10 things about the entertainment industry that piss me off

Tgace

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Ask my wife and she will tell you, I can get out of control when I am watching any television show or movie about the military or law enforcement. The constant, recurring mistakes and misinformation that these industries put out just get in my craw and I have to yell “********!!” It makes me wonder, don’t these shows have advisers? If they do, what the hell are they getting paid for? Or is it that the directors think that they have better knowledge on these topics? The following are at the top of my WTF?!?! list:

1. Give me that before you hurt yourself:
Cops and soldiers are constantly “racking” their weapons. I mean come on! I carry with a round in the chamber all the time. If I had to constantly rack my weapon every time I drew it there would be brass flying everywhere and my co-workers would think I lost my mind. I know that directors love the “click clack” of weapons being cycled but use your goddamn head! SWAT teams don’t stack up on a door and THEN load their weapons. FBI agents don’t have to charge their pistols after they draw them and they definitely don’t have to do it two more times in the same incident! Racking your shotgun just before you kick down a door is f$#%ing STUPID!! Going into an apartment after a serial killer, knocking on the door, hearing him run out the back and THEN racking your pistol and giving chase…F#$%ING STUPID!!!

Addendum: Lets see what else have I seen…oh yeah.
FYI you director types, there is no “safety” on a Glock pistol so a character telling someone with a Glock “turn off your safety” makes no sense. And what is up with that “clickety clack” sound every time someone draws a pistol?? Is that supposed to be the safety disengaging (if it’s a Glock refer to my previous comment)? Is that supposed to be a hammer cocking? Cause it doesn’t sound like that and hell…nobody really thumb cocks an automatic that often.OH! And another thing, when a Glock (or any striker fired pistol) runs empty, and if by some chance the slide fails to lock back (why do so few television pistols reach lock back?), it will only “click” once. These shows where an empty Glock runs out of ammo and goes “click…click…click..” well…whoever made that creative decision…YOU ARE AN IDIOT!!!

2. Oh what the hell why not?:
Every Tom, Dick and Harry stacking up with the SWAT team, I think not. If my blood pressure went up one mmHg every time I saw some “CSI”, “FBI Investigator” or “Detective” stacking up with the tactical team to go in and get the bad guy my head would F’n explode!
News Flash. If I saw some “CSI” getting in my stack on a high risk entry he would get a boot up his ***. No SWAT team leader worth is salt is going say…”OK you FBI Profiler with no tactical training I am aware of, or experience with MY team, go right ahead and get in the stack.”The only thing that gets me more pissed off is when the SWAT team rams the door and Horatio Crane in his shades is the first guy through the door! Hello numbnuts director, the way it works is the SWAT team goes in ALONE!! and when its secure they call the eggheads and Detectives in.

3. Uniformed Cops as props:
Every Detective/Profiler/CSI show or movie out there has uniformed cops as “background”. They walk aimlessly here there and everywhere with clipboards or magically appear to conveniently slap the cuffs on the bad guy that the dweeb from the “crime lab” ran down in a raging gunfight…please.
Or its the “dumbass uniform” who screws up the investigation that the star detective has to deal with.Then…like in #2, when some “hot call” goes out I don’t know why TV cops bother to even show up. You know its the hot detective from the crime lab that is going to go in first and fight mano y mano with the serial killer. Where the hell the uniform cops went nobody knows, they just show up to haul off the bad guy to the station. They must have stopped in the kitchen for some coffee while the hero did all the work.

4. Hello I’m with the Gvt and I’m here to help:
CSI and Criminal Minds…you always hear “were just here to help with your investigation, not take it over…” yet somehow its always some profiler that takes over the investigation and gets involved in the shooting or the apprehension. I know it wouldn’t be exciting if the agents sat in the office all day and the local cops were the ones making the arrests, but that’s how it is. By and large FBI agents are investigators, accountants, lawyers and lab techs.
And these CSI teams..it always impresses me how CSI works local, county, state, federal and hell even international cases. Who the hell do these guys work for anyways?

5. Kill em and Leave em:
The “profilers” arrive like the cavalry…light up some scumbag and then hop back on their jet and fly off into the sunset. Yeah when an on-duty shooting happens that’s pretty much how it goes..no investigations, lawsuits or court appearances necessary. If you are “with the crime lab” or a “profiler” you can just holster up and walk away.

6. Nuclear Grenades:
Some Delta Operator tosses a fragmentation grenade into a window and the whole floor erupts into a raging inferno of a fireball like a suitcase nuke just went off….uhhhhh…no. A loud BOOM! a puff of smoke and a lot of little bits of metal flying about is about it.

7. Crappy Salutes:
Need I elaborate? Some of these actors salutes would make a Drill Sergeant break out in hives.

8. Weird Science:
No we don’t have computer databases of every matchbook from every club in the tri-state area. No we cant piece a broken bottle together and get a fingerprint that comes back instantly to a known felon (that gets picked up in 20 seconds). NO DNA TESTING IS NOT A “WHILE YOU WAIT” PROCESS!
These shows have gotten so out of hand with their “stretching” of real forensic science that juries have been clearing criminals of their charges because the proof wasn’t “as conclusive as they see on CSI”. Prosecutors even have a name for this phenomenon. “The CSI effect”.

9. Tuck that thing in:
Military movies where everybody is walking around with their “dog tags” outside their shirts. Or dress uniforms with improper ribbons or improper wear of a uniform. Come on guys there are books on this stuff. Read one! Then there are the hot women detectives in clothes so tight I can count the change in their pockets. Not that there are no attractive women in law enforcement, but if one of my subordinates came in with her cleavage and belly button showing she would be going home for a wardrobe change.

10. Cover me I’m going in:
Nobody ever waits for back-up, sets up a perimeter or gets on the radio. It sucks to share the glory with some dumbass “uniform”. I’ll just go down into that basement with the serial killer in the “woman suit”, only *****’s would back out and call for back-up.
I know, I know, its just entertainment, but it pisses me off… deal with it! Keep reading for my next installment. This is just me warming up.

11. Tin Cans and Strings:
The woeful lack of realism with movie/television communications devices is reaching WTF?? proportions. First off there are these things known as frequencies and channels. Not all radios can communicate with each other simply because they are radios. So when you crawl into a tank to escape the zombie horde (Yes “Walking Dead” I’m talking to you), the dude on the roof top with a police portable radio isn’t going to be able to communicate with you. Convenient to move the story along, but flat out never gonna happen…even in a world where flesh eating zombies walk the earth.
And then there is the good ole “watch me talk to my wrist” scene. This is where all of our heroes simply have to talk to their watchbands and they magically can communicate with each other. Now…I have actually used one of those wrist mikes operationally. It is a microphone and switch that is run through your sleeve and pinned to your cuff. The switch dangles in your palm AND there is an earpiece that runs up your neck to your ear so you can hear any reply. Most importantly, the whole affair is ATTACHED TO A FRIGGIN RADIO!!!What exactly is Mr. CIA transmitting with when he talks to his Rolex? Am I to believe that our FBI agents now have wristwatches that are full fledged radios that can transmit and receive? I’m pretty up on current tech…they don’t exist. Some sort of bluetooth device that connects to a radio/cellular system? Maybe, but how exactly is he hearing any reply? I never seem to see any of these “secret agents” wearing an earpiece…hell even a bluetooth earbud would give the scene at a scintilla of possibility.
 

Tez3

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It's fiction, if it was all accurate then everyone would know as much as we do! :)
 

Sukerkin

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Aye Tez but I do have to agree with the "Oh for bleeps sake!" effect that Tgace describes. I don't have his insight into police work but I get the same reaction when I watch historical or military drama's set in periods I know about ... my biggest pet hate is that "shing!" that every Hollywood sword makes when it is drawn ... it makes my teeth ache :lol:.

Oh and 'hero' mags too. Those mags that just keep on giving ... right up until the angsty plot-point where one of the good guys we've gotten to know has to die ...
 

aedrasteia

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OP

good catch on the 10. there's lots more.

wrong target for your mad.

of course they can find advisors. why would they listen to them?

you want a different audience, the one you think is interested in reality.

there are a few folks in that audience, but not enough eyeballs to pay $$
in the numbers that get the accountants all happy.

Producers (first) and then scriptwriters are the people who generate what gets you PO'd,
not the directors.

Directors work from the script and the producers call the shots.

If the director/scriptwriter argues - "Hey, thats not the way it happens in reality!"
(take your pick from your list) - they get dumped. Except for a handful of the ones who
can write their own ticket. You maybe think the scriptwriters/directors don't know when its fantasy??
You maybe think they don't know how to call real experts on whatever p's you off ??
You think 99.9% of producers are interested ?

there are exceptions... a few. people tell me 'the Wire' was one.

Go to a movie or watch a tv show that really p's you off, w/an audience and then watch the audience,
not the screen.

like what you see? please do correct the hyped audience guys about what is and isn't 'real'.

come back and tell us how that worked out.

People like fantasy, especially when it looks just like their favorite version of 'reality'
and when they get to insert themselves into the hero - or the evil one or both at the same time.

yeah - friends in the 'industry', with scripts.
 

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Wasn't it mark twain who said, "never let the truth get in the way of a good story?"

I can forgive anything if the story is compelling and internally consistent. It's called suspending disbelief and it's important when you watch or read fiction.

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Tgace

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What does "fantasy" have to do with racking a Pistol 20 times in an episode? Or at least having a radio to speak into instead of a watch? A proper salute or a military/police uniform worn in an authentic manner? Its all stupid TV cliche that could easily be replaced with authentic weapon handling and equipment portrayal
....and take nothing from the story.

The "CSI in the stack", jurisdictional stuff sure. I can do a bit of suspension of disbelief. Id buy the "suspension of disbelief" excuse a bit more if people were not confusing fantasy with reality when it comes to real life police procedure. When juries start delivering "reasonable doubt" verdicts because the police didn't deliver a CSI style whodoneit perhaps our entertainment producers should start thinking about realisim a bit.

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Tames D

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What does "fantasy" have to do with racking a Pistol 20 times in an episode? Or at least having a radio to speak into instead of a watch? A proper salute or a military/police uniform worn in an authentic manner? Its all stupid TV cliche that could easily be replaced with authentic weapon handling and equipment portrayal
....and take nothing from the story.

The "CSI in the stack", jurisdictional stuff sure. I can do a bit of suspension of disbelief. Id buy the "suspension of disbelief" excuse a bit more if people were not confusing fantasy with reality when it comes to real life police procedure. When juries start delivering "reasonable doubt" verdicts because the police didn't deliver a CSI style whodoneit perhaps our entertainment producers should start thinking about realisim a bit.

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I think you're sensitive,as this is your profession,and I totally understand. But make no mistake, tv and film is make believe. It's not real. The production team is only concerned with ratings and profit, I say this as this is my profession.
 

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1, 2, 3, 8... My wife would tell you that I'm in 100% agreement. "Let's chase a bad guy for 20 minutes, across who knows how many rooftops, firing who knows how many wild shots, and NOW that I've caught him, I'm finally going to rack one in..."

I spent 5 years in a regional task force that often operated as a LOW RISK tac unit, meaning that our clientele demanded us to treat Records & Documents search warrants (amazing the process those seem to be issued with on TV, huh? when they bother...) under low risk circumstances as high risk. If it was truly high risk -- we called in a SWAT unit. I can literally count the times out of easily a couple hundred search warrants where we went in with the real operators. We did perimeter security for them more often -- but there were literally a handful of times when we actually made combined, coordinated entries with them. When we did -- it was a very carefully planned op with defined roles for each team. Usually in a screwy scenario...

Another thing that drives me nuts: nobody gets time off for use of lethal force! I shoot someone, I'm probably on the bench for a couple days at least. As a matter of routine, not discipline. Just time for the brass to figure things out. I'm not going to be right back in the office, no matter how clean the shoot.

Hell, use of force is a whole 'nother ball of crap. One shot kills, instantly, with a 40' explosive knockdown, from a .38 snub-nose, often fired from 75 yards or more, with pinpoint accuracy...
 

jks9199

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Oh... and have they never bothered to look at a map, or do some basic research into the flora of a region. Ain't a hell of a lot of palm trees around the DC area... And you can't get from the Navy Yard in Anacostia to Norfolk in less than about 3 to 4 hours, except with a helicopter. Hell, Navy Yard to Quantico MCB is a good hour under typical conditions... (Yeah, that's aimed at the folks of NCIS... who apparently haven't considered that the real NCIS probably would do something wild & crazy like have agents assigned to The Crossroads of the Marine Corp and one of the largest naval bases in the world...) Travel times and geography in some of these shows are beyond unreal...
 
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Tgace

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So nonsensical weapon handling and inaccurate uniforms get better ratings?? I don't buy it. I can accept procedural fantasy, a la CSI and the hero acting like a SWAT jock....but the simple details like uniforms, radios and weapon use loose nothing with real world accuracy.

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jks9199

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So nonsensical weapon handling and inaccurate uniforms get better ratings?? I don't buy it. I can accept procedural fantasy, a la CSI and the hero acting like a SWAT jock....but the simple details like uniforms, radios and weapon use loose nothing with real world accuracy.

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You ever notice where half the uniformed cops on TV shows are wearing their gear? They've got stuff in all sorts of screwy positions... I feel for the actors, since they can't sit down without have an uncomfortably intimate encounter with their radio or cuffs, or something else...
 

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Perhaps the best advice I can give is to not watch tv and films... LOL. Might not get you so upset?
 

Tames D

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I've noticed a few procedural errors on behalf of law inforcement in "real life" over the years. That seems to me to be a little more important than how law inforcement is portrayed on tv.
 

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Uh, you forgot to mention that it is rare for revolvers, yes, I'm old enough to have one, and remember them on TV..., rarely fire more than 6 rounds without a somewhat lengthy reloading...
 
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Tgace

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Something that gets me on ABC's "Castle"...they call the female Captain of Detectives "Sir". As in "yes Sir/no Sir". W.T.F?
 
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Tgace

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Oh... and have they never bothered to look at a map, or do some basic research into the flora of a region. Ain't a hell of a lot of palm trees around the DC area... And you can't get from the Navy Yard in Anacostia to Norfolk in less than about 3 to 4 hours, except with a helicopter. Hell, Navy Yard to Quantico MCB is a good hour under typical conditions... (Yeah, that's aimed at the folks of NCIS... who apparently haven't considered that the real NCIS probably would do something wild & crazy like have agents assigned to The Crossroads of the Marine Corp and one of the largest naval bases in the world...) Travel times and geography in some of these shows are beyond unreal...

Not to mention NCIS agents performing hostage rescue operations in the middle east and pulling sniper duty on CIA operations.

....right.
 
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Tgace

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I spent 5 years in a regional task force that often operated as a LOW RISK tac unit, meaning that our clientele demanded us to treat Records & Documents search warrants (amazing the process those seem to be issued with on TV, huh? when they bother...) under low risk circumstances as high risk. If it was truly high risk -- we called in a SWAT unit. I can literally count the times out of easily a couple hundred search warrants where we went in with the real operators. We did perimeter security for them more often -- but there were literally a handful of times when we actually made combined, coordinated entries with them. When we did -- it was a very carefully planned op with defined roles for each team. Usually in a screwy scenario...

Yeah. Being a Narc and a SWAT officer I've done no-knocks in both capacities. I've seen/used non-SWAT officers for perimeter posts and I've been a perimeter post as a narcotics officer while another agencies team hit the door. The one thing I've never seen is a crime scene tech going through the door. :)
 
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Tgace

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I've noticed a few procedural errors on behalf of law inforcement in "real life" over the years. That seems to me to be a little more important than how law inforcement is portrayed on tv.

What? A cop cant gripe about cop show's in a "Law Enforcement" sub-forum???
 

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