AMERICAN CHOPPER, one annoyance
 

Anyone notice on AMERICAN CHOPPER, when the people talk to the camera in an interview, not raw stuff caught on tape, that the people sound like they're reading a script or something. They talk sort of, I don't know, "staccato" or something. Everyone, except maybe Mikey.

What do you think? Their words flow smoothly otherwise, until they're in a quick interview. Seems like it's been almost scripted.

heath

I agree. Im sure there is some writing involved.Maybe some re-working of an unscripted interview.

Can anyone tell me what is American Chopper?

I am not 100% sure (I don't have cable), but I believe American Chopper is a show about custom motorcycle builders. As far as the interviews, some of the monotones could be caused by camera shyness? I have edited interviews, where it was unscripted, but you would swear they were reading it off a card. This was caused by fear, and the desire to not soil themselves on camera.

Keith,

You're right about the show.

One thing though, the guys being interviewed ALL seem to be camera shy/reading off a card...

heath

ps-On Discovery Channel at 10 PM, before Monsters House and Garage at 8 and 9 PM, respectively.

I love to watch the exposure go all hinky when someone opens the outside door.

As for the interviews, it does go from "WhenI started to work on this bike, I had a number of concernes about the compleation timeframe" to "Don't make me shove my size 12 up yer butt." People do that. It's so hard to get people to just be themselves. All ages, all races, all classes. People are brought together by stagefreight."

Hey - I like the show.
Given it has it's flaws. But after watching a re-run of the first episode, you can tell that the shop workers have gotten used to the camera being around and they are starting to capture more "real" exchanges in the shop.

I cant say anything about the crop of copycat programs coming out now, but I do enjoy watching the tension between the father and sons working.
Cool bikes too.

my 2 pesos

Jeff Patnaude

Jeff,

yeah, it's a great show; what I'm getting at is the interviews woven in. Those seem stilted, almost scripted.

heath

I've noticed that they do sound a little off during some of the interviews, but I chalk it up to shyness.

I've seen in projects that I'm working on that capturing a group of people in action is one thing, but pulling one person aside and having them discuss something by themselves is a little nerve wracking.

I also agree, though, that the producers probably "hint" at what they want to be discussed.

<<<-- Originally posted by Joe Gioielli : I love to watch the exposure go all hinky when someone opens the outside door.

As for the interviews, it does go from "WhenI started to work on this bike, I had a number of concernes about the compleation timeframe" to "Don't make me shove my size 12 up yer butt." People do that. It's so hard to get people to just be themselves. All ages, all races, all classes. People are brought together by stagefreight." -->>>

I think they shoot it on auto.

And yeah, I think you're right about the interviews. Sometimes it sounds like they're saying stuff they wouldn't normally say.

heath

Here is a little inside information about the One on One's on American Chopper. THEY ARE SCRIPTED...sort of. One of them says something to camera, the producer (not going to say names) then takes what they said, alters it for the shows purposes and then tells whoever to read it back. They will take about 4-5 takes of them saying something. Unfortunately none of them are actors so when you get someone who can't act to read a script, it's very dry.

I figured as much; wish they wouldn't do that, though...

Dry is a good term for it.

heath

I like the welding and build process.
the rest of it is quite obviously for effect.
and i can see it wearing thin real soon.
notice how Mike is playing a much bigger role?
he went from being a challenged annoyance to the sharpest of the bunch.

The ads featured Sr. and Jr., yet it's all about Sr. and Mikey... Where's Jr.?

heath

Mark. I don't know about them being scripted but they are definitely planned. Those one on one's are known as OTFs or on the fly interviews. They are great for bridges to join different segments or used as intros or outs. And yes, they are definitely the moment for the field producers to get the castmember to talk dirt about the other members. Sometimes they are also used as recaps of a scene.

Whether you enjoy the format or not, those are some talented and gifted folks. I like the water lathe. A local machine shop here has one and it's just wild to think you can get water pressure high enough to cut steel like it's butter, but it sure does and very accurately too, thanks to CNC. Fun to watch!

-gb-

American Chopper is one of my favorite shows on television; I've been watching it for years now....and to be perfectly honest, I don't have the slightest interest in motorcycles whatsoever (and I guarantee I wouldn't ride one). But I love the craftsmanship, the fabrication, the ideas, and the beauty of the things they make, and I really can appreciate the process they go through. But mostly, I like the soap-opera-ness of the show. LOL! :-P

As for the scripted one-on-one interviews, they don't bother me a bit. I've always assumed they were scripted to move the storyline along WITHOUT having to resort to v.o. narration. If you go back and watch the first couple of one-shot docs (before American Chopper was a regular series) you'll notice that they have a v.o. on them, and it almost acts as a barrier between the viewer and the on-screen subjects. The non-narrated shows are more "real" but could easily be hard-to-follow; IMHO the scripted one-on-one interviews provide that linear functionality without having to resort to narration.

2¢

I like the show, but as a rider, I would hate to ride one of those customs for any distance. They are hard tails mostly with no rear shock. Good for slow cruising the blvd for women on a Friday night, bad for your kidneys and back.

The only one I saw with a rear shock was the police special for NYPD.

I have several friends that are motorcycle riders (mostly harleys), but one friend in particular had a hardtail S&S chopper with ape hangers that he put 27,000 miles on in two years.

So it's not that they can't be ridden; it's just a question of how committed you are to riding the bike. LOL!

How could anyone watch this show and deny that we share common ancestors with gorillas?

I remember reading that Hal Roach, who directed the Little Rascals back in the 30s, did so by telling the kids to make faces that they what worked out a name for ahead of time. So he would give a kid a direction like, "OK Alfalfa, make the bratty face" and that's how he got them to act as much as they did

I wonder if they have the same kind of system on American Chopper "OK now tell us what your concerns about this bike are . . ."

I haven't watched this show in over a year. I guess I grew out of it.

heath

I love American Chopper. We get it over here in the UK on Discovery, currently on its third series and on the Gillette bike...

There is a spin of which is called Southern Chopper, Man I can't stand that program, yet it’s in the same format, and produced by the same people. Maybe it’s their accents I just can't adjust to.

Cheers,

I wondered what A.C. in the O.C. would play like in other countries...

heath

Because you're watching the O.C.?!? Tell me it isn't so!

Orange County in New York is where American Chopper is filmed.

heath

hello stephen,

i second that

greetings

I look at Harleys' and their clones (V-Twin choppers and Asian knockoffs) they way I view Arnold Schwartznegger...
over rated, over paid and way over the hill.

If God granted just one machine on earth a soul, it would be a Ducati.
But I love Hondas too.

American Chopper - Behind the scenes special!
 

American Chopper Discovery Promo Outtakes