"Bevan Price" wrote in message
...
On 31/03/2021 12:56, tim... wrote:


"Bevan Price" wrote in message
...
On 31/03/2021 11:49, Anna Noyd-Dryver wrote:
Basil Jet wrote:

filming a TV show called
#SecretsOfTheLondonUnderground during a lockdown

How is that an essential service?


It's work which he can't do from home. I don't think there's been a
point
at which non-essential *work* was forbidden (otherwise my friends who
run a
mail-order wool company would have had to close, for example). Or do
you
think all production of new TV programmes should have ceased for a
year?


Anna Noyd-Dryver


(OT) Well .... I would be happy to see all soaps cease for 50 years. It
might give TV a chance to devise some new, original dramas instead of
bombarding us with endless variations on the same tedious stories......

is your TV missing an OFF button?




No. It also has a channel change option. It is just that I wish there were
more options for original UK drama, instead of endless repetition of
things long past their sell-by dates.

So you really can't find anything of interest on one of the 57 channels
(with nothing on!). Either live or time shifted via your preferred method?

you're either very very very very very fussy, or not trying hard enough

"Bevan Price" wrote in message
...
On 31/03/2021 20:40, Recliner wrote:
Bevan Price wrote:
On 31/03/2021 12:56, tim... wrote:


"Bevan Price" wrote in message
...
On 31/03/2021 11:49, Anna Noyd-Dryver wrote:
Basil Jet wrote:

filming a TV show called
#SecretsOfTheLondonUnderground during a lockdown

How is that an essential service?


It's work which he can't do from home. I don't think there's been a
point
at which non-essential *work* was forbidden (otherwise my friends who
run a
mail-order wool company would have had to close, for example). Or do
you
think all production of new TV programmes should have ceased for a
year?


Anna Noyd-Dryver


(OT) Well .... I would be happy to see all soaps cease for 50 years.
It might give TV a chance to devise some new, original dramas instead
of bombarding us with endless variations on the same tedious
stories......

is your TV missing an OFF button?




No. It also has a channel change option. It is just that I wish there
were more options for original UK drama, instead of endless repetition
of things long past their sell-by dates.

Too many TV executives seem to take the lazy option of "more of the
same" rather than experimenting with "something different".


The soap operas get far more viewers than most original dramas. That's
why
they don't go away.


I find that hard to understand why. Must be a lot of people who like doing
/ seeing the same things, time after time, year after year. Personally I
prefer "variability" of my entertainment (for want of a better
description).

One of the things which I found surprising is, that if you look at the
ratings for rerun channels

you will find that reruns of reality-crap consistently out score, by quite
some margin, reruns of drama (all types) and documentary

I don't get it, but it's what the masses want

tim... wrote:


"Bevan Price" wrote in message
...
On 31/03/2021 12:56, tim... wrote:


"Bevan Price" wrote in message
...
On 31/03/2021 11:49, Anna Noyd-Dryver wrote:
Basil Jet wrote:

filming a TV show called
#SecretsOfTheLondonUnderground during a lockdown

How is that an essential service?


It's work which he can't do from home. I don't think there's been a
point
at which non-essential *work* was forbidden (otherwise my friends who
run a
mail-order wool company would have had to close, for example). Or do
you
think all production of new TV programmes should have ceased for a
year?


Anna Noyd-Dryver


(OT) Well .... I would be happy to see all soaps cease for 50 years. It
might give TV a chance to devise some new, original dramas instead of
bombarding us with endless variations on the same tedious stories......

is your TV missing an OFF button?




No. It also has a channel change option. It is just that I wish there were
more options for original UK drama, instead of endless repetition of
things long past their sell-by dates.

So you really can't find anything of interest on one of the 57 channels
(with nothing on!).

A good proportion of those would have nothing to show if Adolf hadn’t
invaded Poland.

GH

On 31/03/2021 23:38, Recliner wrote:
Like you, I've never watched them, but assume the fans find them some sort
of comfort blanket. I wonder, do characters in the soaps currently take all
the Covid precautions? Are the pubs closed, everyone wears masks, and
stays 2m apart?

There have been quite a number of articles on how they have managed to
record soap operas.

One technique is to use actors'partners for scenes needing close
contact, like "snogging". One recent article said that one programme
was having a problem so one actor rang his girl friend, who had done
some acting, she was taken on as an extra and substituted for the real
actress during the close-ups.

Always amuses when people will proudly say they do not watch soaps then
say they listen to The Archers!

On 01/04/2021 08:43, tim... wrote:


"Bevan Price" wrote in message
...
On 31/03/2021 20:40, Recliner wrote:
Bevan Price wrote:
On 31/03/2021 12:56, tim... wrote:


"Bevan Price" wrote in message
...
On 31/03/2021 11:49, Anna Noyd-Dryver wrote:
Basil Jet wrote:

filming a TV show called
#SecretsOfTheLondonUnderground during a lockdown

How is that an essential service?


It's work which he can't do from home. I don't think there's been a
point
at which non-essential *work* was forbidden (otherwise my friends
who
run a
mail-order wool company would have had to close, for example). Or
do you
think all production of new TV programmes should have ceased for
a year?


Anna Noyd-Dryver


(OT) Well .... I would be happy to see all soaps cease for 50 years.
It might give TV a chance to devise some new, original dramas instead
of bombarding us with endless variations on the same tedious
stories......

is your TV missing an OFF button?




No. It also has a channel change option. It is just that I wish there
were more options for original UK drama, instead of endless repetition
of things long past their sell-by dates.

Too many TV executives seem to take the lazy option of "more of the
same" rather than experimenting with "something different".


The soap operas get far more viewers than most original dramas.
That's why
they don't go away.


I find that hard to understand why. Must be a lot of people who like
doing / seeing the same things, time after time, year after year.
Personally I prefer "variability" of my entertainment (for want of a
better description).

One of the things which I found surprising is, that if you look at the
ratings for rerun channels

you will find that reruns of reality-crap consistently out score, by
quite some margin, reruns of drama (all types) and documentary

I don't get it, but it's what the masses want

Even more surprising are the figures for Talking Pictures. The most
recent I can find is 3.5 million weekly views with a wide age range
which suggest to me the main channels are out of touch with the audience.

On Wed, 31 Mar 2021 11:50:13 +0100, "tim..." wrote:



"MB" wrote in message ...
On 31/03/2021 09:59, Basil Jet wrote:
On 31/03/2021 09:53, Recliner wrote:
Basil Jet wrote:

filming a TV show called
#SecretsOfTheLondonUnderground during a lockdown

How is that an essential service?


It's work, which is allowed. In fact, reporters have been on duty
throughout the pandemic.


Reporting is an essential service. Making documentaries about the secrets
of The Underground isn't.


Lots of radio, TV amd film production has continued through Lockdown.

Must admit that it seems hard to justify yet another film about the London
Underground during Lockdown.

I think you mean:

Must admit that it seems hard to justify yet another film about the London
Underground



Not is it's not only Tim but also Siddy Holloway.

MB wrote:
On 31/03/2021 23:38, Recliner wrote:
Like you, I've never watched them, but assume the fans find them some sort
of comfort blanket. I wonder, do characters in the soaps currently take all
the Covid precautions? Are the pubs closed, everyone wears masks, and
stays 2m apart?

There have been quite a number of articles on how they have managed to
record soap operas.

One technique is to use actors'partners for scenes needing close
contact, like "snogging". One recent article said that one programme
was having a problem so one actor rang his girl friend, who had done
some acting, she was taken on as an extra and substituted for the real
actress during the close-ups.

I wasn't referring to Covid precautions on the shoot. I was asking about
whether the supposedly contemporary story lines include shut pubs, no
mixing indoors, staying 2m apart outdoors, and wearing masks?

Recliner wrote:
MB wrote:
On 31/03/2021 23:38, Recliner wrote:
Like you, I've never watched them, but assume the fans find them some sort
of comfort blanket. I wonder, do characters in the soaps currently take all
the Covid precautions? Are the pubs closed, everyone wears masks, and
stays 2m apart?

There have been quite a number of articles on how they have managed to
record soap operas.

One technique is to use actors'partners for scenes needing close
contact, like "snogging". One recent article said that one programme
was having a problem so one actor rang his girl friend, who had done
some acting, she was taken on as an extra and substituted for the real
actress during the close-ups.

I wasn't referring to Covid precautions on the shoot. I was asking about
whether the supposedly contemporary story lines include shut pubs, no
mixing indoors, staying 2m apart outdoors, and wearing masks?


Part of the problem with that is that scenes are filmed (or in The Archers
case, recorded) weeks or months in advance [1]. I don't know what the TV
soaps did, but TA (initially at first, anyway - I haven't followed later
developments) decided they'd be a fictional world without Covid - not least
because they'd need to re-record months of material just as it became
significantly more difficult to do so.

[1] TA will occasionally re-record one scene at short notice to mention
significant current events, but it wasn't considered practical to do that
for the entire output at 3 days notice.


Anna Noyd-Dryver

MB wrote:
On 31/03/2021 23:38, Recliner wrote:
Like you, I've never watched them, but assume the fans find them some sort
of comfort blanket. I wonder, do characters in the soaps currently take all
the Covid precautions? Are the pubs closed, everyone wears masks, and
stays 2m apart?

There have been quite a number of articles on how they have managed to
record soap operas.

One technique is to use actors'partners for scenes needing close
contact, like "snogging". One recent article said that one programme
was having a problem so one actor rang his girl friend, who had done
some acting, she was taken on as an extra and substituted for the real
actress during the close-ups.



Kylie Minogue recorded an online-only concert which has been livestreamed
twice so far; she, the backing singers, the dancers and the crew are all
socially-distanced on the set [1] - the exception [2] being those who are
in a bubble together, either in a relationship or more likely living
together in a shared house.

[1] The lack of an audience and the view being only through cameras
apparently allowed all sorts of interesting things which they couldn't
usually have done on a stage

[2] This was stated either at the beginning of the programme, or in an
associated 'making of' video, OTTOMH I can't remember which.


Anna Noyd-Dryver

MB wrote:
On 31/03/2021 23:38, Recliner wrote:
Like you, I've never watched them, but assume the fans find them some sort
of comfort blanket. I wonder, do characters in the soaps currently take all
the Covid precautions? Are the pubs closed, everyone wears masks, and
stays 2m apart?

There have been quite a number of articles on how they have managed to
record soap operas.

One technique is to use actors'partners for scenes needing close
contact, like "snogging". One recent article said that one programme
was having a problem so one actor rang his girl friend, who had done
some acting, she was taken on as an extra and substituted for the real
actress during the close-ups.



I wonder if arrangements with Equity have been relaxed or some had to join,
they used to be quite
strict at one time .

My one and only acting scene got around that as it was for a Brazilian
production company and I found myself as part of a burial at sea party
while we acted as a prop for an Italian emigrant ship to Brazil.
About 32 mins in .
https://youtu.be/VHupZR-GurE

The production was I suppose what we call a docusoap and had huge audiences
in South America ,
the lead actress was a lovely person , could speak four languages and no
diva like qualities at all.
She was equally happy prop building knocking bits of wood together with a
hammer which was another example of the relaxed attitude of the Brazilian
production crew.
She took a shine to a younger colleague and invited him to the ranch she
owned in Brazil where she bred horses, silly sod got cold feet and didn’t
go.

Graeme may be amused we had to remind an operator of a camera on a jib that
even no smoke was coming out of the funnel at that particular moment it
would not do it any good holding it above it being cooked .


GH