Foley Artist Faux Pas

[saggs]

I'm terrible at watching movies and TV.  People tell me I'm to critical of all the little things writers get wrong, or plots that don't follow.

Besides that one thing that drives me nuts is out of place or wrong sound dubs.

Here's one I saw just last night.

Bad CIA guy is lining up a rifle shot to kill a good FBI guy, when FBI boss lady sneaks up behind him.  The CIA guy knows the gig is up when, with the camera on him you hear the unmistakable sound of a hammer being cocked.  Camera switches to show FBI boss lady holding him at gunpoint... .... with her Glock ... ... 

Another one of my favorites .  Camera shows a Blackhawk transitioning to land.  But the noise is the unmistakable thump, thump of a Huey.   

Or there's the classic squealing tires, as someone spins the wheels... ... in gravel.

Do these things bug anyone else, or am I just weird?

[Dichotomy]

Well you're weird anyway but, yes, when it's an obvious screw up I cringe more than a little.

[100Coogn]

Over at IMDb they have a category of mistakes made in movies.
Here are some from National Lampoons Vacation.

Coogan

[Chalenge]

The problem is that the Foley artist is out of the loop and the sounds are canned. So, an editor is deciding what to use.

The one that bothers me is the sound of a sword/knife/cleaver being drawn, or picked up. Try to make that sound.

[Meatwad]

Over at IMDb they have a category of mistakes made in movies.
Here are some from National Lampoons Vacation.

Coogan

The part where they go across the poplar st bridge and get on I-70 in the daylight, and then suddenly are in E. St louis in the dark instantly in the next scene makes me 

How stupid can a director be, but it IS hollywood though so there may be a rule that one cannot direct unless they have had a lobotomy

[Serenity]

My girlfriend has realized she can ONLY take me to movie theaters to watch movies, because at least in public i have the courtesy to try to keep my mouth shut. Watch a movie or TV show with me at home, and it's a never ending stream of commentary from me on everything they've done wrong, from the wrong sounds, the wrong guns used, wrong airplanes or uniforms, bad tactics... (Me and a buddy DID almost get kicked out of a theater for Battleship, but that was EXCEPTIONALLY bad...)

[Saxman]

Keep in mind a LOT of these sound effects are down to audience expectation. We EXPECT guns to make all sorts of clicking and clacking noises.

Reality Is Unrealistic.

[rpm]

Another one of my favorites .  Camera shows a Blackhawk transitioning to land.  But the noise is the unmistakable thump, thump of a Huey.   

Getting helo sound wrong used to be pretty common. They would show a Bell Jet Ranger, Huey or other turbine powered copter and have the sound from a piston engined Bell 47.

[Brooke]

A lot of writers and movie people don't know much about real-world things (like fire, electricity, basic physics, how business works, guns, airplanes, cars, etc.).

One of my favorites:

Person is pointing semi-auto handgun at someone, threatening to shoot if he doesn't do what he's told.  The person doesn't give in, and the would-be shooter says something like, "OK, that's it!" and then racks the slide.

[Sloehand]

Aside from improper sound effects, I particularly watch for continuity errors between scenes.  Such as lady with a scarf tied with knot over the right shoulder, then split second later, new shot angle, scarf knot is over left shoulder.  Any thing that is noticeable in one shot and then completely different in the next.  I always mumble "Continuity girl", who's job it is to catch those things on set.  Yes, I've work in TV and Movies once upon a time.  CONTINUITY! 

[Saxman]

A lot of writers and movie people don't know much about real-world things (like fire, electricity, basic physics, how business works, guns, airplanes, cars, etc.).

One of my favorites:

Person is pointing semi-auto handgun at someone, threatening to shoot if he doesn't do what he's told.  The person doesn't give in, and the would-be shooter says something like, "OK, that's it!" and then racks the slide.

To be fair, the shooter COULD be racking the slide for intimidation rather than because they have to. I know in most movies/TV shows I've seen it use, the target usually starts to freak out and spills whatever the shooter is trying to get out of them.

Suspension of disbelief restored.

[morfiend]

Aside from improper sound effects, I particularly watch for continuity errors between scenes.  Such as lady with a scarf tied with knot over the right shoulder, then split second later, new shot angle, scarf knot is over left shoulder.  Any thing that is noticeable in one shot and then completely different in the next.  I always mumble "Continuity girl", who's job it is to catch those things on set.  Yes, I've work in TV and Movies once upon a time.  CONTINUITY!

 Sloe,that bugs me to no end!!!   I comment on it all the time and my wife hates it but even she notices these things now.

  Fav are,glass half empty then in next scene it's full...I need those type of glasses!   Or the door with a knob on the left then on the right in the next scene,wrong clothing,change of guns,etc. etc.

 Somehow to me the sound effects are pale in comparison,or they arent quite as important but a continuity fax pas drives me nuts!



   

[tmetal]

one of my biggest irritants is when they misidentify or mislabel the size or caliber of a gun. "we mounted twin 30mm Gatling guns on the hood of your mustang" yeah right, too bad even one 30mm gatling gun system is larger than your entire car

Plots concepts that don't make sense are another one. A race of aliens invade the Hawaiian islands but they only attack if under threat; wouldn't the whole concept of invasion be completely unknown to an alien race with that kind of core martial code/belief?!

I've found that going to watch movies at a movie tavern/bar is best for me; i tend to ignore the irritants better with a cold beer in hand.

[diaster]

I agree completely to the comments. I work in video, a lot. So try to imagine this.

Watch that scene with no sound.

It is called art because it may not always be true to reality. In some situations you need to create a feeling or set the mood. In the situation where that has to be done, gun cocking, sword being drawn, it is more about setting the tone of danger is close! In the gun comment a slide being racked (see this all the time) would have been more true to form, wherein any reasonable weapon handler would have one in the hole already!

Really want to get Star Wars ruined.... Their spaces fighters fly like airplanes in atmosphere, they completely tossed out newtons law! I understand that banking is more for g positioning and makes sense in that respect... However, only rear thrusters, you need 10