Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with TV and film

Someday we'll find it, the USB connection...

Doctor Suarez — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:21:59 -0800

Help me build a laptop puppet My friends/coworkers and I are about to start a video project and our idea involves a talking laptop puppet. Not an animated screen, mind you, but a mouth-flapping laptop.

Here's what I have figured so far:

-Buy a plastic dummy laptop like they use in furniture stores/model homes. (actually, buy two)
-modify/replace the hinges so that it moves really quickly. This would either involve new hardware or simple tape-hinges.
-mount on a cheap, thin coffee table (or substitute)
-drill through both laptop base and table
-mount push-rod through hole and connect to upper "jaw" of laptop
-hide puppeteer under table.
-install two blue LEDs to top front of laptop for eyes. (I was lucky enough to work with Muppeteers in the past, and I learned that puppets need eyelines)

Is there anything I'm forgetting? What is the best color laptop body for filming? I was thinking the silver model.

Currently, I can buy the dummy laptop at this site, but if I could buy one locally that would be a big help as time is short. (I live in LA. Does anyone know a local shop where such a thing could be purchased?)

If you say someone's funny are they doomed to failure?

Navelgazer — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:06:20 -0800

Are there any examples of stories where a character is depicted as super-funny, and that actually comes through in practice? Oftentimes, in movies and plays and tv shows, the story will involve one character's skills being trumpeted. Now, if this skill is something like ass-kicking or hacking or janitorial equation-solving, that's easy enough to show off when the script requires it. Sometimes, though, the story will require the creator to summon the same degree of artistic skill that is ascribed to the character, which is where this gets dicey and obviously, quite risky.

Sometimes the risk pays off. In Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along, the song "Good Thing Going" is endlessly promoted as just the best thing you've ever heard, but Sondheim backs it up with an actually achingly beautiful song. In The West Wing, Toby and Sam are frequently touted as amazing writers, but Sorkin actually shows us the soaring, idealistic speeches they make, and they are, indeed, pretty awesome.

Where this always seems to fail, however, is with comedy. When Sorkin tried to do the same thing on Studio 60 with comedy writers, for instance, it became the primary reason for the show's quick demise, because none of the viewers agreed. The same is true for such misbegotten projects as Man of the Year and Mr. Saturday Night. I haven't yet seen Funny People, so maybe that's the exception to this, but my question is: are there any examples of fictional movies about supposedly great comedians/comediennes where the character in question is actually, you know, funny with their act? If so, which ones? If not, why not?

Cry, Baby. Cry!

sfkiddo — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 21:06:00 -0800

I've seen a lot of TV shows/movies that have a baby crying (really crying, not dubbing in the sound). When I think about the filming process, it freaks me out. I'm hoping someone in the industry can tell me that they work around the natural rhythms of the child. Keeping in mind I am not in the industry, it seems that the script would say something along these lines: "Scene 415: Character X kisses Character Y, scoops up the crying baby that is in the path of a Mack truck, and unloads major firepower on bad guys."

Assuming TV/film schedules are even worse than the ones I'm used to, how are crying baby scenes done?

Same But Different Movies & TV Shows

Rykey — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:22:27 -0800

Looking for "the same, but different" movies or TV shows. Just made the depressing discovery that a TV script I've been working on (and am pleased with) has been done before. Not just "kinda similar," but the exact premise as a fairly recent episode of a hugely popular show.

I realize that this is not uncommon; ideas and story lines are constantly borrowed and redone, and this is all par for the course in Scriptland. I'm just trying to decide whether to scrap the whole thing and move on to something else, or to try to tweak my current script so that it's funnier/more clever/more original to the point of a viable "new" story.

So, my question: what movies/TV shows do you know of that have unmistakably, remarkably similar premises or story lines, but are distinct in their own right?

Not looking for examples of remakes (e.g., the two versions of Psycho); a good example of what I'm looking for would be Girlfight and Million Dollar Baby. Both about female boxers overcoming prejudice and their own fears, but each its own story, with differences in character, setting, etc.

What other examples can you think of?

Give us a clue?

Beardman — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:09:58 -0800

Can you think of any films that include a scene where the characters play Charades, or a similar party game? I've been tasked with writing a screenplay for, and possibly shooting, a short film about a rowdy game of Charades at a party. I'd like to see how other movies have done this kind of thing, as much to avoid repetition as for inspiration. Examples from theatre or TV shows (though no game shows, please) would also be helpful. Thanks!

Movie Scenes, As Seen on TV

joshrholloway — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:37:52 -0800

Have any movies ever filmed scenes during regular production that were meant specifically for the purpose of being used in a TV airing? Pretty simple question, I think. I couldn't find an answer on Google. I'm thinking of pivotal scenes in films that just could not be shown on television with any reasonable amount of editing, so the director shot a "self-censored" version of the scene meant to be included in TV airings of the film. What about additional dialogue or ADR specifically made for TV airings? I highly doubt either of these exist, but I'm just curious if the hivemind knows something I don't. Thanks!

I want to see more bad people

reenum — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 06:48:37 -0800

Please suggest movies, TV shows and books that feature unrepentant, amoral characters I was a big fan of Seinfeld when it was on, and now love It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia and Eastbound & Down.

The common thread running through these shows is a character or group of characters who are often selfish at best, amoral at worst and unrepentant about it. Also, the characters don't seem to have an epiphany that makes them "good", like the case with many movies and books. For example, I loved the movie Roger Dodger until the ending.

I want more of this. I'd love suggestions on TV shows (except Weeds), movies, and nonfiction books or biographies. I've read about such characters in fiction, so don't need recs on those sorts of books.

Thanks!

Don't leave the theatre yet...

niccolo — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:33:23 -0800

Here's a tough question! I'm looking for two examples of films/tv shows that have recipes (for cooking) in the on screen credits. Apparently Spaceballs is one (in the closing credits, the recipe for fudge brownies appears).
I need two more examples!

What are the best documentaries / movies on depression?

jfricke — Tue, 12 May 2009 23:35:39 -0800

What are the best documentaries / movies on depression? A friend of mine lately told me that after watching the movie Prozac Nation, she could understand much better what it means to have depression for me. I skimmed through the movie at YouTube and I don't think it is that great. I might be wrong but nevertheless I wonder whether there are any better movies/documentaries on the issue of depression. I really liked Stephen Fry's "The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive" and ideally I would like to find something like this for chronic depression. Any suggestions?

Looking for closed-captioned or subtitled media

desjardins — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 08:52:50 -0800

Looking for streaming (or downloadable) closed-captioned or subtitled TV shows and movies, preferably relatively recent and mainstream. Is there a repository of this stuff that I've been missing? I know Hulu has some CC media, but it's very limited.

Identify this (probably really awful) movie!

phunniemee — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:10:53 -0800

Identify this (probably really awful) movie! The scene:
We're in some land where people live before they are born. Apparently, you grow up here and age as you normally would until the day that you're born on Earth and you have to leave the before you're born world.
The scene follows a teenage boy (in a blue...toga?) and a teenage girl (in pink), both with dark hair (I think), who have fallen in love. Unfortunately, the time has come for one of them to be born, and now they have to be split up. (How tragic!)

It was something that came on TV, basic cable, when I was a kid (so we're talking early to mid 90s). My mom was watching it and it was just on as I walked in and out of the room, so I don't really know the rest of the movie. I'm pretty sure this is just a side story, though. The movie had a 60s feel to it, and for a long time I thought it was some scene from Jason and the Argonauts, as I had seen that movie about the same time. (I just watched Jason and the Argonauts last week, though. It's not Jason and the Argonauts.) But as far as color and style went, it could have easily been that. It's possible it could have been a Mystery Science Theater 3000 thing (my mom watched a lot of MST3K) and I'm just not remembering the mocking, but I went through the episode guide the other day and can't find anything on there.

As I've been thinking about this, though, I think this other random-scene-from-a-movie-I-saw-when-I-was-little might be from the same movie. Here's what I remember of that:
A man (and maybe his mom?) were on a quest (?), and come upon a fountain of youth. Or something similar. It was in this room surrounded by a bunch of young-looking people (wearing purple?). The guy (or possibly his mom) was about to take a drink from it, when suddenly the man realizes that, while all these folks hanging out in the fountain room are hot young things, they are also blind (omg!) and that's the price you have to pay for immortality.

It had the same (cheesy 60s movie) look and feel of the earlier scene, so my brain might be linking these two for that reason only, but I have a good feeling that they're the same one. Searching the "fountain of youth" "greek myth" and "blindness" movies on IMDB have turned up nothing.

This has been bugging me off and on for years (years!) so if you guys have any idea as to what the movie (or movies) is, I will heart you forever.

Yes, I know I could ask my mom if she remembers, but I'm almost certain she doesn't. If I asked, she would spend hours searching for it online using the same methods that I already have and coming up short. I don't want to waste her time.

Help me find a UK 60/70's fim from some sketchy memories

merocet — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:53:32 -0800

UK Late 60's/Early 70's Film/TV filter: I'm looking for a film or made-for-TV drama I remember seeing on TV as a kid in the mid/late 70's. It was set in the UK, possibly in a high rise block in a city and there's It featured as the main character a schoolboy who must have been around 11 or 12 years old. Main thing I remember is that he got into trouble when his mum or his teacher found a drawing he'd done of a topless woman (possibly his teacher). The feel of the thing is very similar I think to Ken Loach's Kes but there's a lot of fog in my memory separating then and now! There may or may not have been bullying in it and it's not Kes, If... or Ptang Yang Kipperbang. Any ideas?

Assholes in documentaries for the win

fire&wings — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:07:42 -0800

The greatest a-holes to ever strut in front of a documentary film maker's camera? I recently watched two great documentaries - Overnight and The King of Kong, both made awesome by the utter lack of self awareness of their subjects (Troy Duffy and Billy Mitchell) and the pure preening, arrogant asshole behaviour which repulsed and amused me in equal measure. What documentary films capture - without acting or other shenanigans - real self-important, cringeworthy assholes baring themselves on screen? If they face a downfall, great. If they get their comeuppance, even better.

Costume drama/Period film/tv recommendations?

katyggls — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 03:47:25 -0800

Help me make a list of must see costume dramas/period films/tv. I love costume dramas and period films/tv and I'd like to see more of them. Recommendations please? I like things with lavish costumes and elaborate sets that are set in any time period before say, 1920. I love the BBC and Masterpiece theater.

I tend to prefer movies/tv that have been made fairly recently, after 1985 or so, but if there's good ones made before that and aren't "dated", please recommend it. When I say "dated", I mean that when I'm watching the film I want to feel like I'm watching something from the time period it's set in, not watching a 70's movie set in 1870. For example, I watched a version of Jane Eyre that was made in the 1970's and I was really distracted by the 70's-ish hair of the actors and actresses.

On the other hand, I'm not that freaked out about historical inaccuracy or a movie differing from a book (if it's done with skill). So if it's a medieval piece and they're using forks I'm not going to care.

I like anything from historical dramas, to romances, adventure, even horror as long as it's set in the past and has awesome costumes for me to look at.

Some things I've enjoyed:

Pride and Prejudice (both the 1995 BBC version and the Keira Knightley version)
Sense and Sensibility (both the Ang Lee and the 2008 BBC version)
Merlin (BBC TV Series)
Cranford
Lark Rise To Candleford
Jane Eyre
Dracula
Little Women
The House of Mirth
Elizabeth
Shakespeare In Love

The Han and Cinema

the_binary_blues — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:47:11 -0800

The Han and Cinema I am working on a paper on the Korean concept of Han and how Han is communicated directly or through the use of trope in film and television. Of particular interest are films and television from East Asia, those which feature East Asian actors, and those which are set in East Asia. The definition I am seeking to support or reject is the idea of Han as: The pain of victims that has festered in their hearts for a long time. My ideas thus far: The West Wing (2003) Episode 504 - entitled Han. The Good Earth (1937) In addition to the plot of the film of interest is the fact Anna May Wong was passed over for the role of O-Lan and the pain and woundedness and the sense of "Han" she experienced. M*A*S*H (1972-1983) set in Korea but not focused on Korea. The Korean people are merely a silent witness in the series, they have no voice. If you have any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it.

Who owns rights to the use of the song in Film?

mary8nne — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 05:48:06 -0800

Can someone please explain how to get Synchronization Rights to a Cover Version of a song? Or who would have control of whether you can use a cover version in a film. For example, in say the Life Aquatic parts of the sound track use Seu Jorge cover versions of David Bowie songs (sung in Portuguese).

So who's permission do you need (who do you pay) to use a recording like that in a Film (I assume, TV, DVD, etc are the same)?

Do Mulder and Scully count?

coizero — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:07:06 -0800

I'm looking for movies and television shows that featured memorable, star-crossed heterosexual couples. The man and woman must either: a) never get together, or b) get together only to have everything go horribly. No long-term relationships or on-and-off again romances, please. Bonus points for obscurity, but well-known examples are also appreciated. Examples: - Red (K. Kieslowski) - Titanic Thanks for your help! :-)

What's this Movie?

keith0718 — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 01:35:26 -0800

Another 'What's this Movie?' Question 20 years ago, I switched on the TV late one night and I watched about 20 minutes of a movie which creeped me out. What I remember was a young woman pushing a young man into the water to drown him when they were sailing. I think he was part of a family to which she was becoming a friend. Later, there was a seen of her at a bedside talking to several people who she had presumably murdered, and who were lying in the bed under plastic sheeting. And that's really all I can remember. I know it's not much. Any ideas?

Film/TV: Cheesy music for a haunting effect?

TSGlenn — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 12:45:01 -0800

Looking for examples in film/tv where music that might normally be considered "cheesy" or "corny" is used to create an incredibly dramatic, memorable, even haunting scene/atmosphere... I'm thinking mostly along the lines of 70's and 80's music, but anything cheesy qualifies. The examples that inspired the question are:

In Nip/Tuck, a there are many instances of this style. One is the use of Art Garfunkel's "All I know" in the season 2 finale (seen here, particularly the last minute and a half.) Another good one is the dream scene in Season 2 using Carly Simon's "You're so Vain." Some Billy Idol songs also fall in this category, as do many other of the tunes played during the surgery scenes. Finally, Todd Rundgren's "Can We Still Be Friends" (seen here nsfw) is a great example. This scene is almost plagiaristically similar to the one in which the same song is used in the movie Vanilla Sky, another excellent example of the type of scene I'm looking for.

In Donnie Darko, the use of several Tears for Fears songs fall into this category, although here I'm thinking not about a particular scene but about how the soundtrack affects the atmosphere of a movie as a whole. Echo and the Bunnymen's "The Killing Moon" seen here also fits in this way. Last, the Sparkle Motion dance scene with Duran Duran's "Notorious," which is cut together with scenes of Donnie burning down the guy's house.

I don't want this to be confused with, for example, Tarantino's annoyingly exaggerated music choices.

So, I'm looking for more examples of this style - and, is there perhaps a term that describes it in any way?

Using DVD stills in TV commentary blog?

cortex — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 09:54:53 -0800

Incorporating still frame captures in a TV commentary blog: is it possible/affordable/practical to get general permission from the studio to do this? We're talking probably a handful of low-res stills from any given episode, captured from DVDs we've purchased. The project itself is an essentially non-commercial hobbyist venture, likely to have a positive (if any) effect on sales of the studio's own product if the nostalgia-equals-sales cycle functions like it usually does.

The stills aren't vital to the project (we could always just explain what was worth looking at), but they'd add a lot of pop and so it'd be nice to know that either

(a) it'd be possible to get an official okay from the IP folks without a huge attached pricetag, or
(b) that this sort of situation, left to coast under the radar, isn't particularly ire-raising.

Any information or experiences regarding (trying to) accomplish (a) would be great; any recent precedents or practical examples for or against (b) would be nice as well.

Are there currently any visible non-studio blog type projects using cleared or uncleared stills?

Film work in the US of A

mooza — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 07:46:31 -0800

Working in the US film industry as a foreigner. Please explain... Can the Hive Mind break down how the post production side of the film industry works in the States? The SO and I are looking into the possibility of working there (we're Australian). We are a film editor and sound editor, with credits in series TV (so no ads or corporates), although you know, they're mostly Australian credits. Aside from the frightening visa issues, which I'll save for another question, we just want an idea of how things run in general.

Are most things done on a freelance/contract basis? What sort of permanent work is out there (I figured it was like working for a big company like, say, MTV and being farmed out on their in-house productions)? Permanent work makes getting an E-3 visa viable for us. Do most people have agents? How necessary and how hard is it to get into the unions? I know LA is the place to be, but is NY doable? Have I broken MeFi rules by asking so many questions? Sorry, a little overwhelmed here.

We'll probably end up in London. But we can dream, can't we?!

Looking for fictional intragenerational incest narratives.

nobody — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:30:36 -0800

I'm looking for fictional intragenerational incest narratives -- books, film, television, etc. -- in which the relationship is presented as a tragic love, doomed to failure. I'm not interested in the probably more common (and more realistic) pure trauma narratives. The relationship need not necessarily be physically consummated. A few, as examples of what might count here: Geek Love, The House of Yes, The Royal Tennenbaums. Please, no intergenerational stories. That's gross.

Feed my nostalgia!

missjamielynn — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 14:57:08 -0800

Can you recommend any really good yet underrated 1990's tv shows that ended before their time? Since the writer's strike doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon, I've been escaping into dvd's of some older tv shows. After dusting off my My So-Called Life box set and plowing through the series, I'm reminded of how nostalgic I am for the 90's. Knowing that this show never made it past the first season, it has prompted me to feed this nostalgia and uncover other similarly underrated shows that never get a chance.

What are some tv shows/films from the 90's that you recommend I watch next?

British mystery TV shows/movies?

gentle — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 18:26:51 -0800

Great British mystery television shows/movies? My girlfriend and I are both rabid fans of good, old-fashioned British whodunnits. Nothing like a rainy Sunday curled up in the sofa to watch an insufferable amateur detective line up a bunch of eccentric upper-class Brits by the fireplace to expose their innermost red herrings: Poirot, Miss Marple, Jonathan Creek, Cadfael, Inspector Alleyn, Sherlock Holmes, Gosford Park -- we have pretty much watched them all, including numerous Agatha Christie movie adaptations. What else is out there? Must be British, or feature mainly Brits; extra points for smoking jackets, quaint little villages in Dorset, vintage automobiles and funny little Frenchmen. (We don't like modern police procedurals that much, though; Inspector Morse is all right, but not quite our cup of tea.)

Is the portrayal of CPR on tv/in movies totally inaccurate?

Nelsormensch — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 09:35:25 -0800

Is the portrayal of CPR in tv/movies totally bunk? I read somewhere that CPR can't actually return someone to consciousness, but rather just keeps them alive long enough to receive more advanced medical treatment. Is this actually the case, or could CPR alone revive someone? I've been rewatching Lost lately (with my gf who's never seen the first 3 seasons) and was reminded of something I read about CPR. I don't remember where it was, but the claim was basically that the portrayal of CPR on tv/in movies is dead wrong. Whatever this was said that CPR can't ever actually return someone to consciousness, but rather it merely serves to keep the unconscious' heart/lungs moving enough oxygenated blood to keep the brain from dying. This won't bring someone back to consciousness, but it will keep them alive until the paramedics arrive.

So, if that's correct, whenever someone on the island has been shot, strangled, nearly drowned, etc. and Jack brings them back with CPR, that's basically impossible. I realize that tv/film isn't a bastion of realism, but is that really the case? Is CPR useless unless more sophisticated medical care (crash cart or whatever) is available? Could CPR alone return an unconscious person to consciousness?