Like, from a cinematography standpoint? If you have shitty actors, shitty costume design, a shitty story or shitty dialogue, that’s one thing, but why do some tv shows seem like they are just filmed so poorly, with no depth to the images, and a very…I don’t know, “non-cinematic” look?
So many times I try to get into a tv show and I just can’t because the filming style makes it look so, so fake. More like I’m watching a play than an edited and polished piece of video entertainment. I notice this most often with sci-fi or horror tv shows.
Is it really just a matter of not having a high enough budget to pay for highly skilled camera operators and editors? Is it just inexperienced filmmaking on the director’s part?
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Backlighting of actors is a major factor and it doesn’t happen on shows with larger sets, or shows that are recorded on film often. Another thing that happens a lot is that the sets are evenly lit so they can film multiple angles at once. This is for speed of filming, but it also makes everything look bland.
Basically, tv, and especially low budget tv, is on a smaller budget and tight deadlines, so they don’t move the lights around between takes or camera angles, at least, when possible. This makes everything look bland and cheap.
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