Is anyone getting sick of the 'MTV-style' filming for the car films?

[Hidden_Hunter]

maybe they're practicing shakey-cam for a new Bourne movie

[EsPpY]

And please dont bloody shake the cam when the car is powersliding. EDIT : Or accelerating into the distance for that matter.

I know its a explosion of a tower of power (duh) but theres no need to shake it to let us know how explosive it is. I really loved the 360CS review, keep watching it all the time because its so well made. Not like the F430 Scud.

GRRRRRRR.

[SuperStalin]

The videos weren't too hot in the first two episodes, but the Bentley last night was epic.

[lueyyou]

Unfortunately Top Gear seems to have turned to using more and more cheap tricks. This is just one of those tricks they are using to try and get more viewers I think. Its particularly annoying when you don't even see the shape of the whole car in a segment until the last half of the review. The Bentley Brooklands review for instance I didn't see a profile of the back of the car for an eternity, and never really saw a good angle of the interior or the engine if I correctly recall.

Its all about the smoke these days in car reviews and there's not much behind it.

[emil_t]

need a poll for this one, but yeah i think top gear reached mid-life crisis

[Mineworksfine]

Originally Posted by Aston Martin

Aren't you people ever fucking happy?

"Oh my god whens TG back?" "Without TG I will die" "6 seconds until new TG"


Then as soon as it's back, a majority of you bitch and whine about the most trivial things.

Hear, frikkin Hear!

I happened to think the filter effects on the Brooklands film last night looked particularly good, and it's probably the best track review so far this series IMHO.

[edkwon]

Originally Posted by mclarensmps

Q: Is anyone getting sick of the 'MTV-style' filming for the car films?

A: Yes

you should go back and read the thread, obviously some ppl do care.

Yes its whining, but since its a television show, aka a visual medium, its too bad they take one of my favorite aspects (the beautifully shot car films) and post process it to the point where i can't make out whats going on.

Again, this is personal taste and a generational thing, but i'm guessing the very flashy post processed films are the work of only one of the film directors.
As many of them aren't like that.

I thought the films were great the way they were done before and to coin a James May metaphor , their attempts keep fresh and trendy looking is 'a lot like your dad trying to dance at your birthday party'.

[crashmaxx]

The Bricklin review last night was EPIC. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it, and I had no interest in the car to start with. The music was perfect, fade out like the end of the review and then BAM! Power slides and hard rock music. Some of the effects I thought could be toned down just a notch. Its like they were trying to crank the dial to 12, when really its fine cranked to 11.

But as long as we don't see any 'shaky cam from behind the straws' shots like Fifth Gear, then I'll be happy.

[EsPpY]

Originally Posted by crashmaxx

The Bricklin review last night was EPIC. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it, and I had no interest in the car to start with. The music was perfect, fade out like the end of the review and then BAM! Power slides and hard rock music. Some of the effects I thought could be toned down just a notch. Its like they were trying to crank the dial to 12, when really its fine cranked to 11.

But as long as we don't see any 'shaky cam from behind the straws' shots like Fifth Gear, then I'll be happy.

Its BROOKLANDS, not Bricklin.

[Holiace]

Originally Posted by EsPpY

BROOKLANDS, not Bricklin.

Naah, it's Brooklyn! Gangsta, mother******!

(j/k) Seriously though, I like that car, more than the Phantom (all versions).

[warren]

Originally Posted by Ottobon

Personally my biggest complaint is still that the music, and or the use of the music could be better. Its much more fun to watch when the music completely matches the rest of the scene and script, otherwise it just all turns to shit no-matter how good the video-editing is.

For example, in the wiessman video, when it starts out all sober and poetic and with dramatic orchestra stuff building tension and then switches to Jeremy shouting "saucy" (or whatever) with techno/dance in the backround it just sort of makes my whole day 100x brighter. They also let the cars engine speak for itself, instead of adding stupid sound effects (not really a problem recently, but has been in past)

If you prefer upbeat techno and dance music, I can see how you'd disapprove of some old-school Rage Against the Machine appearing in the middle of a Brooklands review. That's fair. But, it is actually a very clever choice of music for such a car, considering what the band's message has been over the years, the sort of people who drive the cars, and the fact that they were introducing the ridiculously powerful engine in that part of the film.

It's the same with playing two minutes of Mogwai in the front half of the Black review; anyone who's ever gone out at night into a city for a walk or a drive with Happy Music For Happy People in their ears will get it -- it's one of the world's perfect alone-at-4am albums. The same film also has Goldfrapp and Massive Attack and Cinematic Orchestra, all good albums for the same time of day and for the "all alone" theme. M83, too, which they use a lot of in Top Gear films (though I have to say that M83 is also good music to get it on to!)

It really isn't that different than going, "oh, look, we have to review a classic car in the snow, let's put on the Solaris soundtrack again", like they did with the Wiesmann ... though I suppose you disapprove of that part due to its not-technoness, and prefer Juno Reactor being overlaid instead? I don't quite get the connection there, but, okay. The TVR part of that film, however, was brilliantly chosen.


What I'm saying is, their choice of music is just fine for the cars they're reviewing -- you're just not getting enough of the sort of music you like.

[crashmaxx]

Originally Posted by EsPpY

Its BROOKLANDS, not Bricklin.

I figured I'd get that wrong when I posted it. I told you I didn't care about the car.

[ja404]

I guess if I had to be picky about it, i'd tone down the shaky cam. Have no problem with everything else though.

[aaurora]

I happen to love the cinematography in the car reviews, and I happened to like the Bently one. My only complaint is that the music could have been bassier, but that's all. It was beautiful.

[mclarensmps]

Originally Posted by edkwon

you should go back and read the thread, obviously some ppl do care.

Yes its whining, but since its a television show, aka a visual medium, its too bad they take one of my favorite aspects (the beautifully shot car films) and post process it to the point where i can't make out whats going on.

Again, this is personal taste and a generational thing, but i'm guessing the very flashy post processed films are the work of only one of the film directors.
As many of them aren't like that.

I thought the films were great the way they were done before and to coin a James May metaphor , their attempts keep fresh and trendy looking is 'a lot like your dad trying to dance at your birthday party'.

You've just interpreted the question differently from me, I took it as a personal question and answered with my personal opinion .

I think the Bentley film was one of the best they've done of a single car review in a while. Maybe that has to do with the fact that this is the only contemporary Bentley I consider to be a "true" Bentley, or maybe it's because I love the idea of throwing around a Luxo-barge when it's got massive amounts of power. The thing is, though, Top Gear was always a bit about artistic cinematography for me, and so, I like that they are willing to try new things, and not repeat the same old formulaic filming techniques.

Sure they may be going through a phase of shakycam super wide angle lenses, but before this, they had the whole sound effects/abstract shots thing going, before that they had the camera lens filter thing going, and the whole while they keep changing things up.

I appreciate that they are willing to try new artistic methods, and it's very appealing to me.

[mclarensmps]

Originally Posted by aaurora

My only complaint is that the music could have been bassier, but that's all. It was beautiful.

Needs more lows! I don't mind rock music if it fits. What Top Gear does best is choreographing it's music to it's video. Even an absolutely rubbish track will sound good with a particular car review hehe.

[Prost264]

YES

I've been saying this since around series 8. I want to see the fucking car, I don't want it distorted and I don't want the camera jumping around all over the place.

The same with the music and sound effects. Clarkson will say "Listen to the engine!" but all I can hear is some fucking sound effect or the horrible music they've been choosing lately.

Everyone can't wait for Top Gear to be in HD, but whats the point when they purposely make the quality look like shit for "artistic" purposes?

[edkwon]

Again it seems like a lot of newer fans of the show like the experimental camera work, while older fans of the show like things the way they were, a similar division like the 'fans who like the show for entertaining stunts' vs 'fans who enjoy the show for informative car content'.

Theres probably some overlap, but again, yet another camp as it seems both sides seem to feel very strongly

[YicklePigeon]

To be honest, the content of the reviews are fine as usual. The delivery of the visual content sometimes makes me think it's been put together by a 16-year old studying media at college - and to top it off, this proverbial 16-year old then decided to pull out all stops and use every effect the software they're using has.

But that's my opinion and personally, I'd have preferred May reviewing the Brooklands as he would have done it much in the same way as he does all the other luxury car reviews. Properly.

*nods, folds his arms and hmphs loudly!*

Yickle!

[SuperStalin]

Top Gear never was about being informative, it was always ambitious but rubbish,
and that's the way we love it.

There are fluctuations in the quality of everything, but they do make brilliant stuff.
This season has just started, as I already said, I'm not too happy about its quality,
but after all the fun they provided, I could survive at least five crappy seasons.