What if you were the director of TPIR???

[PIR85]

I would include these:

* the half-pane SCSD graphic for BOTH spins (with or without shoutouts)
* After Drew's entrance, have the camera point to the ceiling and turn 90 degrees as it comes down to Drew & mic handoff
* During IUFB pairs, when Rich says "And to the winner of this refrigerator goes a supply of...", have the camera get the most-recent contestant like it used to
* A more exciting Plinko reveal: the sign would be great, but even the audience background shot worked for me
* Punchboard $10,000 reveal on the turntable
* In any car game where the game is played behind the GPT and the car is located behind door 3 (i.e., One Away), have a wide shot of the Door 3 with the GPT and host on the left as they zoom in to reveal the car

[TonicBH]

Some of my suggestions include:

• Use the jib cam to make a sweeping shot from the audience to door #2 in the intro, ala Davidson Price.
• Hell, I'd utilize the jib a little more than it already is being used for.
• Tighter shots to avoid showing off the crew members.
• Return the zoom-out camera effect Alter did during the 80s-early 2000s for the Showcase Showdown
• More creative and experimental wipes.
• Return of announcer's face on the final "come on down" of the day's program.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

[hyhybt]

Also, the price tag being raised a bit while covering Grand Game just doesn't seem right. Something needs to be done about that.

That *would* have been simple enough to fix had they wanted to, by making the new Giant Price Tag even more giant than the old one.

(The first thing I'd do if they hired me as director would be to learn how to direct!)

[djsquare]

How about getting rid of the extreme close-up/panning of the prizes? I mean, the other day, there was a lips shaped sofa and they zoomed on it so close that you could only see a big red something on camera for like 10 seconds without knowing what it is... That the worst thing in Bart's directing right now (and missing reveals...)

[smbryant]

I understand completely that is thread is hypothetical "what if" scenario, but I agree with Steve. There are certain things that, as a director, you can't control.
And to add, every director is going to have completely different methods to their madness. As mentioned, Marc Breslow used matte shots on prize descriptions and rapid cuts between cameras. Paul Alter had his own ideas as does Bart Eskander. I've never heard of a director purposely try to mimic other directors for the sake of history with the sole exception of R. Brian DiPirro on "Gameshow Marathon" (it was the editing that sank that show).

I'm content with the direction TPIR is going, although I don't watch it as often. All those past effects, transitions, props only would make show look antiquated. It's time to put the past behind and move on.

[William]

I would also have stills of the contestants reaction. Rich would be shown on camera about twice a day. And (something very new) if there was a game behind the race game curtain (exept plinko) I would shoot Drew and the contestant walk over to the lowered curtian before the prize is revealed. Also, after the prize is revealed and described for games that are behind the giant price tag, I would cut to a shot of Drew and the contestant and the price tag rising; AFTER the prize is described.

[mlh1981]

This may not fall under this category, but I would bring back the audience entrances

Get rid of JIB camera.  This camera reveals some of the "inner workings" of the show, and I, for one, prefer all of those things to be a mystery.

[TVC]

Had I the good fortune to direct The Price Is Right, I'd screen episodes from the 1970s through mid-'80s and take good notes. That is when the show was at its prime directorially.

Get rid of JIB camera.  This camera reveals some of the "inner workings" of the show, and I, for one, prefer all of those things to be a mystery.

I'm pleased to find that someone else thinks this way. I am not a fan of shots that reveal too much of the studio setup. As with radio drama, it's better for the mind to paint its own picture.

Generally, shots from the jib camera feel out of place for TPIR. I'd rather not see the show from the perspective of hovering below the lighting grid.

[PIR85]

The jib works well for the closing shots, and also provides interesting angles during pricing games (Pathfinder).  But, one of the biggest waste is the use of the jib during calldowns.  Looking back through past episodes, the turntable-area camera that panned the audience was much more dramatic as it swept through the audience and "jumped" to find the next contestant, unlike the jib which slowly focuses in on the predetermined area.

And, while I'm at it, I agree with a previous poster to bring back the announcer picture-in-picture effect used during a calldown.

[gamefro]

The jib works well for the closing shots, and also provides interesting angles during pricing games (Pathfinder).  But, one of the biggest waste is the use of the jib during calldowns.  Looking back through past episodes, the turntable-area camera that panned the audience was much more dramatic as it swept through the audience and "jumped" to find the next contestant, unlike the jib which slowly focuses in on the predetermined area.

The use of the jib has gotten much better in recent episodes.  In its initial uses for calldowns, the jib camera was panning the audience too quickly and often missed the contestants (especially during the opening).  Then it transitioned to the jib camera knowing almost exactly where the person would be, practically zooming in on the person before their name was called.  Lately, its been a little better in that the jib is zoomed out over the general section of the audience where the person will be, then zooms in as the person stands.  This approach is something I thought of a few months ago (can't remember if I posted it here or not) and was quite pleased to see it implemented...they should just zoom in faster when the contestant stands.


Some other things I would implement:

*Have the light border on screen longer during the opening, and delay the appearance of the show's logo until the announcer starts saying "The Price Is Right".  (The logo being on screen before Rich starts saying "You are the first four contestants..." kinda bugs me.)

*Wider shots of the big doors, especially during the opening.

*Restore turntable rotation shots for pricing games (at least for the game's reveal).

*Experiment with new wipes during product descriptions (a la Hole in One, Danger Price, Bullseye)

*Restore announcer's on-screen calldown shot (with PIP effect) at least once daily, before either game 5 or game 6.

*Restore the SCSD arrow (or the Gameshow Marathon variant thereof).  Failing that, I'd at least center the wheel in the right half of the current split screen shot.

*Original sign & music for Plinko.  Failing that, I'd restore the audience background shot, use the old music sting (from The Cats?) and have a Plinko-sign-like graphic on-screen.

*Freeze frame shots of contestants when going to commercials -- only for particularly amusing shots, and only if the contestant isn't going wild on stage as the show goes to break.

*Restore the mid show bumper.  Failing that, maybe bring back the light border when the host throws to commercial after game 4.


I'm sure there'd be other things, but that's all that I can think of right now.

[Scott5114]

Of course, some of this stuff isn't the director's territory. Wouldn't The Cats sting be Stan's turf, since he's the Music Director? (I wonder what would happen if we all wrote to Stan and asked him to bring it back? Or even better, asked him in person during the interviews...) Also, it's been said that Fremantle doesn't like their announcers shown on-camera. I can see why, considering not seeing the announcer kind of creates a mysterious, omnipotent-ish aura around the announcer. But this sort of breaks Price because they consider the announcer to be part of the big TPIR family, and if we don't see him, it kind of hampers that family feel.

[SteveGavazzi]

Also, it's been said that Fremantle doesn't like their announcers shown on-camera.

It's been said, but it wasn't true.

[Flerbert419]

It's been said, but it wasn't true.

So who is keeping Rich off camera? Roger? Syd? Who is responsible?

[goldroadfanatic]

When Rich was interviewed a few years back, he stated that "it's up to Bob" when it comes to him appearing on camera.  I would assume that it's Syd's decision now.

[Bluescreen_ODeff]

Hmm; if I were the director of The Price Is Right:

* I'd also have the Plinko sign on the turntable
* I'd have the $10,000 sign on the turntable for the Punchboard game.
* Of course the Arrow on the SCSD!

Here's an idea: what if they borrowed a little from the old Wheel of Fortune and announce the most a potential contestant can win right at the start of the show?  Or is that sounding too greedy?