ITV: chalk and cheese
Normally the bike coverage on ITV is great. The Tour is very well done, the Vuelta is just as good.
But the Tour of Britain is just woeful in my opinion. How can they get the footage so wrong? Ive been only able to watch the hours highlights in the evening but the difference to watching the Vuelta is chalk and cheese.
Theres hardly any graphics showing split times.
Cameras cut away to a lone rider and you dont know where they are.
Then they'll cut away to a helicopter shot of yet another field for far too long.
Then they'll cut away to another group with no graphics. Theres far too much cutting backwards and forwards, you dont know where you are half the time.
But my biggest gripe is sound. Where is it? No on road sounds whatsoever. You feel like its all chat chat chat from a box in London and the commentary is appaling (Brian Smith is bearable but the other guy might as well be commentating on ice skating) theres just no excitement in the sound at all, its all too distant.
Im finding it hard to get involved watching these highlights which is annoying me.
But the Tour of Britain is just woeful in my opinion. How can they get the footage so wrong? Ive been only able to watch the hours highlights in the evening but the difference to watching the Vuelta is chalk and cheese.
Theres hardly any graphics showing split times.
Cameras cut away to a lone rider and you dont know where they are.
Then they'll cut away to a helicopter shot of yet another field for far too long.
Then they'll cut away to another group with no graphics. Theres far too much cutting backwards and forwards, you dont know where you are half the time.
But my biggest gripe is sound. Where is it? No on road sounds whatsoever. You feel like its all chat chat chat from a box in London and the commentary is appaling (Brian Smith is bearable but the other guy might as well be commentating on ice skating) theres just no excitement in the sound at all, its all too distant.
Im finding it hard to get involved watching these highlights which is annoying me.
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Normally the bike coverage on ITV is great. The Tour is very well done, the Vuelta is just as good.
But the Tour of Britain is just woeful in my opinion. How can they get the footage so wrong? Ive been only able to watch the hours highlights in the evening but the difference to watching the Vuelta is chalk and cheese.
Theres hardly any graphics showing split times.
Cameras cut away to a lone rider and you dont know where they are.
Then they'll cut away to a helicopter shot of yet another field for far too long.
Then they'll cut away to another group with no graphics. Theres far too much cutting backwards and forwards, you dont know where you are half the time.
But my biggest gripe is sound. Where is it? No on road sounds whatsoever. You feel like its all chat chat chat from a box in London and the commentary is appaling (Brian Smith is bearable but the other guy might as well be commentating on ice skating) theres just no excitement in the sound at all, its all too distant.
Im finding it hard to get involved watching these highlights which is annoying me.
It's not quite as atmpospheric as the Vuelta and then again a few years back that race was as dull as ditchwater to watch.
Part of it might be due to fewer TV motos on the race meaning it's difficult to switch from one piece of action to another. Another reason might be down to how conservatively teams are having to race with fewer riders than in a GT.
Hugh Porter is getting a bit long in the tooth and he may make some mistakes but he still has more Word Champions jerseys to his name than I do so I'll cut him some slack for that.0 -
I'm glad someone else noticed this. I watched the ToB highlights straight after the Vuelta highlights and the difference was staggering. The Vuelta stuff is done very well, but the ToB stuff, despite it happening just a short distance from me, was entirely unexciting. Hence, I haven't watched anything past the ToB Stage 1 highlights...Specialized Allez 2010
Strava0 -
I didn't bother watching last night's after I watched the covergae on Monday and Matt Barbet asked Kristian House, once before the stage and once after, what the "banter" was like between Cav and Wiggo.
Kristian's reply on both ocassions was "Yeah, it was OK"0 -
Hugh Porter's commentary is absolutely appalling. He misses loads of things, states the blindingly obvious, and worse still calls things completely wrong.0
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Agree the lack of sound from the actual race makes it feel a little amateurish. Normally ITV use the host broadcasters feed and for big races with a multinational audience I assume there is just more money for bikes, cameras, helicopters etc which gives it more of a professional feel.
As far as commentary goes it is a matter of taste. I think there is a real gap in the market for a top class cycling commentator since Harmon's career suicide, one which only Rob Hatch looks remotely capable of filling. The pundits on both ITV and Eurosport aren't too bad but then it's an easier job so long as you have the knowledge.[Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]0 -
Agree the lack of sound from the actual race makes it feel a little amateurish. Normally ITV use the host broadcasters feed and for big races with a multinational audience I assume there is just more money for bikes, cameras, helicopters etc which gives it more of a professional feel.
Are ITV running all the cameras etc. themselves then?
The cuts to random riders with no context is a bit annoying but the commentary doesn't bother me too much because I can follow the race on my own - although might be confusing for casual viewers.0 -
Brian Smith is clearly shocked with some of the stuff Porter comes out with, and tries to correct it without sounding rude.0
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The Beeb finally called it a day with Porter and replaced him with Brotherton - and not before time
My theory is that when it comes to ITV, he just keeps on turning up for work, whilst everyone thinks someone else had the task of informing him that his services were no longer required0 -
Are ITV running all the cameras etc. themselves then?
Don't know, it must be quite a specialised thing filming bike races and there isn't a huge call for it in the UK so whether the lack of "big race feel" is down to inexperience, lack of budget or a combination of both I could only guess. Anyone know how it works - do the people working on the ToB also work on the continent ?[Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]0 -
Are ITV running all the cameras etc. themselves then?
Don't know, it must be quite a specialised thing filming bike races and there isn't a huge call for it in the UK so whether the lack of "big race feel" is down to inexperience, lack of budget or a combination of both I could only guess. Anyone know how it works - do the people working on the ToB also work on the continent ?
I was thinking the same, are the people who would have done it normally all covering the Vuelta?0 -
Matt Barbet is terrible. On the advert for the Cycle Show when he says "bikes, what's not to like" i always thought "people like you". Nevermind though, in a couple of years he'll be covering roller blading or whatever sport has become the in thing for middle class men."Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago0
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For the life of me, I simply cannot understand why TV production aren't combining interwebz cycling forums like this very esteemed one right here, for better presenters and commentators
Its a total mystery0 -
I am guessing that the actual race filming is managed by the race organisers and they sell the feed to whichever broadcasters will buy it. the broadcasters buy the feed, dub their commentary on top and intersperse it with their own studio/backlot stuff. Of course, the race organiser may well appoint a local broadcaster to subcontract the filming to them, so in France it would be a local french TV company, similar in Spain and maybe ITV in the UK. So ITV may or may not be to blame for the poor filming of ToB.0
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It's not quite as atmpospheric as the Vuelta and then again a few years back that race was as dull as ditchwater to watch.
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Slightly off topic I know but I've always said "dull as dishwater" Just checked the origins and I'm using the updated version circa 1900 whilst dull as ditchwater stems from the 1700's.. That's the new thing I've learned today¬
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I'm glad it's not just me then. I'm torn with this race because being the TOB I want to follow it and get right into it, but I'm really struggling with this ITV coverage.
OK, I understand that compared to the Tour or Vuelta it's nowhere near as big, but surely they can keep the same sort of format presentation wise? An Imlach type presenter (can't stand Matt Barbet, it's like someone just went out lunchtime in Covent Garden and just picked some insurance broker in a crowd), a ex Pro-rider to cover the details then go to 40 minutes of riding action (with better graphics and always-on time splits) followed by the quick round up at the end.
Instead we get endless shots of tractors on fields, Hugh Porter telling me for the umpteenth time they are 'as big as a football field', just no sense of direction. For the amount of crowds that have turned out why is it the sound just doesn't represent it, I can't believe it's all just so flat.
Maybe I've just overdosed on Tour catchup highlights and the current Vuelta, but I can't help but feel that there's the hype surrounding the TOB - pro teams, no radios, great routes and racing to boot...and then there's the Tv reality...no atmosphere, dire footage, bad commentary, boring racing, routes that are a bit 'meh'...I feel guilty for struggling to support it.
I need a coffee.....ggrrr..0 -
Eurosport coverage of ToB has been great. I like Matt Stephens's co-commentary on there.
Agree about Matt Barbet. 'Banter' FFS? He should stick to daytime tele or go back to BBC SE.0 -
[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19698944#p19698944]Richmond Racer 2[/url] wrote:For the life of me, I simply cannot understand why TV production aren't combining interwebz cycling forums like this very esteemed one right here, for better presenters and commentators
Its a total mystery
Imagine if they selected Frenchie..... :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:0
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