Monitors or game boards?

[FeudDude]

I guess I'm showing my (young) age because I do tend to prefer monitors, video walls, and whatnot over the old-fashioned pull-cards.  Then again, I much preferred the old eggcrate score displays over the modern vane ones.  I guess I'd say that when it comes to game shows, I'm a child of the 80s and early 90s.  I also can appreciate TPiR's retro charms.

But all in all, I don't really care that much about little things like that.  I think as long as a game show has a reasonably attractive-looking set, and it works, it won't detract from the quality of the show.  And while I'm not of the opinion that a show's aesthetics don't matter at all, I do of course agree with the original poster that the game itself is always the most important thing.

[Game Show Man]

[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Apr 6 2005, 08:23 PM\']

If Osmond's Pyramid had kept using trilons they probably would have been laughed out of syndication faster than it was.

I don't know how you arrived at that conclusion, but in the 25+ years since I started working on game shows, one thing I've learned is that the only people this REALLY makes a difference to are the producers and a small number of savants who remember the date on which they changed the color of the carpet on the TPIR turntable.

[snapback]80826[/snapback]

[/quote]
You mean like a certain fellow who's initials are ZH?

[Jimmy Owen]

On a slightly related note, do you guys prefer having a car on set (a la TPIR), a film clip of the car rolling down the highway (TTD) or a miniature plastic model of a car (Hot Seat) or does that even matter?

[BrandonFG]

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Apr 6 2005, 11:29 PM\']On a slightly related note, do you guys prefer having a car on set (a la TPIR), a film clip of the car rolling down the highway (TTD) or a miniature plastic model of a car (Hot Seat) or does that even matter?

[snapback]80837[/snapback]

[/quote]

To me, a car on-set just adds a certain flair to the show. If I know the show offers a car and they just show stock footage (B&E shows/80s Pyramid), somehow the set feels "empty." Although in the case of stock footage, the car was just an occasional incentive, and not something offered every single show.

When HSq came back in 1998, I found it kinda weird that a car wasn't on-stage until the 2002 revamp.

[CarShark]

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Apr 6 2005, 10:51 PM\']Then how does TPiR fill their audience with college students every day?

[snapback]80833[/snapback]

[/quote]
Please.

1. Cute Models
2. Winning a car or cash with little to no pricing knowledge needed
3. Ability to be on TV and make a complete idiot of yourself
4. An occasionally charismatic host
5. "Bob, I've been waiting my whole life to say this...$420" (Though that would be under #3, though.)

There are plenty of reasons that TPiR is popular, and I highly doubt that the straight-out-of-the-seventies set is one of them. In fact, I would like to see how the younger set would react to Davidson's more modern, primetime-y PiR set. The stagnation is more likely for the Little Old Ladies that have been watching on their Admirals since Barker had black hair. Not that they help matters much.

[Craig Karlberg]

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Apr 6 2005, 11:29 PM\']On a slightly related note, do you guys prefer having a car on set (a la TPIR), a film clip of the car rolling down the highway (TTD) or a miniature plastic model of a car (Hot Seat) or does that even matter?

[snapback]80837[/snapback]

[/quote]


Definitely cars on set.  They add realism to the show & you knew exactly that you're playing for a car.  Seeing it on film leaves some variables as to the actual car being offered.  So, the on-set cars are my choice.

[Steve Gavazzi]

[quote name=\'CarShark\' date=\'Apr 7 2005, 12:34 AM\'][quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Apr 6 2005, 10:51 PM\']Then how does TPiR fill their audience with college students every day?

[snapback]80833[/snapback]

[/quote]
Please.

1. Cute Models
2. Winning a car or cash with little to no pricing knowledge needed
3. Ability to be on TV and make a complete idiot of yourself
4. An occasionally charismatic host
5. "Bob, I've been waiting my whole life to say this...$420" (Though that would be under #3, though.)

There are plenty of reasons that TPiR is popular, and I highly doubt that the straight-out-of-the-seventies set is one of them. In fact, I would like to see how the younger set would react to Davidson's more modern, primetime-y PiR set.

[snapback]80839[/snapback]

[/quote]

Given the five reasons you yourself just listed, I can't imagine why you'd think they'd give a damn.

[quote name=\'Craig Karlberg\']Definitely cars on set. They add realism to the show & you knew exactly that you're playing for a car. Seeing it on film leaves some variables as to the actual car being offered.[/quote]

...and yep, you're still an idiot.

[Ian Wallis]

I really felt uncomfortable watching Classic (Trebek) Concentration because the full-set shot included no hint of the game board. The board is arguably the most important part of the set, the focal point of the game, and yet ... it wasn't there!

And I have to admit, I loved the old, clunky, mechanical Concentration board.

Agree with the assessment of "Classic Concentration".  It always bugged me how the contestant or Alex would walk off camera, then they'd dissolve to a shot of him in front of the puzzle.  I would have at least liked to have seen a monitor with the game board in it - but it was probably done the same way most weather forcasts are done, by standing in front of a blue or green screen and using a chroma-key.

As for the old board, I liked it too but can understand why they made the change.  The old board required cutting the puzzle into 30 pieces and inserting them into the trilons on the board.  I've read on various sites over the years what a colossal pain that was!

[CarShark]

[quote name=\'Steve Gavazzi\' date=\'Apr 7 2005, 06:53 AM\']Given the five reasons you yourself just listed, I can't imagine why you'd think they'd give a damn.[/quote]
I don't know, I just think that might appreciate something different, unlike the aged LFaTs the show has.

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'CarShark\' date=\'Apr 7 2005, 01:34 AM\'][quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Apr 6 2005, 10:51 PM\']Then how does TPiR fill their audience with college students every day?[/quote]
Please.

1. Cute Models
2. Winning a car or cash with little to no pricing knowledge needed
3. Ability to be on TV and make a complete idiot of yourself
4. An occasionally charismatic host
5. "Bob, I've been waiting my whole life to say this...$420" (Though that would be under #3, though.)[/quote]
Your own point being that there are plenty of reasons to enjoy a game show besides cutting-edge computer graphics, and that low-tech alternatives are not by themselves a deterrent to enjoyment, and certainly not a reason to be "laughed out of syndication".

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\'Apr 7 2005, 08:23 AM\']

I really felt uncomfortable watching Classic (Trebek) Concentration because the full-set shot included no hint of the game board. The board is arguably the most important part of the set, the focal point of the game, and yet ... it wasn't there!

And I have to admit, I loved the old, clunky, mechanical Concentration board.

Agree with the assessment of "Classic Concentration".  It always bugged me how the contestant or Alex would walk off camera, then they'd dissolve to a shot of him in front of the puzzle.  I would have at least liked to have seen a monitor with the game board in it - but it was probably done the same way most weather forcasts are done, by standing in front of a blue or green screen and using a chroma-key.

As for the old board, I liked it too but can understand why they made the change.  The old board required cutting the puzzle into 30 pieces and inserting them into the trilons on the board.  I've read on various sites over the years what a colossal pain that was!

[snapback]80854[/snapback]

[/quote]

Of course, the change had to be made.  All I would've asked is that they built a set piece for a giant monitor to establish where the contestants were looking at.

Personally, I would've preferred having Trebek behind a podium, as well, rather than standing between the contestants all the time.  He kept having to shift around to allow the viewers to see the prize list behind him.  But with the exception of the car display, the entire "CC" set was not one of G-T/MGP's finer moments.

Otherwise, I can accept computerized readouts--just let me know where they're seeing them.

[14gameshows]

I prefer monitors because of the technology.  But this is a double-edged sword because the cpu that operates the game, can malfunction...and the manually operated game board can...malfunction as well.  Me personally, I like update technology on some shows like, Rafferty's Blockbusters, and classic manual items as seen on TPIR.  Doesn't the idea of using monitors for a game board depend on how the set designer designs the set of a particular show or what the producer wants?

[tvrandywest]

[quote name=\'14gameshows\' date=\'Apr 7 2005, 08:41 AM\']Doesn't the idea of using monitors for a game board depend on how the set designer designs the set of a particular show or what the producer wants?

[snapback]80871[/snapback]

[/quote]
That and budget. The difference in costs can be huge.

Randy
tvrandywest.com

[joshg]

[quote name=\'14gameshows\' date=\'Apr 7 2005, 08:41 AM\']I prefer monitors because of the technology.  But this is a double-edged sword because the cpu that operates the game, can malfunction...

[snapback]80871[/snapback]

[/quote]

I remember watching 'CC' and 1 "Wild!" card and one prize was still left on the board. The contestant matched the prize naturally, with the "Wild!" card being left on the board all alone. Guess what? The computer wouldn't remove the card. (It was dead center, so it didn't cover much)

[CarShark]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Apr 7 2005, 10:16 AM\']Your own point being that there are plenty of reasons to enjoy a game show besides cutting-edge computer graphics, and that low-tech alternatives are not by themselves a deterrent to enjoyment, and certainly not a reason to be "laughed out of syndication".

[snapback]80859[/snapback]

[/quote]
PiR is established, though. I doubt that a new game show could get away with being so far behind in the times. The residual oldness can make it hard to get a new audience to take PiR seriously. After all, what is the first thing people see when they are flipping the channels? The old set? The old games? The aging host? It's good to keep things fresh!