The rather confusing and cryptic "colors" post got me thinking of a related subject. What are some of the worst examples historically of shows that were shot on tape and really should have been filmed, or vice-versa?
One of the obvious examples concerns the half-dozen Twilight Zone episodes that were shot on tape in a cost-cutting move. A few of these are among the "classics" we revere, such as "Night of the Meek" with Art Carney as the drunken Santa Claus, "Long Distance Call" with Billy Mumy getting calls from his dead granny on his toy phone, and "Twenty-Two" (is not "Room for one more, honey" one of the most remembered lines of any TZ episodes?) And yet, whenever I watch these, I am discomforted by the garish lighting, harsh contrast, and tinny audio typical of early 60's tape production. It doesn't totally ruin these classics for me, but does diminish the experience a bit -- tape is just so wrong for the series. I almost have to mentally divorce these episodes from association with TZ altogether to appreciate them -- sort of trick my mind into seeing those 6 shows as a world apart from the rest of the series.
A lesser-known example: In 1977, the original cast of "The Addams Family" was reunited for a Halloween special. However, instead of using the original sets (or trying to recreate them) and shooting on film, the special was shot in an actual house, in color, on videotape! I was always a big fan of the show, and remember looking forward to the special, only to watch in disbelief, muttering to myself "This...is...just...SO...wrong..." To me, the Addams and their pseudo-gothic atmosphere belong on film, preferably black-and-white. (Yes, I know the classic gothic soap Dark Shadows was shot on tape, but at least they used lighting and such effectively to give it a darker quality, whereas the Addams special looked as garish and cheap as any lo-budget tape production would.) And I understand that shooting in B&W would have been anathema in the 70's, but even if the decision to use tape was necessary from an economic viewpoint, they could have muted the colors and used a bit more creative lighting to try to come closer to the original feel and look of the show.
Finally, I have to mention the first season of Newhart. Why does it look so "wrong" to me for it to be on tape? Is there honestly an aesthetic consideration there, or does the mere fact that I know it was an MTM production make me expect that it will be filmed, and thus the jarring dissonance I feel watching that first season?
One of the obvious examples concerns the half-dozen Twilight Zone episodes that were shot on tape in a cost-cutting move. A few of these are among the "classics" we revere, such as "Night of the Meek" with Art Carney as the drunken Santa Claus, "Long Distance Call" with Billy Mumy getting calls from his dead granny on his toy phone, and "Twenty-Two" (is not "Room for one more, honey" one of the most remembered lines of any TZ episodes?) And yet, whenever I watch these, I am discomforted by the garish lighting, harsh contrast, and tinny audio typical of early 60's tape production. It doesn't totally ruin these classics for me, but does diminish the experience a bit -- tape is just so wrong for the series. I almost have to mentally divorce these episodes from association with TZ altogether to appreciate them -- sort of trick my mind into seeing those 6 shows as a world apart from the rest of the series.
A lesser-known example: In 1977, the original cast of "The Addams Family" was reunited for a Halloween special. However, instead of using the original sets (or trying to recreate them) and shooting on film, the special was shot in an actual house, in color, on videotape! I was always a big fan of the show, and remember looking forward to the special, only to watch in disbelief, muttering to myself "This...is...just...SO...wrong..." To me, the Addams and their pseudo-gothic atmosphere belong on film, preferably black-and-white. (Yes, I know the classic gothic soap Dark Shadows was shot on tape, but at least they used lighting and such effectively to give it a darker quality, whereas the Addams special looked as garish and cheap as any lo-budget tape production would.) And I understand that shooting in B&W would have been anathema in the 70's, but even if the decision to use tape was necessary from an economic viewpoint, they could have muted the colors and used a bit more creative lighting to try to come closer to the original feel and look of the show.
Finally, I have to mention the first season of Newhart. Why does it look so "wrong" to me for it to be on tape? Is there honestly an aesthetic consideration there, or does the mere fact that I know it was an MTM production make me expect that it will be filmed, and thus the jarring dissonance I feel watching that first season?
