[13x07] August 2nd, 2009

[13x07] August 2nd, 2009


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And James drove a diesel Scirocco and the Golf in the banger segment. So that makes it two Golfs for James. I just saw his review of the XJ6 from 3x10 and I don't think I'm the only one that would like to see some more serious reviews from James. That's if he wants to do them, of course

I wonder if all his other projects have gotten in the way of him doing many solo reviews the last few series.

S10
Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead
Alfa Romeo 159* (held over from Series 8)
Fiat 500*
Jaguar XF

S11
Mitsuoka Orochi and Galue

S12
Pagani Zonda F Roadster (first power test on the track)
Honda FCX Clarity

S13
NONE

* Included not-so-epic races
 
If he was stuck with his projects and was unable then there's no problem for him not doing any reviews. If the situation is different, I don't know...

Also in the past series each of them had solo segments but now the show seems to focus on the three of them interacting, mostly in challenges that appeal to a much wider audience
 
my favorite part was the advertisement section but the last bit (aston martin) ruined it for me.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by diti
"Pages and pages ago, I tried to be a clever-clogs and said I was sure Jeremy and James were doing the voiceovers on the Scirroco adverts.

Can I now say that I've just seen the BBC3 repeat, and I admit that I was completely wrong. Well. we're all allowed one mistake, I guess".
It takes a big woman to admit when she's wrong. Wait, that's not right. How come it's socially acceptable to be a big man but not a big woman? Society sucks! I'll +rep you instead (if I can).

Actually, I am a big woman (in the curvy sense) but it's nice of you to rep me!
 
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I do wonder if the interior shots of Jeremy driving the Aston were filmed in HD. They seemed to have an added definition and depth of field.

As i said earlier, as the broadcast is SD anyways, the only thing we would notice about HD cameras would the better lenses - but in the case of the interior shots, i think the reason why they look different is cause the are shot before a greenscreen and thus professionally lit shots inside a studio instead of Jeremy catching whatever natural light mother sun shines upon him.
 
As i said earlier, as the broadcast is SD anyways, the only thing we would notice about HD cameras would the better lenses - but in the case of the interior shots, i think the reason why they look different is cause the are shot before a greenscreen and thus professionally lit shots inside a studio instead of Jeremy catching whatever natural light mother sun shines upon him.

You don't really think that was shot against a green screen do you? Have you ever read any of Jeremy's writing? Have you ever seen Top Gear??? Besides, there is a characteristic quality to edges on a green screen that never lives up to real life shooting. That was most certainly not an overlay shot.
 
You don't really think that was shot against a green screen do you? Have you ever read any of Jeremy's writing? Have you ever seen Top Gear??? Besides, there is a characteristic quality to edges on a green screen that never lives up to real life shooting. That was most certainly not an overlay shot.

I know Top Gear. I know Jeremy's writing. I still think it's a greenscreen shot. Top Gear broke every "rule" with the Aston film (no "bombshell", credits running over a moving image, Jezza not screaming "power..."), so why should the not use a greenscreen, too?

We're talking about the camera movement ca. at 58:15, when the camera pans across the dashboard to Jeremy's face and then again around 58:55, don't we?
The "characteristic quality to the edges" only appears if your lightning setup is sloppy. Apart from that, there's one main reason why i think it, in fact, is a greenscreen shot: quite exactely at 1:00:00 you see that the car, according to the speedometer, is moving at exactely zero mph.
The transition effect could have been possible by "masking" the window area and replacing the scenery in post production instead of using a greenscreen, but the zero mph reading from the speedometer is a dead giveaway. Additionally, as one of the transitions occurs while Jezza is in the picture, you'd have to mask every single frame of the transition cause Jezza's a moving object, not static like the dashboard. Lots of work here, and CGI guys' hourly rates are horrible. Greenscreen is the easiest and most elegant way here.
 
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Actually, I think Dr Grip is on to something. (though, I also wonder if flydiscovery was employing ye olde sarcasm.)
 
(though, I also wonder if flydiscovery was employing ye olde sarcasm.)

If she did, she masked it too good under the "characteristic edges"-argument for me to detect it ;)
 
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Actually, I think Dr Grip is on to something. (though, I also wonder if flydiscovery was employing ye olde sarcasm.)

Oscar Wilde said "Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit" Yeaahh riight! (get it?;) )


If he she did, he she masked it too good under the "characteristic edges"-argument for me to detect it ;)


FTFY :D
 
You know, I watched that Aston film again (ok maybe 3 times again), and I'm just still awestruck. I'm so glad they put that in there. That made my day again today. I don't know that I can find the vocabulary I want to describe it. Today is one of many days in which I wish I were smarter.

Only just seen this episode, been over in the states for the past 3 weeks. I have to agree with you though.

Maybe "inspiring" could be used to describe it?

10/10 in my opinion, no doubt about it.
 
I didn't care for the tone of the Aston segment. It was too serious and dramatic, and I don't think the end of this performance car era is as soon as he suggests. I just kept thinking he should lighten up.
 
I enjoyed the V12 Vantage bit, even though I agree that it was wierdly and uncharacteristically serious and dramatic. I suppose that was the point, but I just couldn't take it seriously when the One-77 on the cover of Road and Track was sitting on the coffee table giving me a... uh... a crisis. I can't agree that supercars are dead yet; not with that thing on the way, a new Lamborghini in the works, the F450, the new Pagani, the new McLaren, the new Super-Merc...

Aston%20Martin%20One-77%20in%20depth%201.jpg


Now that's some real car porn.
 
I can't agree that supercars are dead yet; not with that thing on the way, a new Lamborghini in the works, the F450, the new Pagani, the new McLaren, the new Super-Merc...

i dont believe Jeremy was saying super cars are dead just that they will not be the same in the future to conform to all the rules and regs etc.

for example you mention Lamborghini. i read not long ago they are expecting to have a hybrid by 2015. yes that years away but it does show you they are already thinking/working on it now.
 
I admit that the last part of the segment is a worrying, but I also think it could have just written/shot that way to start internet chatter.. which it has. I sure hope this isn't the end of TG, though, I really don't think it is.

Wow, everyone is taking this way to seriously.

What he meant at 'the end of an era' is that the V8/super car era is ending.

God people!
 
The Vantage film was nothing short of amazing, without a doubt some of the best tracking shots and footage I've seen on the show. It did however give off an impression that Top Gear was on its last legs. I'm predicting Season 14 or 15 could be the last, but if TG were to end entirely after the Vantage film, they'd have gone out on a strikingly beautiful and positive note.
 
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I'd say the ending was bittersweet if they're hinting at ending the series.
I don't see them doing that though considering the popularity of the show and the kind of money it generates.

It would be downright insane to pull the plug on it anytime soon.
 
I'd say the ending was bittersweet if they're hinting at ending the series.
I don't see them doing that though considering the popularity of the show and the kind of money it generates.

It would be downright insane to pull the plug on it anytime soon.

It certainly would! I do think that they're hinting at the end of the show as we know it - budget cuts etc will certainly have an impact.

I can see that the TG3 (or 4 if you count the Stig) (or 5 if you count Andy Wilman) can't go on forever - there will have to be a change of presenters at some point. Hopefully not for a while though! :mrgreen:
 
It certainly would! I do think that they're hinting at the end of the show as we know it - budget cuts etc will certainly have an impact.

I can see that the TG3 (or 4 if you count the Stig) (or 5 if you count Andy Wilman) can't go on forever - there will have to be a change of presenters at some point. Hopefully not for a while though! :mrgreen:

Well Clarkson took a pay hit not too long ago didn't he?
So maybe they'll scale back on the out of country challenges (paying for the crew flight and hotels, equipment rentals, food, etc, etc) and they'll just keep it "in house (country)" in this case.

Maybe even scale back on their magazine or cut that altogether...?
 
Well Clarkson took a pay hit not too long ago didn't he?
So maybe they'll scale back on the out of country challenges (paying for the crew flight and hotels, equipment rentals, food, etc, etc) and they'll just keep it "in house (country)" in this case.

Maybe even scale back on their magazine or cut that altogether...?

Jeremy did take a pay hit, but I can't see him agreeing to that unless it didn't make a massive difference to his overall income ;)

I think they have scaled back a little in the last series - no huge abroad specials, unless you count Majorca (and unless I am having a senior moment, and can't remember properly!) I still thought it was a fab series though - I think that the appeal of the programme lies in the interplay between the presenters, which is the same wherever they are :mrgreen:
 
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