Interesting, what with the Oscars and all, I've been asked to review a screenplay that has some (somewhat far-fetched) technical content so the movie maker can avoid any really bad eye-rolling technical goof-ups.
What's the worst error(s) you've seen or heard in a movie? You know, the kind where it's just impossible to suspend disbelief and enjoy the show..
Best regards, Spehro Pefhany
-- "it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward" speff@interlog.com Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com
Watch on a caveman
The ones where they fly through the core of a planet spring to mind...
Or flying through an "asteroid belt" with the asteroids bouncing off the spaceship.
Seem to recall a thunderbirds episode where they landed on the sun. Was a bit hot I expect.
-- John Devereux
As the joke goes, the trick is to go at night.
I remember a movie where they showed a shot of a PCB EDA program (Mentor, maybe) at work routing a board with the actor exclaiming "Amazing, a computer searching for a bomb!".
Best regards, Spehro Pefhany
-- "it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward" speff@interlog.com Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com
On a sunny day (Mon, 25 Feb 2013 05:34:22 -0500) it happened Spehro Pefhany wrote in :
Movies and picjures are REAL.
Remember the China Syndrome, while they were working inside a trip system cabinet to try to trip the reactor. Director apparently didn't think it looked techy enough, so they added a CRO with a squarewave on the screen.
Yes, and every computer screen in a movie before 2000 had some faked-up huge-text dialog instead of a normal actual program.
Too many people know what typical GUIs look like now, so they don't do it so much. Instead they are always apple macs, even though ~90% are PCs in real life.
-- John Devereux
Oh, and the "7-segment" font was always some Mac (?) segment-style font that had more than 7 segments (like a tail on the top of the '1').
In the good old days, I think they shopped a lot for props at C&H Surplus in Pasadena.
Best regards, Spehro Pefhany
-- "it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward" speff@interlog.com Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com
All bombs must have red seven-segment LED down-counters which never get to zero.
But anything James Bond is usually absurd - the wristwatch on which you can twist a dial and turn it into a magnet which will pick up a handgun from a few metres away.
Cheers
-- Syd
On a sunny day (Mon, 25 Feb 2013 11:24:29 +0000) it happened John Devereux wrote in :
I have seen a 'reconstruction' of the Japan earthquake nuclear accident, The story goes that they powered the reactor control electronics from car batteries for a while, as the generators were flooded. In that movie they put a big alligator clip like for car battery jump start on a
280 or so pin QFPGA. WOW!
Whenever wires come into play they always screw up like Jan Panteltje already more or less pointed out.
-- Failure does not prove something is impossible, failure simply indicates you are not using the right tools... nico@nctdevpuntnl (punt=.) --------------------------------------------------------------
The content on a monitor picture projected on the operators face
Where to start?
Computers that make those "ticky-ticky" noises when they work.
The CSI departments scattered around the country that actually have money for buildings, furniture, and computer systems (the four foot square light table that's all touch-screen -- I'm sure that fits easily into any PD's budget).
All high-speed collisions end in a ball of flame.
Humans can get flung 20 feet through the air, impact a wall, slide down to the ground, and never come out of it worse than mildly stunned.
Oddly enough, I know full well that woman police detectives, coroners, and attorneys are not all young, and do not all show up to work every day with perfect hair and makeup, wearing clothing that shows plenty of leg and cleavage. Yet this does not bother me on the TV shows...
-- Tim Wescott Control system and signal processing consulting www.wescottdesign.com
I need to be drugged or inebriated before I can ignore the science fiction.
Long ago, I went to see The Poseidon Adventure with a class of students from the Naval Postgraduate Skool in Monterey. I didn't catch all the mistakes that a nautical engineer was expected to notice, but there were plenty. Unfortunately, I couldn't easily ask what was happening as they were almost continuously howling and laughing during the movie.
More recently, there was the movie Twister. Near the end the hero and heroine dive into a water well and hang on while the tornado tries to suck them out of the well. Just one problem. Where was the air blowing from the bottom of the well coming from? I was at Costco watching parts of the movie pointing out other physics errors when a
13 year old asked me to stop because I was ruining the movie. Now I know which is more important, physics or entertainment.For electronic specific mistakes, I'm always impressed at how easily radio, cellular, and wireline communications works under adverse conditions. There might be a geomagnetic storm, ready to devastate the planet, but HF communications still seems to be functional. I'm also amazed at how well radio direction finders work on the screen. Of course, no evil genius would be considered effective without the requisite console full of confusing flashing lights.
What impresses me most are the pyrotechnics and explosions produced by failing electronics. When I blow something up, there's maybe a small pop and a small puff of toxic fumes. On the screen, it's more like a major pyrotechnics display. Amazingly, nothing ever seems to catch fire on screen.
Google for "movie mistakes". There are plenty of web sites with film clips and details.
-- Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
Indeed. I'd be the first to notice all the inconsistencies and errors against physics in movies, but at least I have the decency not to point them out aloud. People go to movies to be entertained; Not to learn physics.
I agree that some of the grossest blunders spoil the fun for me, but I'd hate to be in the same theatre with some wise crack pointing out the errors. Not that I ever go to movies anymore: I can't stand the popcorn crunchers either.
Sigh. I suppose one's stock of patience with such things runs out on getting older.
Jeroen Belleman
How about racks of Tek TM5000s on Battle Star Galactica(?).
The bottom of the well, obviously.
I would guess that in a movie theater that a physics lesson wouldn't be appropriate anymore than watching "Twister" would be in a college physics lecture.
This, of course, is dependant on the writer's need for the characters to communicate. A blackout is often more useful.
It seems Joerg doesn't share your calm life.
Mistakes are different than suspension of disbelief. If the writer was bound by the known physics it would make for some pretty boring stories; hardly science fiction.
An Italian made Sci-Fi movie where they yell, "Hit them with the lasers", then use flamethrowers inside a spaceship.
Well that was a British TV show, after all. :)
Now that's a snarky design review. ;-)
ElectronDepot website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.