Take the Maps docu.-I know intimately the contours of the presenter’s face but can I study for a few seconds the microsecond glimpses of the maps themselves – no chance. When a map is shown (usually a moving image at a low angle }and I begin to focus on it, it’s back on the presenter’s face again my eyes being fooled again and again. Even if the maps are shown for a few seconds the camera is always moving so if an item seems interesting it quickly disappears off screen. What is the point of repeatedly showing a complete map (British Isles eg), even on a 17″ screen, when only the outline of the country is recognisable?
We know what the presenter looks like from the beginning and he/she should only reappear at the end or when introducing a guest speaker. Don’t show him to us looking at the object, describing it when it is not shown to the viewer to be studied.
You docu. makers should have a message shown at the start saying, “If you wish to see the subjects under discussion record this programme on a video hard drive so that images can be paused for study otherwise it won’t be worth watching”.
This post applies to 99% of docus. don’t you agree?