Top Gear Cinematography Question

MrChips

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It seems as though in most, if not all, Top Gear episodes seem to have some sort of unusual object in scenes in which the camera is at ground level. Here are some examples:

Episode [06x07] - TVR Sagaris with a flaming bit of paper

http://img124.imageshack.**/img124/6348/sagarisflame1fv.jpg

Episode [06x09] - BMW M5 with an orange ball

http://img222.imageshack.**/img222/6056/m5orangeball4fl.jpg

Episode [07x05] - Veyron with some sort of vegetable

http://img131.imageshack.**/img131/4157/veyronvegetable1ne.jpg

I've been wondering why the cameramen do this - is it some sort of in-joke, an "easter egg" of sorts, or is there some other significance to it?
 
It's probably subliminal... Metaphorically speaking.
 
I think it's some sort of internal "lol" the topgear guys have. Sort of a parody.. because old movies do this sometimes.. sort of like old cowboy movies they have the rolling twig balls (i forget the name at the moment)...

I think it sort of shows a bit of insignificance of objects.. sort of a "There's a ball in the road.. but why the fuck do you care? you're in a BMW!"

no care in the world when you're driving
 
it kinda just looks like something to fill the negative space to 'complete' the scene. I do it all the time in my art and if you look at quite a few professional pictures and movies theres something there to take up the space. like something happening in the background. At least here in america, they use it to comical effect, have something crazy or funny in the background to keep you entertained. (Vonage commercial comes to mind) it has a term but i forget

If you look there seem to be 3 major parts to those ictures "car, line, and object; they all seem to be arranged in sort of a triange fashion
 
I think it's to do with depth, perspective and scale perception. If there's just road and car, you blank out the road and just see a car going past. If there's something unusual on the road your eyes become 'excited' and the part of your brain that perceives things works harder. It doesn't ADD anything to the scene, but it makes you take it in more.

Of course, they could just be bored.
 
I do believe that, as mentioined, it's done for artistic reasons, and boy has it started to annoy me. Was thinking about making a thread but couldn't be bothered to make screenshots.

It's OK once and a while but when it's in every friggin thing they do...
 
There's a worm crawling along the road during the DB9 challenge. No wonder the animal rights and eco-hippie people are so angry at Clarkson.
 
mmap said:
I do believe that, as mentioined, it's done for artistic reasons, and boy has it started to annoy me. Was thinking about making a thread but couldn't be bothered to make screenshots.

It's OK once and a while but when it's in every friggin thing they do...

sounds like someone is easily annoyed... maybe lay off the caffeine?
 
when they took one car around the track to do it's lap time, there was a ping pong ball on the begining strait.... I think it was the Ascari.
 
Chupacabras said:
mmap said:
I do believe that, as mentioined, it's done for artistic reasons, and boy has it started to annoy me. Was thinking about making a thread but couldn't be bothered to make screenshots.

It's OK once and a while but when it's in every friggin thing they do...

sounds like someone is easily annoyed... maybe lay off the caffeine?

Sadly, I am aware of my problem :(

But I just think that repetition has totally killed any positive effect this "thing" has had on the visuals of TG. It seems like they are doing it just for the sake of doing it, which is a horrible reason for doing anything.

Can you imagine for example a character of Lost saying "I want home" etc. in every single episode, Might be funny for a few episodes but after that it would just be annoying as hell, and you'd start to hate the character, no?
 
Have you seen Super Troopers? Specifically, the scene where the cop pulls over the stoners, and the other cop pushes him to see how many times he can say "meow" while reprimanding them?
I think its the same here...an inside joke between the producers and the production team to see how much random crap they can film, and pass it off as artistic. I think they should put some dogshit in the next one...
 
mmap said:
Can you imagine for example a character of Lost saying "I want home" etc. in every single episode, Might be funny for a few episodes but after that it would just be annoying as hell, and you'd start to hate the character, no?

You've picked a terrible example there, because about 9 million episodes of Lost started with a close up of someones eye.

Did you fit about that too?
 
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