“How come Gibbs is wearing a coat in Arizona in the summer?”
I was talking to Garry. It was an NCIS rerun. We watch a lot of reruns, though this new fall season of TV is shaping up better than I expected, so maybe there will be new shows to watch.
The question about costumes comes up often and on various shows. One of the more common “huh” moments is when the male lead is wearing a coat and the female lead is skimpily dressed. No explanation needed for that one.
More weird are when each cast member is dressed randomly, apparently without regard for the story in progress. One is wearing a heavy winter coat, another a light denim jacket. A third is in shirtsleeves. Some are clothed in jeans or other casual stuff while others look ready for Wall Street … or a cocktail party. Women are supposedly hiking and running from or after serial killers while they wear 4-inch spikes. My feet hurt just looking.
Garry and I have done a tiny bit of movie “extra” work so I’m guessing it goes like this: “Go find something that fits in wardrobe and be on set in ten.”
Everyone hustles off to wardrobe, which looks like a jumble sale or the clothing racks at the Salvation Army store. Most of the clothing in wardrobe probably came from some second-hand source or other. Everyone dives in looking for something that fits. As soon as they find an outfit … any outfit … they head for a changing booth, then off to be on set before someone yells at them. Stars get slightly better wardrobe or wear their own clothing. Wearing ones own clothing, both on TV shows and movies is quite common. I understand why.
The real question is not why everyone on a show is poorly or inappropriately dressed. It’s whether or not the people who produce the show think we won’t notice. My theory is they don’t care if we notice or not. They are cheaping out on wardrobe figuring if you and I notice at all, we won’t care or we’ll keep watching anyhow.
It’s a bottom-line driven world and wardrobe is one area where corners can easily be cut.
The thing is, we do notice. You don’t need to be a professional critic or especially astute to see the incongruities of television costuming. Movie costuming is often no better. Whoever is in charge figures if you’ve noticed the clothing, you are must be watching the show. They’ve got you. Why worry?
The thing is, the overriding disdain for viewers adds up over time. Eventually it feels like a virtual slap in the face. As a viewer, I have to assume they think I am astoundingly unobservant or plain stupid … or so hooked on their product they needn’t worry about retaining my loyalty. They are wrong.
This nonchalance extends beyond costumes. Sloppy editing, crappy scripts, stupid plots that include blatant factual and continuity errors … Ultimately, we do stop watching. Because it’s obvious they don’t care so why should we?
You notice it on long-running shows that had good scripts and editing but suddenly don’t. The quality of the show starts to slide. Producers are baffled when loyal fans stop tuning in.
It isn’t baffling to a normal person but is apparently incomprehensible to producers and network executives.
The most surprising thing is when quality stays high for longer than two seasons. Few shows survive more than 3 anymore. An embedded disrespect for viewers is, in my opinion, the root of much of the illness besetting the television industry. They either treat us like morons or discount us because we are too young, too old or some other incorrect and undesirable demographic.
If you are under 18 or over 49, you literally don’t count. There are other, subtler forms of discrimination. Someone decided young people and old people don’t buy enough stuff. No TV for us! Reality never intrudes into the decision-making process. I’m pretty sure I buy a lot of stuff and so does my granddaughter. Her and her friends are always shopping.
They should be nicer to us. We are, after all, the customers. Aren’t we?
Share this:
Categories: Economics, film, Media, Movies, Shopping, Show Business, Television
SERENDIPITY: SEEKING INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH 
This struck a chord with me. You certainly make TV and movie wardrobes sound a lot less glamourous than I imagined! I didn’t realise so many actors were wearing their own clothing. It annoys me too when I see obvious errors in continuity, a friend of mine watched one episode of “The White Queen” and said that she had seen zippers in the costumes. This show is set in England in the era of the Wars of the Roses! Really that is just plain insulting!
I don’t watch soaps but I’ve often wondered whether the makers of “Days Of Our Lives” etc had any respect for their audiences given the idiotic storylines. Do they really think we won’t notice when they bring in a new actor to play a character who doesn’t even look like the person they are replacing?
I suppose that they do think that as long as we’re watching it doesnt’ matter whether we’re enjoying ourselves or not and if a show does lose ratings, well they can just replace it with a reality TV show. They are probably cheaper to make anyway!
LikeLike
You pretty much nailed it. They really take us totally for granted. And then they wonder why they are losing market share What’s amazin is how they retain any market share!
LikeLike
Ironically, two of the small studios, Republic and UI (Universal International) had terrific western wardrobes in the 50’s. Everyone from the stars to to most of the bad guys had nice clothing and good looking horses. The scripts and cheap backlot photography were poverty row but everyone looked just swell. Jack Elam
Sent from my iPhone
LikeLike
Well, as long as the costmes were attractive!! Good to have the right priorities.
LikeLike