Every time I watch a TV show or movie it drives me nuts that they never close the door after they enter a house/room. Doors are almost NEVER closed. I can’t figure out any logical reason why in television and film they don’t close he door. It can’t be for blocking purposes. It just doesn’t make sense to me.
maybe it’s because watching people shut doors is extremely boring. i know it would be for only a few seconds, but movies are so quick paced and action-oriented these days, the short time it takes to shut a door may be a few seconds too much. secondly, people who shut every door they open are generally perceived to be anal, and maybe that’s an image that most moviemakers don’t want to display.
The real reason behind the California energy crisis:
Thousands upon thousands of Hollywood actors, all born in a goddam barn, leaving the goddam fron doors open and air conditioning the whole goddam neighborhood.
It could be that if it is shot on a set the door and wall it is attached to is not really all that sound. So closing a door may make the wall move or you have to loop in a sound effect of a real door closing to cover up your fake door sound.
zebra: i was thinking the same thing. knowing how sets are constructed, the frames aren’t very solid so openning a door is simple but there isn’t enough weight to properly close a door so they just leave them open.
it’s a good theory but i’d like a definitive answer. i’ve sent an e-mail to the straight dope hoping it will be answered.
I would have to say the most common reason is that the shot where the subjects are entering, say, a house is the location’s “establishing shot”. After they have crossed over the threshold we CUT TO the interior shot where we see the subjects standing in the entryway. In this case, the door will most likely be closed as this would be an assumed action by the subjects. Many assumed actions are not shot or edited out because they are unnecessary in moving the story forward.
Other things we assume happen but don’t normally see are:
[ul]
[li]Going to the bathroom[/li][li]Getting into a car[/li][li]Turning on house lights[/li][li]Making meals and/or eating[/li][/ul]
I could go on but I digress.
-Waneman
i appreciate all of the assumptions as to why doors ren’t closed but let me give an example from this past wednesday night.
i was flipping through the channels and saw drew carey on so being one of my favorite shows i wtahced it. drew is in the kitchen talking w/kate and in through the back kitchen door oswald and lewis come walking in. they walk in, not closing the door behind them, and during the entire 3 minute scene you see all 4 of them in the kitchen talking and the door sitting there wide open.
this is only one example that just happened. i could name 10 more but i think this makes the point. when they walked in why didn’t they close the door behind them??