Tuesday, November 25, 2014

What's happening to TV drama?

First they became inaudible with mumbled dialogue - not a consonant in sight.
 One of the worst offenders the lovely Jake in' East Enders' - presently dazzling us with his twerking in 'Strictly.'
There is excellent characterisation from him as the hapless Max - but it's pointless if we can't interpret the mumbles and don't know what he is saying.

Now it is the plot which - many of us have lost watching BBC's 'The Missing' - a cracking good thriller with all the ingredients for a  first rate series apart from two missing factors: clarity and cohesion.

At the moment I'm all at sea - and I'm not the only one.  Is it perversity on the part of the authors - there are two of them?  It seems to be the fashion right now to jump around time- wise but apart from the occasional 'present day' sub title we are left to puzzle it out.

Ironically at the denouement - in three weeks time - I really shall be at sea - on board the Braemar so all will not be revealed. Not to me.

Lovely to see the great Diana Quick again though

Frances O'Connor and James Nesbitt

22 comments:

Mage said...

You will enjoy the Braemar a lot.

Me...I find I can't figure out the dialogue as the music is louder than the spoken words.

Kevin Musgrove said...

mmhrrmhnhrr. rrrhhnn a mf=mnhhmnh, oh nhhrrrnnr,,mmrmmrrmmrhh

[camera pans left to a haggard-looking actor staring at a haddock]

I think they're all aping the Nordic noir series but think that it just involves pretending to be the Swedish chef out of the Muppets.

Pat said...

Mage: how exciting that you know it. I'm liking it already.

Kevin: sub-titles would be great. I have a theory that the enormous popularity of the nordics is due to the fact that they are subtitled. Cuts out all the arguments about volume.

OldLady Of The Hills said...

I use my "CC" all the time.(Closed Captioning)....And I must say, even with that, I'm having trouble following some of the shows I am watching, like "The Missing".....
I seem to need CC more and more---and I'm sure it's partly my hearing, BUT, it's also the mumbles, as you mentioned as well as the plot lines seem to be becoming more and more difficult to follow.....

I love that you are going on this Cruise, dear Pat....it sounds like it is going to be a wonderful trip!

Kim Ayres said...

Sorry for not keeping up - are you off on another cruise? Hope you have a great time :)

angryparsnip said...

When I watch some UK mysteries (that I love) I put on the sub titles so I can understand what a few of the actors say.
So it is just not you.

cheers, parsnip

Cathy said...

I'm with Mage - music drowning out the words is a problem. For a while I thought I was going deaf so turned up the sound - that made it even worse lol
Totally agree withe the idea of subtitles - that I can do as long as the programme supports them.
Take care
Cathy

Exile on Pain Street said...

If YOU think YOU'RE having a problem imagine what we go through! I click on BBC America and feel like we're not speaking the same language. Still...it feeds my Anglophile needs so I have to do it.

Pat said...

Naomi: I keep forgetting about subtitles. I must use them more often.
The cruise will deal with Christmas - not the best of times - as you know when alone.

Kim: I'm afraid so and likely to be my chosen form of holiday for the foreseeable future. It's a place where the bereaved don't stick out like a sore thumb.
On my last I met a chum - in exactly the same position - except he is a man and he persuaded me to try a cruise he had already booked for himself and his teenage grandson. We communicate daily - by email - and chatter, gossip and moan - a daily comfort.

Pat said...

Parsnip: yes subtitles are a blessing I often forget about.

Cathy: how nice to see you. I can't remember how I discovered
Mage's blog but I
really enjoy it.

Exile: I do sympathise but we are meant to speak the Queen's English - Gawd 'elp us!

Granny Annie said...

I am never sure if it is my hearing loss or their mumbling but turning on the "closed captioning" is the only way to view a program these days.

About Last Weekend said...

Oh that's the one that keeps being recommended to me.
What a relief, I thought it was just our TV> You know what i don't like about our TV is that we keep not catching anything anyone says _ i've turned into my parents who are forever saying - "what did they just say?" plus everyone looks huge and wide, plus its too realistic with the HD, there, that's my moan,

Pat said...

Granny Annie and ALW: don't worry girls - you are in excellent company:)

neena maiya (guyana gyal) said...

I googled Jake in Eastenders.

Oh my!

Ohh mmmyyy!

rashbre said...

Some TV shows do seem to have poor sound. It was extensively commented on for a recent TV show which I'm sure also lost it viewers.

There's quite a few audio settings now between the TV itself and the various other set-top style boxes, so sometimes worth resetting everything to default?

I disable all the fancy sound for normal viewing and save it for movies.

rashbre said...

Ohhh. A second comment.

There's a game to play in Eastenders to count the number of 'meaningful looks' (i.e. a look without spoken words) scripted into an average episode.

It's usually massive.

Pat said...

GG: chacun a son gout:)

Rashbre: the words 'resetting' and 'default' tend to bring me out in a nervous rash.
That game sounds fun. I'll give it a go tomorrow night.

Anonymous said...

I love missing, I watch it twice, once foe me and once to explain to hubby whats going on :)

Pat said...

Helen: then he's the lucky one:)

neena maiya (guyana gyal) said...

Oui, oui ;-)

LL Cool Joe said...

I don't watch TV at all so I have no idea, but I have found as I'm getting older that dialogue on the few films I see on the plane, is getting harder to hear, but then my hearing isn't what it used to be sadly. Too much loud music!

Pat said...

Joey: I watch quite a few American series like 'True Detective'. I have trouble understanding the dialogue- let alone hearing it but the standard of acting and direction is so good I stick wit hit.