# Another annoying trend in TV: the "Tinted" shows **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 30, 2004, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-annoying-trend-in-tv-the-tinted-shows/277382 "2004-11-30T21:03:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SavageNarce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@SavageNarce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SavageNarce)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-annoying-trend-in-tv-the-tinted-shows/277382/1 "2004-11-30T21:03:32Z")
It seemed to start with CSI: Miami, with the yellow/gold overall cast to the scenes. Barely noticeable, even if David Caruso’s red hair looked a little more orange than it should… Then came CSI: New York with a cool blue tint, supposed to reflect the “cooler, grittier” character of NYC - this started to get a little silly, but I can put up with it in order to see Gary Sinise on the small screen… But worst of all is Medical Investigation’s Beer Barf Green tint, which is WAY overdone and adds nothing beyond a feeling of queasiness - which the show doesn’t really need, in view of the subject matter. For Pete’s sake, even Neal McDonough’s **hair** is green!! What’s next? “Joan of Arcadia” in armour-coloured silver shades? Reruns of “All in the Family” tinted Redneck Red? “Hannibal the Cannibal” shot in purple because he’s a People Eater? Come on, show producers! Let’s drop the “distinctive look” tint gimmicks and get back to the _real_ indicators of distinction: good writing, good acting and good casting. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-annoying-trend-in-tv-the-tinted-shows/277382/2 "2004-11-30T21:23:54Z")
> [@SavageNarce](#): > > What’s next? “Joan of Arcadia” in armour-coloured silver shades? They already do that on _JoA_ - the scenes with her father (the cop) at the police station are tinted blue, just like on _CSI: New York_. It’s quite annoying. I’m about to quit watching that version of CSI for that very reason. Well, that and the storylines are eye-rollingly bad. Gary Sinese and Hill Harper are the only reasons keeping me tuned in. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-annoying-trend-in-tv-the-tinted-shows/277382/3 "2004-11-30T21:27:08Z")
> [@SavageNarce](#): > > “Hannibal the Cannibal” shot in purple because he’s a People Eater? Come now. How many hominid, cyclopian unicorns do you know? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-annoying-trend-in-tv-the-tinted-shows/277382/4 "2004-11-30T21:38:23Z")
Annoying indeed. All except “Medical Investigations” are on CBS – and since “Medical Investigations” is a blatant ripoff of the CSI franchise, I think we can blame that one on the big eyeball as well. **settles tinfoil hat more firmly on head, the better to receive the silver-tinted rays** ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-annoying-trend-in-tv-the-tinted-shows/277382/5 "2004-11-30T21:56:46Z")
I think it’s a perfectly acceptable tool which, like all others, can be used inappropriately. As a comics reader, my credo is **Embrace your medium**. Don’t use gimmicks just to be gimmicky, but don’t avoid them if they help you get under the audience’s skin. When putting together a film or TV show, one of the things you can control is the color, so you shouldn’t shy away from using that to create a mood or present other clues to the viewer. (It works in comics, too, BTW – just take a look at Gotham Central.) I’m sure it wasn’t the first to do this, but I think the forerunner of the current trend was **The Matrix** , which used a green tint (along with cool costuming and the emotionlessness of the characters) to immediately signal how life in the matrix was different from life outside it (blue/grey colors, moth-eaten sweaters, and messy humanity). Not only was this a helpful visual cue to the audience, but as it turned out by the end of the trilogy it was a substantive part of the films’ philosophy. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Roadfood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@Roadfood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roadfood)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-annoying-trend-in-tv-the-tinted-shows/277382/6 "2004-11-30T22:35:39Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > They already do that on _JoA_ - the scenes with her father (the cop) at the police station are tinted blue, just like on _CSI: New York_. It’s quite annoying. I’m about to quit watching that version of CSI for that very reason. Well, that and the storylines are eye-rollingly bad. Gary Sinese and Hill Harper are the only reasons keeping me tuned in. Interestingly, I find that on _Joan_, it’s subtle enough that it doesn’t get in the way. However, I’m in total agreement about _CSI: New York_. I remember watching the “pilot” episode on _CSI: Miami_ and thinking it was really cool that they switched to the darker, grittier tinting in New York. But now it’s not only annoying but they’ve made it so damned dark that half the time I can’t even tell what’s going on (and this is on a 46" HiDef TV, and watching the show in true HD). That and the stories are boring, boring, boring… I like Sinese, too, but they gotta fix the show before I’ll go back to watching it. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-annoying-trend-in-tv-the-tinted-shows/277382/7 "2004-11-30T22:46:57Z")
> [@adam yax](#): > > Come now. How many hominid, cyclopian unicorns do you know? Six. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-annoying-trend-in-tv-the-tinted-shows/277382/8 "2004-11-30T22:58:20Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > I’m sure it wasn’t the first to do this, but I think the forerunner of the current trend was **The Matrix** , which used a green tint (along with cool costuming and the emotionlessness of the characters) to immediately signal how life in the matrix was different from life outside it (blue/grey colors, moth-eaten sweaters, and messy humanity). Not only was this a helpful visual cue to the audience, but as it turned out by the end of the trilogy it was a substantive part of the films’ philosophy. As if the preponderance of wirework in its wake wasn’t reason enough to hate the movie and its trilogy, you have just given me another very good reason to loathe it. I thank you, kind sir. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-annoying-trend-in-tv-the-tinted-shows/277382/9 "2004-11-30T23:22:00Z")
> [@Roadfood](#): > > Interestingly, I find that on _Joan_, it’s subtle enough that it doesn’t get in the way. That’s funny; I find it incredibly annoying on _Joan_. They’ll be going along with another plotline, at the school, at home, wherever, then they switch to the police station, and BAM! it’s all blue-y. I find it jarring. It does seem like they’re using it less this season, though. Last season it bugged the crap out of me. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-annoying-trend-in-tv-the-tinted-shows/277382/10 "2004-11-30T23:38:02Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > I’m sure it wasn’t the first to do this, but I think the forerunner of the current trend was **The Matrix** , which used a green tint (along with cool costuming and the emotionlessness of the characters) to immediately signal how life in the matrix was different from life outside it (blue/grey colors, moth-eaten sweaters, and messy humanity). Not only was this a helpful visual cue to the audience, but as it turned out by the end of the trilogy it was a substantive part of the films’ philosophy. Without the heavy philosophical overtones, color-coding scenes goes back to the earliest days of filmmaking. Off the top of my head the earliest example I can think of is [Les Vampires](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0006206/combined) from 1915, which used IIRC different tones for indoor scenes and outdoor day and night scenes. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-annoying-trend-in-tv-the-tinted-shows/277382/11 "2004-12-01T00:24:49Z")
Then there is its cousin, the drunken-cameraman effect. You know, where the camera continually wavers a little back and forth, and a little up and down, during a non-earthquake scene. No, Mr. Cameraman, no matter how much you pretend its a handheld camera, we’re not going to think this is _cinema verité_. It’s a scripted, acted, and directed scene. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-annoying-trend-in-tv-the-tinted-shows/277382/12 "2004-12-01T00:36:35Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > That’s funny; I find it incredibly annoying on _Joan_. They’ll be going along with another plotline, at the school, at home, wherever, then they switch to the police station, and BAM! it’s all blue-y. I find it jarring. It does seem like they’re using it less this season, though. Last season it bugged the crap out of me. Ditto. \*\*Biblio, this is getting scary, how much we have in common. ---
**Author:** ![MC\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@MC\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_E)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-annoying-trend-in-tv-the-tinted-shows/277382/13 "2004-12-01T01:21:59Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > Then there is its cousin, the drunken-cameraman effect. You know, where the camera continually wavers a little back and forth, and a little up and down, during a non-earthquake scene. No, Mr. Cameraman, no matter how much you pretend its a handheld camera, we’re not going to think this is _cinema verité_. It’s a scripted, acted, and directed scene. I get motion sickness very easily (I can’t read in a car or play 3D video games) and often this effect makes a movie unwatchable for me. I literally have to close my eyes or turn completely away to keep from hurling, and my stomach stays upset for a good 20 minutes after only a minute or two of that effect. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-annoying-trend-in-tv-the-tinted-shows/277382/14 "2004-12-01T01:55:13Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > Then there is its cousin, the drunken-cameraman effect. You know, where the camera continually wavers a little back and forth, and a little up and down, during a non-earthquake scene. No, Mr. Cameraman, no matter how much you pretend its a handheld camera, we’re not going to think this is _cinema verité_. It’s a scripted, acted, and directed scene. But the effect was used to good purpose on **Homicide: Life on the Street** (later, NYPD Blue copied it, but much less effectively, since they overdid it.) No effect is automatically bad, and it’s a matter of taste. I don’t mind the yellow tinge on CSI: Miami, but don’t like the blue on in CSI: NY (I keep thinking they’re trying to be NYPD Blue – literally). ---
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-annoying-trend-in-tv-the-tinted-shows/277382/15 "2004-12-01T01:56:19Z")
Colour coding was used very effectively in Steven Soderburgh’s _Traffic_. It was a movie which jumped locations quite frequently so the different colours helped to place any given scene geographically. If I recall correctly, Washington was blue, LA was yellow and Mexico sepia tones. ---
**Author:** ![Ooner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c67d28/32.png) [@Ooner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ooner)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-annoying-trend-in-tv-the-tinted-shows/277382/16 "2004-12-01T02:37:02Z")
Soderbergh didn’t just do that in traffic. He did it in earlier films too. Most of Erin Brockovich had a yellow desert-y tint. Out of Sight had bright colors for Florida, different colors for two different prison settings, and the same cold blue as Washington (in Traffic) for the Detroit scenes. I think he may have used it in earlier movies too (King of the Hill maybe?) and I know other directors have but Out of Sight was one of the first big examples I saw of it so I always associate the technique with Soderbergh. ---
**Author:** ![SavageNarce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@SavageNarce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SavageNarce)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-annoying-trend-in-tv-the-tinted-shows/277382/17 "2004-12-01T12:37:00Z")
> [@Hodge](#): > > Colour coding was used very effectively in Steven Soderburgh’s _Traffic_. It was a movie which jumped locations quite frequently so the different colours helped to place any given scene geographically. If I recall correctly, Washington was blue, LA was yellow and Mexico sepia tones. And I have no objection to that: it serves a purpose and can actually improve the film. But on TV, when the entire series is (supposedly) shot in New York, for example, there is no conceivable reason - other than the director/producer’s misguided sense of artistry - to give a tint to every damn scene in the show! I find the effect most loathsome in the “Medical Investigations” bilious green overcast, but I’m afraid that’s one of the shows that isn’t living up to my expectations anyhow. > [@Walloon](#): > > Then there is its cousin, the drunken-cameraman effect. You know, where the camera continually wavers a little back and forth, and a little up and down, during a non-earthquake scene. No, Mr. Cameraman, no matter how much you pretend its a handheld camera, we’re not going to think this is cinema verité. It’s a scripted, acted, and directed scene. Fortunately, the effect has been largely discarded by most shows, although it lives on (and is a continuing source of parody) with the music video channels where it is seen as “way kewl” :rolleyes: > [@adam yax](#): > > Come now. How many hominid, cyclopian unicorns do you know? As Biffy the Elephant Shrew said, six; but only one of these is an aeronaut. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-annoying-trend-in-tv-the-tinted-shows/277382/18 "2004-12-01T13:24:27Z")
[QUOTE=SavageNarce] I find the effect most loathsome in the “Medical Investigations” bilious green overcast, but I’m afraid that’s one of the shows that isn’t living up to my expectations anyhow. QUOTE] I agree. I’ve given up watching it, which is a shame, because I like David McWhatsHisName. All the characters seem so one-dimensional. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-annoying-trend-in-tv-the-tinted-shows/277382/19 "2004-12-01T13:28:53Z")
Actually, the blue filter in the “cop scenes” in Joan of Arcadia is very helpful. It lets me know the parts I can fast-forward through. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-annoying-trend-in-tv-the-tinted-shows/277382/20 "2004-12-01T13:36:07Z")
I have a difficult time watching the Fox show \*\*House \*\* for this reason. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-annoying-trend-in-tv-the-tinted-shows/277382.md?page=2)