# Vulgarity and stupidity of camerawork in broadcasts of piano performance



## Fenestella (Oct 4, 2015)

I can't describe how turned off I am when something tremendous emanates from the pianist's fingers, the "cinematographer" stops showing us the pianist's hands, and all you can see on the screen is the convulsion or agony on the pianist's face. The vulgarity and stupidity of such camerawork is beyond me. 
I wish they had only one camera, aimed at the pianist's hands constantly - which would be so much better cinematographically.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Fenestella said:


> I can't describe how turned off I am when something tremendous emanates from the pianist's fingers, the "cinematographer" stops showing us the pianist's hands, and all you can see on the screen is the convulsion or agony on the pianist's face. The vulgarity and stupidity of such camerawork is beyond me.
> I wish they had only one camera, aimed at the pianist's hands constantly - which would be so much better cinematographically.


I think it would be a lot worse. Looking constantly at hands is a boring way to go.


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

I've always had issues with live performances of pop and rock music from the 60s and 70s from technicians, engineers, and directors that don't have a clue about what they're filming. In some cases I think they hated that new 'rock and roll' music so much that they simply phoned it in. The same with the audio techs, failing to bring up volume on harmony vocals or lead guitars.

But, yeah, the lousy camera work. There's the 'face' thing during some astonishing guitar solo, or focusing on the rhythm guitarist while the lead guitarist is playing some mind-blowing solo.


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## Ekim the Insubordinate (May 24, 2015)

Fenestella said:


> I can't describe how turned off I am when something tremendous emanates from the pianist's fingers, the "cinematographer" stops showing us the pianist's hands, and all you can see on the screen is the convulsion or agony on the pianist's face. The vulgarity and stupidity of such camerawork is beyond me.
> I wish they had only one camera, aimed at the pianist's hands constantly - which would be so much better cinematographically.


A piano performance that showed only the hands would be as boring as a soccer/football game that had the camera looking only at the ball, or feet.


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## Guest (Apr 28, 2020)

Ekim the Insubordinate said:


> A piano performance that showed only the hands would be as boring as a soccer/football game that had the camera looking only at the ball, or feet.


True, but who wants to watch the sweat drip from Daniil Trifonov's face? (He sweats profusely, too.)


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## Simplicissimus (Feb 3, 2020)

Call me minimalist, but I'd like it if the camera just showed the whole performer at the piano, as one sees him/her at a live performance, without moving at all. Although I do my serious listening exclusively with CDs, I do enjoy watching CM videos, including of solo piano performances.


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## adriesba (Dec 30, 2019)

Ugh... It can be annoying to watch a performance when the camera is zoomed in too much. I know what you all mean!

This is not a piano performance, sorry if it's off topic a bit, but it's a great performance with HD video. The trouble is it zooms in way too much. It's like they want to show off the quality of their cameras, like they are saying, "Look at all the tiny details we can pick up with our fancy cameras!"

For instance, it zooms in at Gergiev's hand for way too long at about 4:00 minutes. Why not show us the whole orchestra at the beginning instead of just a few players? From about 4:30-6:00 too much time is spent zooming in super close to the one woman. Throughout the whole video there is too much zooming in on single dancers or small groups of dancers. At 30:55 I want to tell the camera person, "Yes, duh! I see her legs are trembling!" Some of the overhead views are interesting, but the zooming is annoying. Plus, the constant panning is nauseating. This is ballet; I want to see the whole picture, not just a bunch of small details!


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Bulldog said:


> I think it would be a lot worse. Looking constantly at hands is a boring way to go.


Lets have both, we can do a split screen!


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## Open Book (Aug 14, 2018)

SixFootScowl said:


> Lets have both, we can do a split screen!


I agree, multiple cameras, let's let the viewer decide what to watch.

In live orchestral broadcasts I find that the camera always shows the most obvious instruments playing when I would rather they show how a certain less obvious but intriguing sound is made.


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## adriesba (Dec 30, 2019)

I think their reasoning is that all the zooming in lets you see things you couldn't see easily if you were there. But it often results in missing what viewers want. Sometimes you may just want to see the whole picture.


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

I came to this thread hoping for some "vulgarity," like maybe a good shot of one of those sexy female pianist's legs.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

When I worked in a concert venue, I was always amused that people buying tickets for a piano recital would always want to sit on the left, so that they could "see the hands," as opposed to on the right where all the sound goes.


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

I've also noticed this for decades for amateur archive and personal videos of amateur theatrical productions.

People operating the camera seem to think that whoever is singing the solo at any given moment should be zoomed in on.

I remember years ago a video of a production of *The Pirates of Penzance*, where Frederic is singing the gorgeous, but double-entendre aria *"Oh, is there not one maiden breast"*.

We're zoomed in on Frederic's uvula, but the audience is in uproarious laughter. It creates several surreal moments as a spectator, where you cannot understand what the hell is so funny. The audience is laughing because of the reactions of all of the 'daughters' (Major Stanley's wards), which you cannot see, to the actual lyrics he is singing. And that is actually the point of the song; that he will love ANY one of them, in spite of how ugly they may be, if only they'll give him a chance.


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## adriesba (Dec 30, 2019)

MarkW said:


> When I worked in a concert venue, I was always amused that people buying tickets for a piano recital would always want to sit on the left, so that they could "see the hands," as opposed to on the right where all the sound goes.


I remember going to a piano concert with unassigned seating, and some people there wanted to choose seats so that they could see the pianist's hands. I guess it just matters a lot to some. That's not a necessity for me though.


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## Open Book (Aug 14, 2018)

adriesba said:


> I remember going to a piano concert with unassigned seating, and some people there wanted to choose seats so that they could see the pianist's hands. I guess it just matters a lot to some. That's not a necessity for me though.


Probably only another pianist fully appreciates it, but I like to see how it's done.


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## aussiebushman (Apr 21, 2018)

I don't even care if she can't play the piano, though actually she can!

Lola Astanova


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

aussiebushman said:


> I don't even care if she can't play the piano, though actually she can!
> 
> Lola Astanova


She's a serious pianist, with serious credentials.

I've seen many of her videos, and she has some real chops. Technically, she's superb.

On the downside, I think she sacrifices some interpretive beauty for the sake of flashiness. There seems to be a lack of subtlety in her playing . . . I'm not sure if that's a conscious choice or just her 'style'.

I suppose that if you're going to try to make a decent living this way, dressing to show her assets and playing like there's a fire next door might be the way to go.


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## aussiebushman (Apr 21, 2018)

Agree. Maybe she ain't Richter or Gilels but who cares?


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