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September 12, 2008
ABC and Palin
Five minutes in, and it's a shock and awe of half-truths and already-debunked anti-Palin talking points. ABC is working overtime to make sure they get The One's message in before they allow Palin the stage.
Also, what's the point of reporter reaction shots, other than to allow guys like Charlie Gibson more face time?
Posted by slublog at September 12, 2008 10:06 PM
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Actually, the reaction shots are there to cover edits in Palin's responses. If not for switching from the A camer (Palin) the B camera (Gibson), you would end up with very distracting jump cuts in the footage. This is often a handy way to gauge how many cuts there are in an interview without even viewing the source material.
Posted by: Scott in OC at September 13, 2008 04:18 PM
Yes, reaction shots or ANY cuts away from the subject are used to cover editing. Usually that's not a big deal, but when it's used to cover up edits that change the meaning of what's said...
The most egregious example I can think of was a Michael Moore pic -- shot of Heston speaking at an NRA function, he says something -- cut to an audience shot -- cut back to Heston "continuing" the statement. Except that from one shot of Heston to the next, he changed clothes and locations. As in, he was speaking in a different city, at a different function, and the pasted-together statement was something he never said.
The way ABC edited the interview is only slightly more honest than what Moore did.
Posted by: Rob Crawford at September 16, 2008 02:43 PM