I am a pedant.

[bugbear]

It is drama. Fiction. Not a documentary. Therefore you are suspending disbelief anyway, so just try a bit harder.

Agreed - to make the details perfect for each and every narrow-field hobbyist watching would be expensive and pointless. What are the program makers meant to do - hand sew all costumes prior to 1846?

As a tool nut, it's easy to spot 19th century hand tools being used all the way back to medieval times, but it doesn't bother me.

No doubt there are WW2 experts picking holes in SS-GB. I wonder if they spot the teensy fault that I noticed - Britain won WW2...

BugBear

 

[Phil Pascoe]

My family think I am a pedant too, but I just like accuracy and hate sloppiness and a lack of attention to detail. Nokia are Finnish, not Swedish.

 

[acewoodturner]

But they are experts in chainsaws up that way!

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Mmm......You might all want to consider getting out more!!

 

[custard]

It is drama. Fiction. Not a documentary. Therefore you are suspending disbelief anyway, so just try a bit harder.

Agreed - to make the details perfect for each and every narrow-field hobbyist watching would be expensive and pointless. What are the program makers meant to do - hand sew all costumes prior to 1846?

As a tool nut, it's easy to spot 19th century hand tools being used all the way back to medieval times, but it doesn't bother me.

No doubt there are WW2 experts picking holes in SS-GB. I wonder if they spot the teensy fault that I noticed - Britain won WW2...

BugBear

Couldn't agree more.

I worked in the film industry for twenty odd years, there's a general tendency amongst film makers to try and avoid showing actors using tools, playing musical instruments, etc. It's less about accuracy but more that it tends to fracture an actor's ability to keep themselves in character, it makes the actor feel exposed in a way that can impair their confidence in their own performance. In the barn raising scene in "Witness" the director had Harrison Ford banging in nails, but only because he'd been a site carpenter for many years before he got his big break, the scene really works well. Compare that to the BBC's recent adaptation of War & Peace, the Jim Broadbent character is shown operating a lathe, he clearly hasn't got a clue. I couldn't care less about the technical accuracy, but I did care that the performance quality of an outstanding actor like Jim Broadbent seemed to take a dip in those particular scenes.

Incidentally, if you're ever tempted to send a smarty pants letter to a film studio about some continuity error or historical inaccuracy, then don't waste your time. I can tell you from first hand experience that those letters go straight into the round filing cabinet accompanied by a repetitive jerking motion of the right hand.

 

[treeturner123]

Hi All

Part of the issue with period TV film is the time allocated for each shot. I was an extra many years ago for a period drama - 1920s - outside. We had to stop every few minutes due to planes etc even though the road was controlled by the police. The largest group of the team were the props who painted out road markings, hid a waste basket with brambles that hey cut from close by etc. The shoot took 4 hours and was less than 5 mins on the TV screen (so short I almost missed it!!). The cost of waiting till EVERYTHING is right would be disproportionate for a TV company. Cinema should, though not always is, different. Who hasn't seen watches on actors wrists in fantasy or medieval dramas! I think I'm right in saying that in the old film 'Vikings' a van can be seen on the other side of the loch!

However, I do wish that programs would get history correct. I'm sure that the recent, otherwise excellent, series on dogs implied that having dogs as pets started with the Dandy Dinmont in Regency times in the UK. My recollection is that, apart from anything, Mary Queen of Scots had here pet dog with here when she was executed (the dag was saved!) and surly there are plenty of portraits from much earlier times showing people with pet dogs?

Never mind, it give everyone something active to do ie shout at the TV!!!

Phil

 

[bugbear]

I worked in the film industry for twenty odd years, there's a general tendency amongst film makers to try and avoid showing actors using tools, playing musical instruments, etc. It's less about accuracy but more that it tends to fracture an actor's ability to keep themselves in character, it makes the actor feel exposed in a way that can impair their confidence in their own performance. In the barn raising scene in "Witness" the director had Harrison Ford banging in nails, but only because he'd been a site carpenter for many years before he got his big break, the scene really works well. Compare that to the BBC's recent adaptation of War & Peace, the Jim Broadbent character is shown operating a lathe, he clearly hasn't got a clue. I couldn't care less about the technical accuracy, but I did care that the performance quality of an outstanding actor like Jim Broadbent seemed to take a dip in those particular scenes.

Interesting point - another example of exploiting a skill the actor happens to have
was Hugh Laurie playing the piano as Bertie Wooster. Added nicely to the character.

(it's surprisingly difficult to get an actor to fake playing the piano, even if you can't
see their hands)

BugBear

 

[Sheffield Tony]

I worked in the film industry for twenty odd years, there's a general tendency amongst film makers to try and avoid showing actors using tools, playing musical instruments, etc. It's less about accuracy but more that it tends to fracture an actor's ability to keep themselves in character, it makes the actor feel exposed in a way that can impair their confidence in their own performance. In the barn raising scene in "Witness" the director had Harrison Ford banging in nails, but only because he'd been a site carpenter for many years before he got his big break, the scene really works well. Compare that to the BBC's recent adaptation of War & Peace, the Jim Broadbent character is shown operating a lathe, he clearly hasn't got a clue. I couldn't care less about the technical accuracy, but I did care that the performance quality of an outstanding actor like Jim Broadbent seemed to take a dip in those particular scenes.

Someone mentioned Poldark earlier. That scything. The notable thing for many viewers may have been the lack of a shirt, but for anyone who has ever wielded a scythe, the thought was "What on earth is he doing ??!". Contrast the 2012 film Anna Karenina, which used extras recruited at a scythe festival.

 

[monkeybiter]

In the barn raising scene in "Witness" the director had Harrison Ford banging in nails, but only because he'd been a site carpenter for many years before he got his big break, the scene really works well. Compare that to the BBC's recent adaptation of War & Peace, the Jim Broadbent character is shown operating a lathe, he clearly hasn't got a clue.

I was surprised when watching John Lithgow building a coffin [IIRC] in an episode of Dexter, he looked to me like he knew what he was doing when planing a board by hand. As you say it's unusual and glaringly obvious when it's wrong.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

How often do you see someone using a handsaw with their index finger straight?

 

[whiskywill]

Mmm......You might all want to consider getting out more!!

Please don't steal my topic. This is about historical accuracy not rambling or mountain walking or shopping or anything else you might do outside and, if everybody got out more, there wouldn't be a forum.

Moderators should know better.

There now, some more pedantry.

 

[Keithie]

Its good and normal to bea pedant ... paying attention to detail is a pretty important core skill isnt it ? Those who domt pay attention to detail in a pedantic manner ...for example being aciduous as to which side of the road you're driving ...are gonna get filtered out by evolution pretty pronto.

My background used to be maths ...lol.. you're gonna need to be pedantic or just fail there. I went on to be an industrial fortran programmer with a focus on modelling nuclear (gas) reactor core dynamics in seismic conditions. I'm just guessing here but I reckon that the approach of failing to pay any attention to detail in that kind of job may not have been too well received by anyone!

anyway ...without pedantry we couldnt have health & safety rules!

 

[RossJarvis]

I'm a pendant too. I don't get out much.......I just hang around at home.

 

[bugbear]

Its good and normal to bea pedant ... paying attention to detail is a pretty important core skill isnt it ? Those who domt pay attention to detail in a pedantic manner ...for example being aciduous as to which side of the road you're driving ...are gonna get filtered out by evolution pretty pronto.

My background used to be maths ...lol.. you're gonna need to be pedantic or just fail there. I went on to be an industrial fortran programmer with a focus on modelling nuclear (gas) reactor core dynamics in seismic conditions. I'm just guessing here but I reckon that the approach of failing to pay any attention to detail in that kind of job may not have been too well received by anyone!

anyway ...without pedantry we couldnt have health & safety rules!

Your post has several grammatical, typographical and syntactic errors, and is poorly punctuated.

BugBear

 

[Keithie]

Its good and normal to bea pedant ... paying attention to detail is a pretty important core skill isnt it ? Those who domt pay attention to detail in a pedantic manner ...for example being aciduous as to which side of the road you're driving ...are gonna get filtered out by evolution pretty pronto.

My background used to be maths ...lol.. you're gonna need to be pedantic or just fail there. I went on to be an industrial fortran programmer with a focus on modelling nuclear (gas) reactor core dynamics in seismic conditions. I'm just guessing here but I reckon that the approach of failing to pay any attention to detail in that kind of job may not have been too well received by anyone!

anyway ...without pedantry we couldnt have health & safety rules!

Your post has several grammatical, typographical and syntactic errors, and is poorly punctuated.

BugBear

lol..epic irony!

edit : its probably too obscure for most folk to notice ...but gas cooled core reactors were supersded by water reactors in part due to fears over core movement in seismic conditions. The Japanese Fukushima reactor was, of course, one of the then new water (albeit light water) reactors ...obviously the then pedantry over reactor cooling type being vital in seismic conditions didnt turn out quite so well when foreseeable quakes came!

 

[Beau]

Sound effects on natural history programs. The one that I am thinking of is every time you see a blizzard there is a howling noise. Now I have been in a few blizzards but not once heard the sound effect they use. In fact snow tends to suppress noise. They never add it when there is sandstorm.

As a dyslexic I am sure I have left some grammatical errors for other pedants to get their teeth in to.

 

[Jake]

. I wonder if they spot the teensy fault that I noticed - Britain won WW2...

No it did not. It was on the winning side but that is hardly the same thing.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

One of my distant ancestors was Which Tyler, Leader of The Pedant's Revolt

Actually, just to be pedantic, it was What Tiler.

Apparently, Kevin the Sparky wanted to join the revolt, but being pedants they told him he'd have to wait until the 20th century.

 

[John Brown]

"What Tiler."
I think you're right, I've seen him at the newsagents.

 

[otter]

My family think I am a pedant too, but I just like accuracy and hate sloppiness and a lack of attention to detail. A few years ago Nokia brought out a new mobile phone which was supposed to be really rugged and bombproof. They had a photo of it in a forest next to a Husqvarna chainsaw, both of them on the ground. Only problem was that the picture of the chainsaw had been reversed before being photoshopped and they turned it into a left handed chainsaw! Pretty ironic considering Husqvarna are also a Swedish company. I pointed this out to the Nokia rep on the stand at the exhibition I was at and he looked pretty embarrassed. Don't know if they ever scrapped that brochure or if someone got a bollocking, but it sure was funny. Wish I had kept the brochure now.

Why was it ironic?