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What's up with 'All My Children'? (production quality)

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What's up with 'All My Children'? (production quality)

Old 08-24-06, 01:59 PM
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What's up with 'All My Children'? (production quality)

Alright don't be shy too reply too this thead.

A couple weeks ago when I was getting ready for work. My sister pointed out too me how different the show is production wise.

It looks cheaper than ever and is all handheld shooting now. The lighting looks bad,the sets look faker than ever,and it all just looks bad to say the least.

Anyway,my mom had it on in the kitchen this afternoon and I noticed nothing has changed regarding the handheld cheap looking shooting style.

I assumed a disgruntled ex-star trashed the sets and equiptment,since I remember seeing a thread title on a soap star going on a rampage. But it turns out that was in South America,so that doesn't explain the extreme change in quality production on All My Children.

So does anyone know what's up with it now?
Old 08-24-06, 02:13 PM
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Gonzo soap operas.
Old 08-24-06, 03:15 PM
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Originally Posted by kvrdave
Gonzo soap operas.


Originally Posted by Julie Walker
Alright don't be shy too reply too this thead.

A couple weeks ago when I was getting ready for work. My sister pointed out too me how different the show is production wise.

It looks cheaper than ever and is all handheld shooting now. The lighting looks bad,the sets look faker than ever,and it all just looks bad to say the least.

Anyway,my mom had it on in the kitchen this afternoon and I noticed nothing has changed regarding the handheld cheap looking shooting style.

I assumed a disgruntled ex-star trashed the sets and equiptment,since I remember seeing a thread title on a soap star going on a rampage. But it turns out that was in South America,so that doesn't explain the extreme change in quality production on All My Children.

So does anyone know what's up with it now?
Don't watch the show, so i'm not sure. But last week I flipped and noticed the incessant camera motion (think: taking an ocean cruise). I'm pretty sure they're not handheld cameras. In fact, it makes NYPD Blue look positively normal.
Old 08-24-06, 08:02 PM
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Well they seem handheld or a really bad steady cam 'floating' operation, since the cameras rocking up and down,side to side,zoom in and out without much purpose. Maybe the cameraman lost all care for filming soaps and is now doing his own thing?

...or maybe,yes it's a new gonzo style of soap opera making to set it apart from the others

Oh and soap.net replays the afternoon soaps in the evening. So check out a few minutes of an episode when you can,to see what i'm talking about. Just don't get caught up in any subplots since you know they go on forever. That is how soaps work and one of many reasons,I don't bother watching them. And only catch bits and pieces of them since my mom has them on all the time.
Old 08-25-06, 04:38 AM
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http://www.soapdom.com/index.php?opt...17590&Itemid=2
Old 08-25-06, 06:32 PM
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Thanks for the link,I laughed at this quote ,"Gone are the staid shots typical of soap operas. We are now watching MTV-esque, NYPD Blue-esque camera work complete with jerky motions and quick cuts. "

My mom is going to be angry when I tell her this is the new shooting style.
Old 08-26-06, 10:35 AM
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I was flipping thru the channels just last night and saw AMC on Soapnet. I stopped to watch for a minute or two and I noticed what you're talking about right away. I found it to be very annoying.
Old 08-26-06, 01:43 PM
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Just watched a minute or two on SoapNet, and it is awful.

Not to sound like an ass or anything, but it's like the cameraman has Parkinson's disease or something.
Old 08-26-06, 05:02 PM
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New Production Format Is Off to a Shaky Start
Posted Tuesday, August 15, 2006 3:59:35 PM

For the past few weeks, the "cam" on the lips of most All My Children fans has not been resident hunk Cameron Mathison. No, but according to some irate viewers this "cam" is a hunk of something else.


By now you've surely noticed the difference. Several thousand All My Children fans have contacted soapcentral.com over the past few weeks to ask one question: What's going on with the filming technique currently being used on AMC? In June, an AMC spokesperson told soapcentral.com that the new production techniques were used in conjunction with the "launch of ConFusion" and the appearance of R&B songstress, Rihanna. The new-fangled camera techniques were designed to give the show a different feel.


However, the spokesperson assured soapcentral.com that the new filming procedure was only being used for that portion of the story.


Now, nearly two months later, the same production value remains in place on the show.
"The way in which media integrates into our daily lives is changing at a rapid pace. As a result, the world is becoming more accessible and 'inclusive' than ever before," All My Children's executive producer Julie Hanan Carruthers tells soapcentral.com. "We want to embrace that spirit at All My Children by offering our audience, for the first time ever, the chance to follow the characters as they move through the emotional journeys of their lives

That new experience is made possible through the use of a type of steady-cam. For all intents and purposes, a steady-cam, or handicam, is an upscale version of a camcorder than many people use to record their home movies. These cameras are traditionally cheaper and easier to use than traditional cameras used in television production.


"We look forward to offering viewers access to even more unexplored corners (and secrets!) of Pine Valley in the future, and we appreciate the support of our loyal audience as we create this new and exciting addition to the All My Children tradition of great stories and dynamic characters," Carruthers added.


While fans have been critical of the new format, the new camera work has received high praise from the media.


"The special video process... added a grainy, cinematic quality to the visuals. The entire show had a classy appearance reminiscent of prime time and brought daytime to another level," says Soap Opera Weekly's Erica Brown.
Old 08-26-06, 06:23 PM
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Julie Hanan Carruthers is clearly insane.
Old 08-27-06, 01:43 AM
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Originally Posted by tucker
That new experience is made possible through the use of a type of steady-cam. For all intents and purposes, a steady-cam, or handicam, is an upscale version of a camcorder than many people use to record their home movies.
I stand corrected. Still sucks.
Originally Posted by tucker
"The special video process... added a grainy, cinematic quality to the visuals. The entire show had a classy appearance reminiscent of prime time and brought daytime to another level," says Soap Opera Weekly's Erica Brown.
Yes, and i'm sure Ms. Brown thinks the bars on the top and bottom of the screen take away from the picture. If Lost or My Name Is Earl adopted this "classy appearance", i'd drop them like hot potatoes.

Then again, they are succeeding in getting people to tune in.

At least in five minute increments.
Old 08-27-06, 03:50 AM
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Eh, at least they're trying something different, right?

Right?

Oh, come on, in five years all the soap operas will be using handheld HD cameras.
Old 08-27-06, 02:12 PM
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If the ratings keep going the way they're going, in five years all soaps will either be cancelled or exclusively on SoapNET.
Old 08-28-06, 01:51 PM
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i am not a huge fan of the change in production style in terms of shakiness, but the video quality is better...imo...i think they just need to get a handle on how to work it well. hoepfully this will happen soon?!
Old 08-28-06, 02:18 PM
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How different is set design now as opposed to the 70s and 80s? I just think that they are not familiar. The difference is in the past, I think they exposed to film, which made things look softer. Truthfully, I never expect soaps to light correctly since they have so much to shoot in so little time, so I really doubt the DP has a chance to change the lighting for each scene. Seems more static than anything.
Old 08-28-06, 11:01 PM
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The lighting and color looks worse in my opinion than before.

I always assumed they shot on video from how it looked before. It was definitely not a 'film/movie look' and definitely not 'home video cheap' look. But at least the lighting was decent and had tolerable quality too it. Yet now it looks like 'cheap home movie' quality regardless of what they're shooting on.
Old 11-07-06, 10:37 PM
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Alittle update, I had yesturday off and happened to catch a few minutes of the show. And it looks like they're done away with the excessive shaky cam,at least for the 5 minutes I saw.

Everything appeared stable,though still handheld,with the camera panning occasionally.

But overall it looked much better than the amature NYPD Blue style camera work from before. Of course there is no guarantee they've done away with that style completely and I don't care to find out.

Though in fact,the horrible camerawork was outdone in my opinion by The Path to 9/11 which was some of the absolute worst camera work I've seen yet. And I wonder how such cinemtographers get work? I'd fire their asses if they didn't know how to frame properly.

Of course the directors/producers could be telling the camera operators to be 'gritty' and by 'gritty',they mean excessive shaking and random zooms. Either way,that style is craptacular and some of the worst camera styles going today. So if the director/producers are pushing the camera operators on this 'style'. I'd fire their asses as well and hire someone with talent to make watchable media whether 'gritty' or 'classy'.
Old 11-08-06, 02:54 AM
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With the low ratings that most of the ABC soaps have, they probably had to return the camera for store credit..
Old 11-08-06, 06:21 AM
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daytime soaps have always had shitty quality

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