Rock Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 Camera angles can make a viewer dizzy http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentSe...l=1044442957278 CHRIS ZELKOVICH Maybe Don Cherry was testing the seven-second delay. His out-of-left-field rant against the ancient practice of awarding the rights of all players born in Kwee-beck to the Montreal Canadiens must have had the poor wretch manning the button in a panic. "We in Ontario didn't (have that right), but they did," Cherry said last night during the Leafs-Flyers game, before adding, "Oh, let's not go down that road." You could almost hear the sigh of relief coming from CBC control. What got Cherry in such a snit over a practice that ended 35 years ago is a mystery. Maybe his Leaf tie was too tight or maybe the mention of the Canadiens brings back too many bad memories. Or maybe he was a bit put off with some of the dizzying array of camera angles the hockey world has been watching during the playoffs. At the risk of sounding like an icy version of Salieri, the guy who said Mozart's music had too many notes, I must say that hockey coverage today has too many angles. At times you almost wish the glowing puck was back so you could find it. In recent years, hockey directors have fallen in love with close-ups, which is fine unless the close-ups come at the expense of following the game. Last night, for example, Philadelphia's Tony Amonte blocked a shot at the Leaf blue line. The next thing we saw was a close-up of Amonte, but we had no idea where he was, how many Leafs were back or if he had wingers with him. In the second period, we got a nice close-up of a Flyers defenceman taking a hit in the corner. What we missed was a giveaway that almost resulted in a Leafs goal. CBC isn't the only culprit in this. ABC demonstrated Saturday that it has a pretty good handle on mixing all those shots while missing plays. I'm not really sure what the point of all those close-ups is, especially the ones that show some guy from the waist up. We know what they look like. Directors would argue that they mix shots for the same reason people like me use different words. That's fine. After all, nobody wants to watch the entire game from that centre-ice camera, like we did back in the early days of TV. But cutting back just a bit might be worth a try. It's like those interminable close-ups of coaches and managers. CBC seems to have reduced those: Bobby Clarke didn't make an appearance until late in the second period. If that can be reduced, so can the wild mix of shots. Somehow, I doubt anyone sitting at home has ever said, "Gee, Martha, I sure wish they'd give us more camera angles." Most would say, "Just give me the game." CHANNEL SURFING, THE GOOD: CBC's mid-game world curling feature Saturday on the differences between Colleen Jones' team and Mark Dacey's provided some interesting insights, especially in light of the results. ... Best analogy: CBC hockey analyst Greg Millen described Tampa Bay goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin's foray into the corner as resembling "an octopus trying to set up a beach chair." CHANNEL SURFING, THE BAD: Isn't it amazing how much TSN's broadcast of the Colorado-San Jose game Saturday looked like ABC's? Oh, it was ABC's. ... Millen makes a lot of good points, but he should realize that microphones eliminate the need to shout. CHANNEL SURFING, THE UGLY: Worst interview of the week came from ABC hockey reporter Erin Andrews, who asked San Jose forward Jonathan Cheechoo four questions Saturday. Three ended with variations on, "What was going on in your mind when ... ?" The real question is what was going on in ABC's mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueNJ97 Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 CHANNEL SURFING, THE UGLY: Worst interview of the week came from ABC hockey reporter Erin Andrews, who asked San Jose forward Jonathan Cheechoo four questions Saturday. Three ended with variations on, "What was going on in your mind when ... ?" The real question is what was going on in ABC's mind. That's giving ABC & the interviewer credit for thinking. I wouldn't go that far. Would you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'7' Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 I like the camera angle lower, more level with the ice and closer to the action. If you ever see old games from Maple Leaf Gardens you'll see what I mean. The FSNY angles suck, way too far from the ice surface, and ESPN/ABC always screw around with angles as mentioned in this article, it takes away from the flow of the game as somebody watching it on TV, if the game has any flow to begin with. after a goal, sure a closeup of the coach or goalie & players celebrating is fine. But while the game is being played they should stick to one angle. Use the different angles only for replays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJayDevil Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 I like the camera angle from behind the net, especially on a PP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheeps Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 Atlanta's camera angle is great, so low you never need close-ups. Don't distract from the play, just follow the puck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expect_the_unexpected Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 the bad side is sometimes if the ice angle is too low you get a nice shot of the back of someone's head I like the camera angle from behind the net, especially on a PP. Me too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expect_the_unexpected Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 the bad side is sometimes if the ice angle is too low you get a nice shot of the back of someone's head I like the camera angle from behind the net, especially on a PP. Me too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
point Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 Those center ice camera angles depend on the arena. Some places the cameras are lower to the ice. I like them better too. I can't figure out why the devils seem to be wearing black uniforms from the center ice camera. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJD Jester Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 Put a camera in the roof so it's like we're watching NHL '94 on Sega. And then go behind the net on power plays. I like my hockey distant and voyeuristic.. <JESTER> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheeps Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 CBC has a Hockey Night in Canada Plus, you can switch camera angles (I think there are four) while watching the game live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ev0lemi Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 CBC has a Hockey Night in Canada Plus, you can switch camera angles (I think there are four) while watching the game live. thats it. i'm moving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinscurvy Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 (edited) CBC has a Hockey Night in Canada Plus, you can switch camera angles (I think there are four) while watching the game live. No sh!t? Too bad THAT's not available on Center Ice. You'd figure that since people already pay $159, something like this would be a VERY cool addition. I mean, they have 40 gazillion channels for Nascar IN car (or something like that) on Sundays!!!!!!! Edited April 26, 2004 by smokinscurvy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheeps Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 Hockey Night in Canada Plus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinscurvy Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 Sheeps, now I remember seeing some commercials for that over the season on HNIC. That's soooo cool!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteyNice Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 You can only get it if you have Bell cable. I have heard rumors, that Cablevision ppl would have to confirm, that they have a simillar deal for MSG and FSNY. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zamode Posted April 27, 2004 Share Posted April 27, 2004 The dizziness is more than likely caused by one of Cherry's ugly suits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'7' Posted April 27, 2004 Share Posted April 27, 2004 now that I'm more actively looking for it, the Avs/Sharks game has been all over the place with the camera angles. Cut to a closeup in the corner, closeup of the goalie, cut to closeup of center ice. it's very annoying. Somebody should tell ESPN to stop with this futuristic crap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheeps Posted April 27, 2004 Share Posted April 27, 2004 Yeah, the HNIC Plus commercials don't make it look so hot, the website does it more justice. Bell owns all. They are such a monopoly in Canada. Best phone, TV, cell, and internet with worst service and contracts in all four. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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