# Stupid errors that crop up repeatedly in TV shows and movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 29, 2014, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866 "2014-03-29T23:33:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 18
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2014, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/341 "2014-06-24T02:41:23Z")
> [@SpazCat](#): > > This. THIS. I am so tired of hearing Virginians with Texas accents or Tennesseans with Georgia accents. _The Office_ at least [made an effort](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkM8hQESrP0)… ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2014, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/342 "2014-06-24T03:32:56Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > In the old days, this would alert the operator that the connection was lost. > > (According to my mother, who worked as a telephone operator in the 40s.) I’ve always wondered if the hook-jiggling bit had ever had a useful purpose, so thanks for the info. One less bit of ignorance in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2014, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/343 "2014-06-24T04:30:43Z")
> [@SpazCat](#): > > Is that the one that visits when you haven’t been brushing the teeth you leave for the tooth fairy? I think that’s the Nerve Ending Fairy. ---
**Author:** ![svd678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@svd678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/svd678)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2014, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/344 "2014-06-24T05:15:47Z")
1. some one knocks on the door, which is instantly answered. 2. some is looking at himself in a mirror and the viewer sees the face; so the actor is seeing the camera. 3. cop wants to speak to a witness or accused, and yells across the street, giving him plenty of time to run. 4 any kind of car race, space ship, at speed, and vehicle instantly quadruples speed. 5 asking someone what they were doing/saw on a random day 6 months ago, and they can say instantly… ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2014, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/345 "2014-06-24T05:35:47Z")
> [@svd678](#): > > . . . some is looking at himself in a mirror and the viewer sees the face; so the actor is seeing the camera. . . . This one always makes me grin! Like, yeah, I always shave myself while watching through an open doorway and into the hall, in a mirror that’s tilted 45 degrees away from me. While making faces like I’m watching my face. The laws of geometry function differently in the movie-universe! ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2014, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/346 "2014-06-24T07:07:02Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > There was a mention in a recent Pit thread of a 14 year old who [died in a locked BMW](http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/no-escape-california-family-sues-bmw-after-teen-dies-locked-n100881) because the doors could not be opened from the inside. break the damned glass! screw the cost. [I actually have the [escape tool](https://www.saveyourlife.us/images/lifehammer_2.jpg) in the momvan and the jetta] ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2014, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/347 "2014-06-24T08:01:46Z")
> [@svd678](#): > > 1. some one knocks on the door, which is instantly answered. 2. some is looking at himself in a mirror and the viewer sees the face; so the actor is seeing the camera. 3. cop wants to speak to a witness or accused, and yells across the street, giving him plenty of time to run. 4 any kind of car race, space ship, at speed, and vehicle instantly quadruples speed. 5 asking someone what they were doing/saw on a random day 6 months ago, and they can say instantly… Yeah …car chases… How quickly the chasing car catches up always gets me. Lead car gets a 1 minute head start - the chase car is right behind him within a few seconds - never mind that at 60 miles an hour, I’m a mile down the road and well out of sight… ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2014, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/348 "2014-06-25T01:51:25Z")
> [@SpazCat](#): > > This. THIS. I am so tired of hearing Virginians with Texas accents or Tennesseans with Georgia accents. I have \*never \*heard a correct North Carolina accent in any movie or television show. Of course, being a native Kakalakan, I get irritated that they don’t have the right regional accent for the setting of the movie. Which is why I haven’t watched and will not watch any Hunger Games film. ??? The Hunger Games do not take place in North Carolina. It’s a dystopian future, so there aren’t explicit states anymore, and while I can’t remember if it’s set in NC-of-the-future, accents change. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2014, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/349 "2014-06-25T02:22:51Z")
They were filmed in North Carolina. According to [imdb](http://www.imdb.com/search/title?locations=Black%20Mountain,%20North%20Carolina,%20USA&ref_=tt_dt_dt). Or at least, the first one was. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2014, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/350 "2014-06-25T03:58:51Z")
Doesn’t mean that’s the actual setting, especially in an alternate-history scenario. Geographical match =/= cultural or linguistic match. ---
**Author:** ![DZedNConfused](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dzednconfused/32/15991_2.png) [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2014, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/351 "2014-06-25T04:12:28Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > Doesn’t mean that’s the actual setting, especially in an alternate-history scenario. Geographical match =/= cultural or linguistic match. Seriously… apparently Mars is in Southern Utah 😃 ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2014, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/352 "2014-06-25T04:21:58Z")
> [@DZedNConfused](#): > > Seriously… apparently Mars is in Southern Utah 😃 They shot the Moon landings in far west Texas. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2014, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/353 "2014-06-25T05:06:33Z")
> [@SpazCat](#): > > This. THIS. I am so tired of hearing Virginians with Texas accents or Tennesseans with Georgia accents. I have \*never \*heard a correct North Carolina accent in any movie or television show. Of course, being a native Kakalakan, I get irritated that they don’t have the right regional accent for the setting of the movie. Which is why I haven’t watched and will not watch any Hunger Games film. I don’t understand. What’s wrong with The Hunger Games, which is set in the future and not in a specific region? ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2014, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/354 "2014-06-25T05:10:33Z")
Someone comes running in and yells, “Turn on the TV!” Not only will the TV be on the station which is showing whatever it is the person wanted you to see, but the news report, or whatever, is starting at the very beginning of the story. You never come in in the middle of the story and have to sit and wait as the reporter burbles until you figure out what is going on. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2014, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/355 "2014-06-25T10:19:10Z")
I was under the impression that the region in which the Hunger Games was set was the Appalachian region where the accent has been pretty steady over the last hundred or so years. Good lord, remind me not to disparage the YA flavor-of-the-month novel-turned-movie on this board again. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2014, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/356 "2014-06-25T10:36:34Z")
I didn’t see Hunger Games. I figured the theatre would waft the smell of fresh popcorn through the auditorium to make a killing on heavily salted $10 popcorn and drinks, just as their predecessors did by turning up the heat when Lawrence of Arabia played. I know that’s a myth. 😃 Or is it? ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2014, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/357 "2014-06-25T12:43:54Z")
> [@spazcat](#): > > good lord, remind me not to disparage the ya flavor-of-the-month novel-turned-movie on this board again. what about the strong female protagonists? Won’t somebody think of the strong female protagonists? ☹ ☹ ☹ ---
**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 25, 2014, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/358 "2014-06-25T14:40:23Z")
> [@svd678](#): > > 1. some is looking at himself in a mirror and the viewer sees the face; so the actor is seeing the camera. I really don’t know what you expect them to do. The shot is conveying that the character is looking at himself. Do you really want an accurate shot of the character looking at himself in the mirror, with a panavision camera, a director, asst director, DP, focus puller, script consultant, makeup, continuity, other cast members not in the scene, craft services, 50 kleig lights and an empty soundstage behind him? What would you have them do instead? ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2014, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/359 "2014-06-25T14:46:09Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I really don’t know what you expect them to do. The shot is conveying that the character is looking at himself. Do you really want an accurate shot of the character looking at himself in the mirror, with a panavision camera, a director, asst director, DP, focus puller, script consultant, makeup, continuity, other cast members not in the scene, craft services, 50 kleig lights and an empty soundstage behind him? What would you have them do instead? It’s not difficult (in fact, it’s done pretty frequently) to position the camera and actor at angles that allow the camera to record the reflection without the camera or crew being seen in the mirror. ---
**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 25, 2014, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866/360 "2014-06-25T16:07:04Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > It’s not difficult (in fact, it’s done pretty frequently) to position the camera and actor at angles that allow the camera to record the reflection without the camera or crew being seen in the mirror. But what the complaint was about, was, for the composition of the actor seeing “himself”, the actor must see the camera, not himself. Unless you’re gong for the _Truman Show_, where the camera looks through the mirror, or digitally removing the camera (like in _Contact_) you can’t get a shot of the actor looking into his own eyes without seeing the camera. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-errors-that-crop-up-repeatedly-in-tv-shows-and-movies/684866.md?page=19)