History Channel tonight - Extreme Trains at 10 PM EST profiles UP 844. Reminder if, like me, you haven't seen this episode before.

dave

While there are some production practices I'm not delighting over in this series, I am happy to hear elegant, orchestra score being used in the coverage of 844.

The trend of twangy geetars and banjos in relation to steam railrooading needs to die a slow, firebox induced death.

KL

Kelly, your work runs rings around what those guys are doing......

And am I the only one who thinks the "host" needs a "random".....? What is he ON? Calm down, Matt.

Howard P.
Sedated, CT

I have been ok with the host until this episode. So many inaccuracies but they are probably not his fault but whoever gave him the info. He needs to take the excitement down a level.

I think the host is a doofus with all the hand waving and jumping around. I'm not wild about the artsy-fartsy camera work on this series either. The host reminds me of a gangsta rapper with all his hand signs, etc.
Nice to see the crew tho. Great bunch of guys.

The host, "Matt", is a member of most of the RR forums, and also this one. He's also a great guy.

It is the director that gives him the lines and he has to say what he's given and act as excited as the director tells him to. He's not talking to us anyway, he's talking to the guys that don't know anything about trains. Oh maybe he is talking to most of us.
All the simple & quick lines and slightly inaccurate lines, well that's just part of the entertainment industry, I'll guarantee you the host knows the inaccuracies that he had to speak.

Is this the new "lowest common denominator"??

Although I am not familiar with "Matt" and I do recognize the limitations of a "scripted" production, the net effect of all this is simply unprofessional. It doesn't help matters that "Matt" identifies himself as a conductor on an unnamed railroad in Maine.

There are better ways to convey the love and awe that we feel for this great industry.

They must be. I was amazed how they could operate the 844 with Matt and his cameraman in the cab constantly distracting them. What would TRAIN say to that?!?

Having worked with Matt directly as one of his subjects, off camera he is a regular guy like most of us. It is the director that tells him to "emphasize" what he is saying. A little sansationalizing goes a long way to hold people's attention, which in terms of ratings, is a good thing.

It was very interesting to see how a small portion of the show was filmed. The whole film crew was great to work with and even they were surprised at some of the behind the scenes operations of our steam program. And, we (the guys I work with) all had fun trying to see how dirty we could get Matt. He was a good sport about it and was not afraid to get right in there to get some hands on experience. Although, I'm not sure he would want to participate in another boiler wash.

Matt, you are always welcome to come in as a volunteer.

Bruce Mowbray
Springville, PA

I did also get the impression he might have been off his meds......

There seems to be a general impression among "reality show" producers that if the situation doesn't provide a lot of unrequired drama, more must be provided. I recall one "home makeover" show in which there was a 24 hour clock running on a group of professionals renovating a room, whatever. The "host" would let them get planned and started, then interrupt the workers for a "meeting" in which he would set up situations where two would end up stepping on each others toes.

I don't know why they don't assume we aren't interested in watching really expert people doing interesting things share their crafts with us without the BS. Life isn't Jerry Springer. We can be entranced intellectually, without the cheapest gut appeal. Our emotions can be enticed by helping us buy into the process empathically with the people doing the interesting work. Nobody has to lose for the audience to win.

Of course, this requires a level of craftsmanship in television production generally unavailable today.

dave

I don't know why they don't assume we aren't interested in watching really expert people doing interesting things share their crafts with us without the BS. Life isn't Jerry Springer. We can be entranced intellectually, without the cheapest gut appeal. Our emotions can be enticed by helping us buy into the process empathically with the people doing the interesting work. Nobody has to lose for the audience to win.

Of course, this requires a level of craftsmanship in television production generally unavailable today.

dave[/quote]


Think of "How It's Made" as seen on various cable stations. Pretty much real-world manufacturing, mostly in Canada, with some interesting shots of the process. Just saw one where they were continuously casting aluminum. Another recent view was watching a CRT being manufactured, a process that might go the way of Betamax. Imagine of an episode of "Extreme Trains" how liners go into an Alco 244 or watching a Sellers injector get torn apart, refurbished and returned to service in the vain of "How It's Made".

Rob

Take a look at a music video and you will see that the shot changes every few seconds. This is what younger people have become used to and what holds their attention. The in your face stuff and all of the hype is all part of it. This is what gets viewers and that sells the ads that make the show run. I would have liked to see more of the steam shops but that would have slowed the show down.

Great - a whole nation being programmed to have the intellectual depth and attention span of a 4 year old. No wonder I don't watch too much any more. My cat won't even sit still for music videos. I did like the Manhattan Transfer video for "Ray's Rock House" that came out about 15 years ago, and the B&W Roy Orbison documentary on Public TV is very good, grownups included.

I do sort of like a lot of the semi-contest shows on the Food Network. Wasn't expecting to - several years ago, when I was living in Clear Creek County, the cable provider asked the customers what shows they wanted added to their lineup. The results were posted, and instead of what we said we wanted we were getting the Food Network, among other thnigs we hadn't asked for. Phil and I got a good laugh out of that........but despite the artificial drama imposed by the timeclock and judges with their own set of prejudices, there's a lot of interesting cookery to be learned, especially with an expert who just goes to work and gets it done without any BS like Cat Cora participating. I kind of like Dinner Impossible too - I gotta admire Irvine for having the gonads to fake his resume and get away with it through sheer competence before getting caught several seasons later. We should reward that kind of resourcefulness.........

Maybe they will start a brewing program so i can finally work out a Holiday Spiced Ale recipe I can count on......

dave

You have forgotten one thing. The History channel is SHOWBUSINESS. Take it from one who has done his share of voice-over work. Been there, done that. Hokied up my share of copy thanks to the producer.

fk

As a young railfan who doesn't care for today's reality television shows, "Extreme Trains" has myself in a rather strange place.

On the one hand, I am very glad that a show is being made that is dedicated entirely to trains and railroading. I have yet to figure out how the trains are extreme though.

Maybe it's because I like older ways of filming and documenting more, but this show just really gets confusing with the many angle changes, weird editing, and "MTV Syndrome" (making extreme close ups for no good reason). Ok, these are effective to a point, but here they're just overdone to the point that it's distracting and detracts from the show. No more crooked shots please, it's almost like "Cloverfield"!

Now, as for Matt Brown... I think he's alright. I'm certain if I were being filmed when standing in one of America's most famous steam engines going at track speed with a huge train full of passengers and supposed to say what's going on... I'd probably act a bit excited, make a few mistakes in facts, and be willing to sing badly on camera.

Was there any detailed mention of the Challenger or Centennial in the episode? I know it was about the 844, but wouldn't a slight mention of the fact that Union Pacific runs the world's largest operable steam engine and diesel have been to difficult to ask? The Centennial was even behind 844, there was no excuse.

Overall, I think it's the best show we're going to get that's about trains. It would be better as a proper documentary-esqe movie, like railfan companies do. But there's the problem: railfans can make stuff for railfans, but the general public probably won't care. Probably because no railfan in their write mind would call trains "Extreme"

- Jonathan

Oh yeah, what was Steve Lee's response when Brown asked, "What's it like running a celebrity?" I couldn't hear it