Duel - discussion thread

[flydiscovery]

Originally Posted by Dr_Grip

Not as much "production team" as "creative/tech staff" - the director, cinematographer, cutter all are repeat offenders from Top Gear. I don't know for sure about the U.K., but most likely the creative/technical staff is employed on a fixed-term contract for as long as production takes, so doing this DVDs while TG is not shooting is some more weeks of employment for them.

That's how I understand it. It's been implied that the BBC sort of buys Top Gear under a kind of contract (gross simplification here) so those folks would work for Top Gear, not the BBC per say. So instead of the crew working for BBC at large and being shuffled from program to program depending on who's filming, they work for Top Gear when it's on and no one (or other contracts like DVDs) when TG is off. I'm not sure why I think that, or where I heard it though. It would make sense for Jeremy to take the same guys he knows and trusts on side projects like this.

[nuntius_deorum]

Originally Posted by Dr_Grip

About the scriptedness: I have said that a gazillion times regarding Top Gear:

If you do a car review, be it on TV, in print, on Radio 4 or on a DVD, you got to write. You got to sit down, organize your thoughts about the car, structure them and then write a text. That's the only way to do it.

Mmmm.... Best Motoring reviews are not scripted (well mostly), nor are DMotor's ones by Tim Schrick. BTW these two are among the best car shows for true sports cars reviews, they really let you see how cars perform in the hands of real racing drivers. If you want to know how a particular car reacts or feels, those are great IMO: BM in particular lets you SEE how it handles with in-car cameras, something I would like to see more often. (Too bad I can't speak japanese or german).

JC's dvds, in comparison, are nothing more than car adverts or teen-aimed-POWER-sort of things, and without the interaction and ideas that he has when he is on Top Gear, they are tedious and utterly pointless.

[clarksonjr]

i thought it was quite good one his better dvd's








'stig its just gits spelt backawards'tiff needell

[4G92Lancer]

Let's be honest, Clarkson DVD's aren't exactly made to be epic masterpieces, they're made to be Christmas presents (probably for the person you bought the last 5 or 6 for).

[thescreensavers]

Originally Posted by matt2000

Top Gear production team? This is produced by 2Entertain, I'm not sure it has any link to the BBC. Does it have the BBC logo on the case? I can't remember if my old ones do.

well I mean the people who film top gear, do his DVD's also right? Guess i am wrong? :O

[supermember123]

Originally Posted by Stoner

Yea I know but try to find a music track there...

+ I mailed them also. Their response was "thank you for your interest".

http://www.extrememusic.com/#album/1258

search false idol.

there you are

[NooDle]

I don't know what you people were on about, after reading all the "fail 3/10" comments.
I thought it was very good, much better than the stuff he had the last years.

Lots of Stig being stupid, another ruined Marina, great engine sounds, driving with flippers, Vicki/Tiff, and I even loved the offroad bit (with the bomb)

Only bit that was boring was the "ford scorpio looks like a frog" one

8/10

[Stoner]

Originally Posted by supermember123

http://www.extrememusic.com/#album/1258

search false idol.

there you are

!!!!

dude, thank you so much.

[Mauren]

Originally Posted by ViperVX

I thought it sucked. The beginning was okay, then car after car after car with Clarkson's cliche phrases, - boring.

BOOM!

[Dr_Grip]

Originally Posted by nuntius_deorum

Mmmm.... Best Motoring reviews are not scripted (well mostly), nor are DMotor's ones by Tim Schrick. BTW these two are among the best car shows for true sports cars reviews, they really let you see how cars perform in the hands of real racing drivers.

DMotor obviously is heavily scripted. Schrick obviously knows what the voiceover will say and reacts to it while driving. "Scripting" does not mean "silly plots/stunts", but simply "we'll do this shot of me driving down an alley, the narrator will say how fast the car goes, cut to me shifting up talking about throttle response, than cut to an interview with the carmaker..."

I'm not saying that's a bad thing, it's just how film works. Since non-linear editing was invented back in the 1930s (1970s for video) this is the only way to get a coherent film together.

[katwalk]

I liked the beginning, and the end with tiff and vicky. Could have cut most of the middle out though.

[Whappeh]

I actually like Tiff so much more now after the 3 minutes of him driving the Hyundai.

[RedAero]

Utter crap.

There was nothing new in it. Focus RS test? Done already. Apple on the apex test? Done. Jag XK, M3, Audi R8, Evora, Monaro? All done. Fifth Gear vs TG? Same as TG vs ze Germans(Obstacle course and paintballs? I wonder wher I've seen that before...). Lambo test? Haven't we seen like 4 of those already? A marina? Bound to be piano'd. And the list goes on and on. Basically I think Jezza couldn't come up with any original ideas, let alone a location, and just cut pieces out of Top Gear and edited it together to make a DVD. Also, am I the only one getting wearyy of the faked cocking about? I mean when they first started screwing up (i.e. when Hammond built the wall in front of the wrong ski jump) it seemed to be genuine. But now it's just forced, stupid and predictable. I mean who really thought the Stig was going to race Tiff on a bike? It all smells of V8-powered randomness.

Would not watch again. I'm actually considering not burning this to DVD.

[Donington]

It was alright. Nothing real amazing, but as a stocking filler, which is what it's meant to be, it does it's job.

I really want that orange Lada Niva though.

[matt2000]

Originally Posted by RedAero

Apple on the apex test?

What about Apple on the exit? Has that been done? Eh?

Would not watch again. I'm actually considering not burning this to DVD.

I'm sure it's no loss to anyone if you downloaded it illegally anyway.

Like I said before I'll buy and enjoy this when it comes to Christmas. I really should stop reading this thread though.

[otispunkmeyer]

i get the feeling that, with his DVD's now, its just about boshing something out to sell. he's probably too busy with real TG, TG mag, TG live etc to spend all that much time making a DVD so just cobbles together something half decent safe in the knowledge that although its a bit duff, people will still buy it and it'll still be a nice little Bunsen burner.

I have to say its getting like that with his books too

Born to be riled was actually amazingly good fun to read, and so was clarkson on cars and i know you got soul was also a very good read.... but his latest books still use that same format....a collection of news paper/magazine columns, made into a book. the quality of some of the columns just isnt there anymore and theres an apparent structure to each one...makes it feel like your reading the same 5 pages over and over for a couple of hundred pages.

im glad i got his latest book for less than half price in an offer from Waterstones.

i know stuff like this has to be structured and planned or else it really does come out looking like a pigs ear. but if you are good you can disguise it, or make the reader/watcher/listener become blind to it. the books and DVD's are loosing that ability to cover such things up.

[Goob]

I actually fell asleep watching it, I restarted it after I woke up and I felt like I have completely wasted my time. Over-scripted cheesy video. I am wondering if Clarkson is done, and I cringe at the thought that he is writing the script for the show. I love TG more than anyone I know, I hope JC's side project is not indicative of the upcoming series.

[smtk]

complete lack of enthusiasm. So painful to watch I had to fast forward through most of it 0/10

If this is all JC can muster then its time for retirement. He should also offer a full refund for anyone unfortunate enough to have paid money for this...

[JleeLink]

I found it also pretty bland and boring aswell. It started out good and I always enjoy seeing the BMW M3 and the Lambo SV. But then at the exact second he started doing the stupid drift test with stupid footwear with no proper conclusion it went down hill.

The celeb off roader was pretty damn boring overall and i hate the use of stupid gimmicks such as the bomb in the car where they want you to believe its real but so obviously not. (kinda like the evo and army thing in series 13)

Car vs man and Morris Marina vs Aston was pretty lame but it was nice seeing the Aston Martin V12 Vantage again as it is a very beautiful car. Toad vs coin lame also and pointless.

Fifth Gear vs Top gear was ok but had more potential but was kinda ruined as I would of preferred if they took it more seriously. (Stig vs Tiff on bikes was very lame...)

Finally the Lambo vs Focus RS was utterly rubbish and felt like they just couldnt even of been bothered doing it.

So overall i'll give it 3.5/10. Personally I found last years dvd, thriller a lot better.

[Kowalski]

Boring and predictable. I hated it.