Jump to content

The English have one up on us.


Richard Ragon

Recommended Posts

For the longest time, I was convinced that we were the best at making TV shows.  But about 2 years ago, I started to realize that I think the English just might be better..  They beat us, at your own game, so to speak. Even some of the best American shows, are basically rips of their shows, brought to America.  Take the Office, Modern Family, and Shameless. All great shows, derived from England.

 

Then along came Sherlock.. Wow. More then just good writing, every shot a work of art.. Well done sirs on every level.

 

Then.. about 8 weeks ago, this little gem showed up!

 

BroadChurch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh-K3Za-Fyw

 

 

Wow.. Wow.. Wow.  If your a TwinPeaks fan, you'll see an amazing amount of similarities here. Murder of a local teen.. small town where everyone has secretes, and everyone is a suspect.. collaboration between the local sheriff and the outsider, with a past. There's even a bit of supernatural elements..

 

I think it's on HULU now.. but not sure.  The only problem with English shows. They are basically a mini series. A few episodes, and thats it.  I wounder if Twin Peaks should have followed this model?

 

So, my hats off to our English counterparts.. You guys have bumped it to the next level.. And, it's game ON now.

 

-Richard

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd add that to my taste and sensibilities their films are a notch or two above most of our movies. It certainly wasn't always this way.

CrewC

 

 

Any examples of your favourites?  I think The Wire, Breaking Bad and Deadwood (best show ever made IMO) have put the Americans in the lead for a long time yet to come - and that's coming from a Brit (albeit a Scottish one, hence my first comment in the thread)!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most films by Mike Leigh, Danny Boyle, Guy Richie, Sam Mendes, Anthony Minghella, Michael Winterbottom, Mike Newell, The Scott Brothers and many more are more to my liking than most of our roller coaster movies. That is a broad generalization of course but I like a good film whoever makes it.

CrewC

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think both the UK and the US produce some of the most original drama work in the world...and some of the worst!

We in Britain have languished for quite some time under the glamour of the extraordinary production values, high budgets and most importantly quality writing that US series can command - The Wire, The Sopranos, 24, Battlestar Galactica, Band of Brothers, The West Wing...our shelves creak under the weight of DVD box sets!

So it's nice to finally see us getting back on track with shows like Sherlock.

Broadchurch is frankly superb. Brilliantly shot, brilliantly written and brilliantly acted. One thing that drives me to distraction is the sound vs the cinematography. The series is shot with an abundance of very long wide takes and even the two shots are framed with giant amounts of headroom. Wireless mics are clearly used on almost everything, yet crystal clear on actors wearing all kinds of costume - frequently a suit and tie, standing on a cliff top in a high wind! I'd absolutely LOVE to talk to the mixer about how he coped with this stuff!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Any examples of your favourites?  I think The Wire, Breaking Bad and Deadwood (best show ever made IMO) have put the Americans in the lead for a long time yet to come - and that's coming from a Brit (albeit a Scottish one, hence my first comment in the thread)!

And I would add Walking Dead, Mad Men, and Curb Your Enthusiasm... all excellent shows created by Americans. 

 

I agree with Richard, though: Sherlock is an exceptionally good show -- and I'm a huge, huge Conan-Doyle fan. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And I would add Walking Dead, Mad Men, and Curb Your Enthusiasm... all excellent shows created by Americans. 

 

I agree with Richard, though: Sherlock is an exceptionally good show -- and I'm a huge, huge Conan-Doyle fan. 

 

Not seen mad men yet though I  LOVE IN CAPITAL LETTERS curb (especially the earlier seasons).

Jury is out on the walking dead imho but I do love the way that it's shot.  Nice to see some Brits on the cast though at first it was weird to see "that guy from teachers" rocking a sheriffs outfit.  I do think that the writing is a little off and the show suffers a tad from some odd creative choices.  Loved the graphic novel series though.

On the one hand I am glad to hear that our friends in North America are liking drama produced in Britain, however I have a love/hate relationship with a lot of our domestically produced drama.  Some really excellent technicians at work on all of these productions but for some reason I find that many British drama tv series lack authenticity.  I'm forever complaining about writing though!

And just for the sake of throwing it in, Kill List was one of my favourite movies of the past few years - a must for anyone who is a fan of the original Wicker Man or the horror genre in general...

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Broadchurch is frankly superb. Brilliantly shot, brilliantly written and brilliantly acted. One thing that drives me to distraction is the sound vs the cinematography. The series is shot with an abundance of very long wide takes and even the two shots are framed with giant amounts of headroom. Wireless mics are clearly used on almost everything, yet crystal clear on actors wearing all kinds of costume - frequently a suit and tie, standing on a cliff top in a high wind! I'd absolutely LOVE to talk to the mixer about how he coped with this stuff!

 

I was going to ask this same thing.. I would like to know how they did this, given the wide long shots, clearly wireless the whole time.

 

-Richard

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you think Broad

 

Yep, Dr Who and Sherlock both based in Wales .... so British will do fine  8)

I'm always impressed with how much of the action in a Dr. Who or a Sherlock episode obviously takes place in Wales...

:)

(At least with Torchwood you could actually see it was filmed in Cardiff.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

South Wales has been a hub for many quality productions in the UK for quite a while now. Television such as Doctor Who, Merlin, Torchwood and Sherlock were, and still are, made there, Wales has also been the location choice for Features such as Snow White and the Huntsman and Clash of the Titans. The location choices are just endless and the crew base is growing and very experienced.

 

Last year we also filmed the US TV series "Da Vinci's Demons" for Starz in Swansea, which has just been picked up for a second series. Hooray!

 

It has been a privilege to be a part of this resurgence in British film and television and long may it continue. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've always admired the Brits and their output.  They have had a high bar for sound quality since the beginning IMO>

 

Owing to the original post - Me and the missus were fully engaged in a great new BBC detective show called "DC Banks"...

We saw the whole series streamed via Idaho Public Television. 

 

It sounded great, looked great, and the scripts were very engaging...  but it had a very distinct attribute that was kinda appealing -

 

Each episode was 1.5 hrs...  not quite a movie,  and not quite a traditional episodic.   Thus, watching each episode was more like an "event" for us..   check it out.

 

MF

Link to comment
Share on other sites

DON'T TELL ME about Broadchurch.. Going to watch it tonight!

 

Mike, I know HBO has just had some amazing writing going on.. But I think that the English are beating us in other areas.  When you watch British work in camera angles, lighting, compositions, sound, and editing.. Wow!

 

-Richard

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...