Why is it that in movies and tv Photographers are allways losers?

borisdeswan · Jul 6, 2009

My perception unless some of you people set me strait is that over the years the preponderance of instances has been to portray photographers in general ( in movies and tv) as losers, criminals who lure young beautifull women to their studios with obscure and perverse intentions etc. Other less derisive portrayals run the gamut of flailing wanabbees who can barely manage their equipment, don't have their cameras in sinc with their flashes so on and so forth.
My theory is that cinema directors and cinema photographers think so much more of themselves technically and creatively that giving a lowly photographer, some respect is beneath them. Honestly I can't remember the last time a saw a movie or a show on tv that described a photographer as an honest creative healthy role model. ( Unless it was a documentary).
I'd love to hear what other colleagues out there have to say about this subject. Cheers.

Jedidiah Smith · Jul 6, 2009

"I blame it all on the liberal media..."

JBrunner · Jul 6, 2009

TV and Movies are based on reality. Where have you been?

Thomas Wilson · Jul 6, 2009

It's hard to disagree with your assessment. But I get more aggravated with the overzealous buffoons in post production who insist on overdubbing the sounds of motor-drives when ever a character uses any camera, even those not equipped with one.

They are probably the same folks who will pull the call of the majestic Golden Eagle from their sound libraries and overdub it to a scene of a Bald Eagle in flight. For the record, they sound nothing alike.

Anscojohn · Jul 6, 2009

My theory is that cinema directors and cinema photographers
*****
There are no cinema photographers. They are mere cameramen (er, persons!)

JBrunner · Jul 6, 2009

Anscojohn said:
There are no cinema photographers. They are mere cameramen (er, persons!)

Quite correct. They work for the Director of Photography.

The only other problem with the theory is that none of the above mentioned persons write the films.

Anscojohn · Jul 6, 2009

But I get more aggravated with the overzealous buffoons in post production who insist on overdubbing the sounds of motor-drives when ever a character uses any camera, even those not equipped with one.

******
Yup. In a film called "No Way Out", a spy drama, one of the characters takes a picture of the protagonist, using the plastic-bodied pack-Polaroid called, variously, the EE100, the Reporter, etc.
The discarded peel-apart neg became important to the story. But the sound effect when she took the picture was the whirring motor sound and clip-clap of a front-spitting Polaroid SX-70-type.

fotophox · Jul 6, 2009

Here's an episode of the radio (not TV) version of Gunsmoke that featured a photographer who's an utter creep:

http://www.archive.org/download/OTRR_Gunsmoke_Singles/Gunsmoke_56-05-06_213_The_Photographer.mp3

Anscojohn · Jul 6, 2009

Perhaps all the writers are getting back at the film Blowup--which featured the "cool" lifestyle of a working photographer in London.

MattKing · Jul 6, 2009

Where does "Blowup" (aka Blow-up) fit in this analysis?

Matt

MattKing · Jul 6, 2009

It looks like John and I think alike.

Matt

David Brown · Jul 6, 2009

Because no one makes movies about normal people. They would be boring.

SuzanneR · Jul 6, 2009

Yeah.. there are a lot of loser photographers in the movies, but sometimes they are fashionable and glamorous!

Sirius Glass · Jul 6, 2009

borisdeswan said:
My perception unless some of you people set me strait is that over the years the preponderance of instances has been to portray photographers in general ( in movies and tv) as losers, criminals who lure young beautifull women to their studios with obscure and perverse intentions etc. Other less derisive portrayals run the gamut of flailing wanabbees who can barely manage their equipment, don't have their cameras in sinc with their flashes so on and so forth.

Because we are! Don't you know it is always the star's photographer on the CSI shows who tortures the girl, kills her and dumps her in the desert to die? And all DNA tests results come back in five minutes, trace analysis is completed during the commercials and the crimes start getting solved in the last ten minutes.

The public believes that "reality shows" are real and not scripted.

Steve

sun of sand · Jul 7, 2009

Photographers getting a bum rap?
Be glad you're not a car mechanic
or worse yet
plumber
Plumbers are rarely the serial killer but have you EVER seen the Hero Plumber character?

How many jobs are there that put a person in position to be around beautiful women all the time
Seriously I'm trying em all

MattKing · Jul 7, 2009

sun of sand said:
Plumbers are rarely the serial killer but have you EVER seen the Hero Plumber character?

I couldn't resist...

The McCain campaign?

Matt

Leighgion · Jul 7, 2009

It's not that complicated.

The psychotic artist is a stock archetype. Photographers are handy to use in movies because what they're doing is visual and produces quick results so the story can get lots of images to use, but insert any even vaguely artistic pursuit and somebody has used it as an angle for cinematic dementia. Filmmakers don't spare themselves either. Plenty of crazy murdering characters who wielded motion picture devices in stories instead of still cameras.

2F/2F · Jul 7, 2009

I think the mentioned portrayals are pretty accurate for most quote-unquote photographers, though they can definitely become tired cliches when used over and over in films.

I happened to see an episode of Law and Order the other night in which they pull out a Speed at the end. Pretty fun episode that I just happened to catch. (Being on trips are some of the only times I watch TV.) Also, an important part of the story concerns the many different ways in which the a negative can be printed. Some writer for the show must be a photo nerd. The photographers in the story are both pretty wretched guys.

Steve Smith · Jul 7, 2009

sun of sand said:
have you EVER seen the Hero Plumber character?

Mario.

Steve.

fLOVE · Jul 7, 2009

I'm about to shoot a short that actually revolves around a small portrait studio photographer. I will be attempting to maintain as much credibility to the photography aspect as possible. It will hopefully make you feel a little better that our studio guy will be shooting film, and we'll be shooting the film on actual film as well....not on the damn RED. -f

Akki14 · Jul 7, 2009

It's been going on for a long time, check this out from archive.org (though tbh I would have been just about as equally rude to the numpty voiceover idiot...)

http://www.archive.org/details/Girlonth1940

Akki14 · Jul 7, 2009

2F/2F said:
I happened to see an episode of Law and Order the other night in which they pull out a Speed at the end. Pretty fun episode that I just happened to catch. (Being on trips are some of the only times I watch TV.) Also, an important part of the story concerns the many different ways in which the a negative can be printed. Some writer for the show must be a photo nerd. The photographers in the story are both pretty wretched guys.

I love that episode! and the fridges of film. and Agfa-Gert(sp) glass plates!

Ian Leake · Jul 7, 2009

Akki14 said:
It's been going on for a long time, check this out from archive.org (though tbh I would have been just about as equally rude to the numpty voiceover idiot...)

http://www.archive.org/details/Girlonth1940

Ah... So that's how it's done

benjiboy · Jul 7, 2009

sun of sand said:
Photographers getting a bum rap?
Be glad you're not a car mechanic
or worse yet
plumber
Plumbers are rarely the serial killer but have you EVER seen the Hero Plumber character?

How many jobs are there that put a person in position to be around beautiful women all the time
Seriously I'm trying em all

I don't know about the U.S but in the Uk the average plumber probably earns a lot more than the the average phototographer, and plumbers are often heros, but only in porno movies.

Ian Leake · Jul 7, 2009

benjiboy said:
I don't know about the U.S but in the Uk the average plumber probably earns a lot more than the the average phototographer, and plumbers are often heros, but only in porno movies.

My plumber is visiting in a few minutes: I hope he's neither a serial killer nor a porn star - just a good washing machine fixer.

Why is it that in movies and tv Photographers are allways losers?

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Why is it that in movies and tv Photographers are allways losers?

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