Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2008 December 20

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December 20

Poker Face

In 2 of the youtube videos (one of them actually has the song), at the end of Lady Gaga's above song, there is a woman in a blue dress/suit; it looks like she's in a music video and her song is electronic, or similar in genre to Lady Gaga's Poker Face. So at these scenes, she is leaning against the wall, her back would be facing away from our left eye, her left foot is like raisedresting on the wall. The woman looks like she might be subsaharan African, or part subsaharan African. Her hair is black and curly, and almost updown to her elbows.96.53.149.117 (talk) 05:09, 20 December 2008 (UTC)

Who is the artist and the name of this song?96.53.149.117 (talk) 05:11, 20 December 2008 (UTC)

One shot versus multiple

This is a question about film-making terminology. Suppose you have a scene shot using two cameras. The two (originally continuous) takes are cut up and interleaved during editing. Is each of the segments now considered a separate shot? Or are the segments originally shot by the same camera (together) still considered a single shot? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.114.98.236 (talk) 09:01, 20 December 2008 (UTC)

Gosh darn it was about to point out this isn't an alcohol related board...  ;-) No idea sorry just saw the title of the question and thought there might be some fun drinking story here... Gazhiley (talk) 10:04, 20 December 2008 (UTC)

As always with words, a lot depends on context. If you're discussing the camera angles and the lighting of the sequence you describe, the segments shot by the same camera would probably be referred to as the same shot. But if you're talking about the editing, it might be better to say they're different shots from the same take. 194.171.56.13 (talk) 11:44, 20 December 2008 (UTC)

It does count as 2 separate shots. Sitcoms are often shot like this (or even with 3 cameras at a time). 82.35.193.236 (talk) 00:42, 23 December 2008 (UTC)

CSI Miami graphics

During the beginning of each episode some coding very quickly appears and morphs into the credits for the first four main characters. Does it mean anything and what is it for? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Frustrated curious kat (talk • contribs) 14:40, 20 December 2008 (UTC)

It's math equations for the actors names. IMDB gives a list here SN0WKITT3N 21:57, 21 December 2008 (UTC)

Well, I would say those math equations don't *equal* those names. It's just a graphic style. Like the glyph in the Matrix code titles don't really mean anything. --70.167.58.6 (talk) 00:46, 22 December 2008 (UTC)

Differences between Hollywood-style and French movies

I've seen several French movies that have quite a different style than typical Hollywood movies. Some of the differences I've noticed are:

• Hollywood movies tend to have a quicker tempo — shorter shots, shorter pauses between lines in a dialog, etc
• French movies have more quiet scenes, and more scenes without background music
• French movies have more shots with stationary cameras — the camera seems almost always moving in Hollywood movies
• Hollywood movies tend to have more beautiful people — French movies seem to have ordinary-looking people more often

Are these observations generally accurate? What are some other differences between the two styles? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.114.98.236 (talk) 16:53, 20 December 2008 (UTC)

A quote I've heard: "In an American movie, you know how it will end before it begins, in a British movie, you don't know how it will end until it's over, in a French film you don't know how the story will end even after the movie is over." StuRat (talk) 17:44, 20 December 2008 (UTC)

Or, as Jean-Luc Godard said, "a story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end... but not necessarily in that order." Back to the original question, yes, I think these observations hold (especially the second one, the horror vacui with which American filmmakers fill their soundtracks seems nearly pathological from my European pov) but with some exceptions, of course. 194.171.56.13 (talk) 19:54, 20 December 2008 (UTC)

Why ghost stories at Christmas?

Curiosity about the "scary ghost stories" In the Christmas carol "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" led me to google it, and I was intriuged to learn about M.R. James. I always thought it was just a reference to Dickens' A Christmas Carol, especially after the great presentation of the Ghost of Christmas Future rising up out of the stage, and Scrooge's reaction, when I first saw it, about 8 or 9, at the theater. So, this was quite interesting.

However, I'm curious as to why it became a tradition in the first place. I always associate the ghost story with Halloween, and while I can understand wanting something to escape the bustle of the holiday, it certainly wasn't anything like today back then. And, scary stuff just seems odd.Somebody or his brother (talk) 19:02, 20 December 2008 (UTC)

Don't forget The Nightmare Before Christmas. People get sick of all the cute Xmas stories and want something a bit "different". StuRat (talk) 19:08, 20 December 2008 (UTC)

Is that why Valkyrie is opening on Christmas day? Clarityfiend (talk) 23:01, 20 December 2008 (UTC)

And the Christian faith is steeped in a rich tradition of the walking dead. Nimur (talk) 02:24, 21 December 2008 (UTC)

...and the Holy Ghost. StuRat (talk) 16:47, 23 December 2008 (UTC)

The depths of winter, when nights are longest and nothing's growing to keep people in the fields, has probably always been a time to sit around a hearth and tell spooky stories. Little Mamillius in The Winter's Tale, you'll recall, said (with some interruptions from his mum), "A sad tale's best for winter: I have one of sprites and goblins. There was a man dwelt by a churchyard …" And the specific association with Christmas in England dates at least to early Victorian times, when Dickens, even before running Scrooge through his paces, had Mr. Wardle tell "The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton" at a Christmas Eve party in The Pickwick Papers. Then ghost stories became regular features in the Christmas numbers of British magazines throughout the nineteenth century. Here's an article that appeared a few days ago in a British paper, touching on the subject. Deor (talk) 04:34, 21 December 2008 (UTC)

I should add that, if you can manage to dig up a copy, E. F. Bleiler's introduction (titled "Mrs. Riddell, Mid-Victorian Ghosts, and Christmas Annuals") in the Dover Collected Ghost Stories of Mrs. J. H. Riddell contains some interesting and well-informed thoughts on the history of the ghost-Christmas connection. Deor (talk) 21:45, 21 December 2008 (UTC)