# Does this gimmick add anything to commercials? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** commercials-ads\ **Created:** [June 27, 2021, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-gimmick-add-anything-to-commercials/945110 "2021-06-27T05:52:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2021, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-gimmick-add-anything-to-commercials/945110/1 "2021-06-27T05:52:10Z")
A spokesperson is speaking earnestly to the camera, and then, it switches to filming him from the side, and then back to the front, back and forth. They do that with documentaries, too. I find it off-putting and annoying. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2021, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-gimmick-add-anything-to-commercials/945110/2 "2021-06-27T06:00:40Z")
Do you suppose you could suppress your revulsion long enough to find and link to an example? TIA ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2021, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-gimmick-add-anything-to-commercials/945110/3 "2021-06-27T06:01:22Z")
It’s supposed to give it that “behind the scenes” feel to it. Sometimes the different angles will also have a different quality. So, that what you’re watching is actually from 2 different sources. The front shot is the “real” shot and then the side may look like a handheld video or phone from someone on the crew or the the documentary crew. Basically that you’re getting to see something the general public does get to see. Nevermind the fact that everyone is now seeing that “special” angle. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2021, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-gimmick-add-anything-to-commercials/945110/4 "2021-06-27T06:31:37Z")
If it was done well and seamlessly it would be one thing, but too many just clumsily go back and forth, front side, front side… Of course, I can’t find an example when I want one. ---
**Author:** ![Acierocolotl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acierocolotl/32/6241_2.png) [@Acierocolotl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acierocolotl)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2021, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-gimmick-add-anything-to-commercials/945110/5 "2021-06-27T07:09:11Z")
I’m going to guess it’s what I’d call the “cheapy two-camera edit”. If you have one camera and the person you’re filming makes a flub, you have two choices: cut out the flub, or make them do it over again. Cheap youtube videos will just cut-and-continue, and it looks like watching Max Headroom or something, really choppy. Now, if you have two cameras, recording in sync, when your target flubs you can just cut to the other camera. It makes for a video that’s way less abominable to look at than the single-camera affair and lets you get away with untrained actors who stammer or flub lines often. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2021, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-gimmick-add-anything-to-commercials/945110/6 "2021-06-27T11:24:23Z")
Not as annoying as poorly cut-together editing where it’s obvious that the person talking didn’t say what they were saying in that particular order at that particular time. Like [this guy](https://www.ispot.tv/ad/IeCe/bayer-ag-mike-sherman) - it sounds chopped up. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2021, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-gimmick-add-anything-to-commercials/945110/7 "2021-06-27T13:19:09Z")
… And the person to whom they’re talking just smiles and nods in agreement with whatever they’re supposedly saying. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2021, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-gimmick-add-anything-to-commercials/945110/8 "2021-06-27T13:30:50Z")
I first noticed the two-camera shot(s) in newscasts. Local ones, where the newsreader doesn’t always turn in time, or starts a new story looking at the wrong camera. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2021, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-gimmick-add-anything-to-commercials/945110/9 "2021-06-27T13:37:47Z")
**Modern Family** used that extensively since the beginning. I hate it. “Hey, I’m over here!” ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2021, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-gimmick-add-anything-to-commercials/945110/10 "2021-06-27T14:54:21Z")
> [@Acierocolotl](#): > > Cheap youtube videos will just cut-and-continue, and it looks like watching Max Headroom or something, really choppy. Not just cheap ones. It seems to be everywhere. Is time that precious that 1.2 seconds of silence between sentences must be excised? Just makes everyone look jumpy. And amaturish. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2021, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-gimmick-add-anything-to-commercials/945110/11 "2021-06-27T15:17:48Z")
I fucking HATE the two camera interview. And my hatred is directly proportional to the difference in angles of the shots. Ok, sure, show different angles after showing something else, like a clip of what they’re talking about, or the interviewer. But do NOT swap shots while the interviewee is talking. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2021, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-gimmick-add-anything-to-commercials/945110/12 "2021-06-27T15:40:18Z")
> [@digs](#): > > I first noticed the two-camera shot(s) in newscasts. > > Local ones, where the newsreader doesn’t always turn in time, or starts a new story looking at the wrong camera. They parody this in the movie Airplane! (1980), with the montage of international news reports on the story. The “jungle drums” version has the drummer facing Camera 1, then turning (while continuing drumming) to face Camera 2.