Further Television Niggles

Why on television, do they have to have shots of people walking along with the camera following? What's the point of this? Usually this technique (if you can so call it) is used with news reporters or presenters of some shows. Then there's the annoying thing of swinging the camera around rapidly. Moving quickly from one area to another, from one object in a room to another and then probably at a very odd angle. All these things do is make you feel sick. Sort of motion sick, even though you aren't actually moving at all. Just because the director or cameraman can do these things doesn't mean they actually have to. If you really want your viewers to be thoroughly sick, why not just spin the camera around? Makes no real sense, doesn't actually add much to the story or the item being discussed, but will definitely make the viewer feel queasy. There's one trick where they have a character stand still and the camera zooms out, with the character moving towards the camera. Difficult to explain but they've used it on several occasions on television. What on earth the point is I cannot think. It must be very difficult for the cameraman who photographs these scenes. I can't imagine how difficult it must be to walk along backwards, keeping the subject in focus, without tripping over things that might get in the way and all the time keeping the camera focussed and not wobbling. And for what? Surely it would be easier to just set things up so the subject is standing still and not walking. It's not just in news and current affairs programmes that they insist on these sorts of shots, but they appear regularly in dramas.

I'm not certain if I've mentioned this bit before in an earlier postt, but something that is a real annoyance or niggle is when television reporters are sent to do reports on particularly harrowing items of news, for example after a flood or a fire or something equally disastrous and they are seen standing in, say, deep water (if it's a flood) and it might be dangerous to not only themselves but the camera crew televising the situation, or it's during a storm and they are seen standing on the edge of a harbour or even a beach with waves crashing around them. How crazy is this? Are they not causing more of a problem themselves? Is this sort of reporting such a good idea? Are they making the situation worse? Why can't they just do their reports from the television studio? What difference does it make that they are standing on a beach or in a field with water lapping around their feet? It must cost a fair amount to send a crew to such places, a reporter, cameraman, sound operator and no doubt some sort of assistant to manage the operation and someone in a van to mix the pictures and sound.