinematography. The camera a should be steady or pan and zoom very slowly to avoid viewers getting sea-sick. The camera-man should record not make the performance. The camera should not be noticed by the viewer.

I watch the dance videos and the camera whizzing about the place nauseates me.
Why does the camera operator feel the need to be a part of the action?
Just hold the damn thing still and let it show us the dancers.

Very difficult to see any footwork.
However "I'm reliably informed," that the footwork of the guy rushing about with the steady-cam, "is a wonder to behold."

I have to agree. I especially dislike it when the camera swirls around the dancers making it seem as if they are standing still. I want to see the dancers move.

There was another thing that annoyed me but I can't remember which couple it was. The man was lifting the lady from a floor position and the camera followed them from the shoulders upwards I am sure it was a beautiful move but we will never know.

The OP was right.

Yes we know it's a "show" (as someone was at pains to remind us) but it's also supposed to be a dance competition, we have judges who constantly draw attention to the footwork for cryin' out loud,

Yes, we know a lot of people vote for their favourites, but by no means everyone. So if the BBC still want viewers to believe it's a proper competition as I believe they do, they should show the footwork.

They've turned it into more of a "dog and pony show" than it ever was, just to chase ratings.

Exactly what I said on Saturday. Terrible angles missed moves.

And yet many of the viewers do not like it therefore their entertainment is diminished.

It irritates the life out of me too, but however bad it is now, it was far, far worse in the first three series- it actually stopped me watching.

I truly believe the person in charge of setting up and then choosing camera shots doesn't care about the dance- they only care about showing how clever their cameras and editing suite are. It's a crying shame when the dancers put so much effort into the dance for the details then to be lost. I get it- there's an audience- we can hear them a-whoopin' and a-hollerin' all the way through the dance: we don't need to see them every other shot.
I'm not asking for just one Fred Astaire-style camera angle- just less than 24 (yes, I counted them) changes of shot.

I'm now at the point of shouting at the telly every time the camera circles round the dancers doing their spins. How are we ever to appreciate their spins properly when the camera-work distorts it like that? Or does the producer think that spins aren't intrinsically entertaining enough and therefore need enhancing? If so, how patronising.