[15x06] August 1st, 2010

[15x06] August 1st, 2010

  • 10

    Votes: 54 14.1%
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    Votes: 113 29.5%
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    Votes: 117 30.5%
  • 7

    Votes: 55 14.4%
  • 6

    Votes: 24 6.3%
  • 5

    Votes: 9 2.3%
  • 4

    Votes: 5 1.3%
  • 3

    Votes: 1 0.3%
  • 2

    Votes: 2 0.5%
  • 1

    Votes: 3 0.8%

  • Total voters
    383
The "issue" of the changing numberplate is a simple continuity error which happens all over movies and shows. It is of course to be avoided, but it happens to every production.

Maybe noteworthy however is the fact that opposed to purely fictional shows and movies, the happenings on Top Gear are supposed to be factual. I think this is what fuels the discussion.
 
I think Top Gear was always classified as a car show. When they won the award for best factual programme, they laughed at it on air.
Even so, Top Gear is less scripted than many "reality shows" out there...
 
The 458 review was as good as the original review of the 430 and that was just about as good as it gets. The rest of the bit was good but nothing spectacular.
 
Yeah, I think a lot of people complaining about the cinematography of Top Gear are not really familiar with making films...?
I am not familiar either, but using a little bit of logic, I deduced that sometimes during races they do a couple of spectacular shots and then film the race with the inside-car cameras.
Let's take the snowbikes vs Dakar Tuareg in episode 5... They can't have a camera car constantly going in front of them cos that'd slow them down, or place cameras all over the place just to have some external shots. So they do the external shots first for the show, and then go back and start the race. Most of the footage of the actual race was from inside of the car, with some helicopter shots. It's not fake and staged, its just shot in parts... at least that's what I think happens.

Now, before you call me naive and stupid, I know some stuff is actually staged and rigged to happen a certain way, but come on. Top Gear was never a reality show, and I dont know if I'd watch it if it was...

you right, but, im pretty sure they shoot most of it after the race.
 
I think Top Gear was always classified as a car show. When they won the award for best factual programme, they laughed at it on air.
Even so, Top Gear is less scripted than many "reality shows" out there...

When TG came to America to test the Challenger, Corvette ZR1, and CTS-V, they got in some hot water since all their filming permits were for a documentary program and they made a constant joke throughout the segment about being "factual" and not entertaining. No staged gas station riots involving rednecks and flying rocks that time. Even boring cold factual documentaries list writers in the credits, since even they are scripted. The narrator isn't making it up as it goes.
 
When TG came to America to test the Challenger, Corvette ZR1, and CTS-V, they got in some hot water since all their filming permits were for a documentary program and they made a constant joke throughout the segment about being "factual" and not entertaining. No staged gas station riots involving rednecks and flying rocks that time. Even boring cold factual documentaries list writers in the credits, since even they are scripted. The narrator isn't making it up as it goes.

When you're making a road trip with unscheduled stops (as visits to the pumps are) sometimes you'll find random events. It's not like they're filming a movie, where everything is shot and re-shot to perfection. Its a half-way point, and that's why I get pissed when people say "everything is soooo scripted". Of course some things are. I'm not going to sit here and say "IT REALLY RAINS PIANOS ON TEH TOP GEAR TRACK!" but other things you can just tell they werent expecting. Like most break downs during the cheap car segments. But even then people will complain... scripteeeeeedddddddddddddd
 
I have no issue with scripting. It's when the show starts feeling fake that it bothers me.

I'm just pointing out that TopGear was claiming to be a documentary program, not an entertainment program, when they came back to America for that segment. I know people like to claim the show was never factual and it was always as it is now, but it really wasn't. Back when the show was more "boring", its popularity was surging and it's ratings exploding. There was no reason to cheapen the product.

That said, I think series 15 was a vast improvement and I hope they continue this trend.
 
I've watched all series several times. I don't find any one boring per se.
Lets take the example of the electric car (geoff). Yeah they probably didn't build it themselves or had help from some technicians... and Clarkson was obviously just being an arse in his inspiration room. But they did cruise along in public roads at 10 miles an hour holding everyone back. That to me was funny, and fake? I dont think the people who were probably pissed thought it was fake at all...
 
I have not liked this series. Too many repeats of previous challenges. I know the difficulty in coming up with new pieces everytime, but this post isn't about that. This is about the final episode. The ending was poetic.

I'm really surprised no one has brought this up yet. It was a rather poignant point they were making about "British sportscars". It wasn't so much about the "cars" as much as it was about "Top Gear". Follow me a bit.

All these random "hot hatches" (Top Gear variations in different countries) are taking peoples attention away from the classic; and especially true of the much trumpeted US launch. Promising newer, "fresher" presenters, new thinking, etc. It's easy to see why the new shows have a lot of promise and potential over the coming years (if they make it that long).

The three cars represent the presenters: classics, great in their day, as they got older time kinda caught up with them. They understand that. They know that this will have to come to an end soon. And no matter what the reason they go off the air, it won't matter. Looking back, we'll be reminded of how awesome they were what they did to change the automotive industry.

There is a lot to be taken away from James's and Richard's point:
We were all rather dazzled by the xr3i and the golf gti and so on. But really it was a bit of a fad. No one these days is saying, "oh I'd love an old xr3. But a Jensen Healey, a Lotus, a TVR...YES! -James May

I think driving to a British seaside resort, in a funny little British sportscar, with a naked lady statue and a giant urn on the seat next to me...is...above all else...fun. And for all our serious side, the British have always been rather good at fun. And my whole experience is tinged at all times with the knowledge that we're doing something that's...ended. -Richard Hammond

Just like these cars, the presenters know at some point the old must make way for the new. But like these great machines, they will never be forgotten. Jeremy, Richard and James made driving fun again. They made loving cars cool again. Like their vehicular counterparts, we'll all envy the originals. The cars...the show...will forever be the greatest ever made and none will come close to that prestige or have that title of being "Original".

Top Gear withstood the test of time and did what no one else had done: made us all fall in love with being petrol heads...and proud of it.

I tip my hat to you Top Gear.
It has been a fantastic 7 years (of the current format and team).

Thank you for reminding us.

Cheers.
 
Hum. At the end of series... 13 I think.. when Clarkson did not so much of a review of the V12 Vantage, but more of a poetic film about it, saying how we were coming to the end of this era, people also associated it to the end of Top Gear... but nothing like that happened. Perhaps there's a deeper meaning to their films like you're saying, I dunno. To me it was just british sportscars and 3 guys having fun. Maybe I'm just a simple person :p
 
Clarkson missed one big thing though!
On the LEFT screen in the 458 you actually see a speedometer... always. Ah well it?s his way or the highway still =)
 
8/10 i would say. They should have done more funny challenges with their british roadsters. But it was very entertaining how they defended the cars faults as gimmicks.:D
"This car was built by a guy called nobby. You dont get that on a ferrari.":lol:
 
The 458 review was EPIC. What a Car ! Made the whole episode in my opinion. But when Clarkson dissed the F50 it kind of annoyed me. Yes, it may feel like the engine is bolted to your spine but when you have a F1 engine directly behind you what is supposed to feel like? But that's Jezza.... Also was surprised that he never mentioned the F355 since he owned one and actually said one time it was the greatest car in the world ever.

The Jeff Goldbloom interview made me ZzZzZzZz. Goldbloom is just as boring in person as he is in his movies and TV shows. The whole British sports car segment was dull and I didn't really get the point. So British sports cars are rubbish ? but... they aren't ? Well idk just my opinion of course. 5/10 (That may be a lil harsh)
 
I deduced that sometimes during races they do a couple of spectacular shots and then film the race with the inside-car cameras... So they do the external shots first for the show, and then go back and start the race.

Right idea, as Jeremy and Andy have explained several times over the years. Though it's just their word, they say they carefully plan everything for a tight-race that's run fairly, then the 'star' bogs off home and the crew spend several days doing beauty shots.

http://www.topgear.com/blogs/planettopgear/134-jeremy-clarkson-japan-race/ :
"Of course, the routes are carefully planned so the result will be close but it is impossible to guess what will actually happen after the flag drops."

"In the Ferrari versus plane race to Verbier, I actually overtook the tracking car, leaving me with nothing but the on board mini cams. I was that desperate to get there first."

"Of course, once the race is run and the result in the bag, the camera crews stay behind to pick up the shots needed to make the whole thing work on television. The details. The icing. But that doesn't affect the outcome."
The result is in-car footage and, presumably, some exterior shots from the actual race, plus lots of well crafted arty pieces that help narrate the story. That they might do several takes of starts and finishing flourishes for different angles and fly-bys would fall under "creative licence", and the end result is (usually) a stunning, perfectly paced and well-scored film.

There was an outtake posted on the Top Gear site that shows those two French lotharian paraskiers joking around while a shot is set up, then suddenly on cue, huffing and puffing and un-stuffing their chutes for the descent down the mountain. Whether it was one of many post-race takes to give the editors a variety of angles to work with, or part of an elaborate fictitious act - the film was good entertainment.
 
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almost all the replies here are people whinging, to which there is only one solution

IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T WATCH IT - its very simple

i have to bump this thread, i noticed i got negrepped for my comment above by 'controlspecimen'. i just want to give a huge heartfelt thanks.
 
I've a question about the car tags. What's with those anagrams? LIAR 48R and GOSH 299 and CUNT 131 aren't very clever when you have those extra letters and numbers. Is there a law that car tags in England have to use up seven spaces?
 
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