Things you're tired of seeing in movies

[Treadwell]

Speaking of presents, boxes with individually wrapped lids, so you just pull it off without any paper removal. No one does that.

I know it's a lot more practical for production, but it still sticks out every time.

 

[Richard Baker]

My grandmother used to discarded paper, reach into her bag, and wad the old paper around a gift and hand it to us.
Depression Era frugalness.
I used to save money by using a newspaper (remember those?) page. Wrap the gift, then with a festive marker circle letters in the headlines with a line connecting them to spell out their name

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

That's a real problem when you see the same extra with the same costume walking three or four times in the shot...I've been trained from my early years to multi-task while watching a movie. I've seen the same car coming and going (with the same driver) in the shot! What does it take to get that extra a hat (hidden on the passenger seat) as to not be obvious when passing by the second time? Any change of wardrobe for any of those extras coming and going again and again? Coat? Hat? Glasses? Other props easily picked-up?

If you watch CHiPs they reused a lot of driving footage. I remember seeing the same Opel GT driving in multiple car chases on the highway.

Hallmark movies have empty boxed wrapped as Christmas (or moving) boxes- you see a person pick up a dozen with zero effort and only pretend to struggle if it fits a script moment.
Second Hallmark peeve- empty coffee cups and mugs- not even hot water in them for mass or steam.

It does not cost that much to put some random object into a shoe box before wrapping and I am sure they have hot water on the set for staff tea, they just don't bother...

My favorite recently, and I forget the show, but the kid shook the box and said "LEGO! Alright!" and I was like "No, you did not get a LEGO set. I heard nothing." At least put the sound effect in when they pick up the empty box!

 

[batguy]

If you watch CHiPs they reused a lot of driving footage. I remember seeing the same Opel GT driving in multiple car chases on the highway.

Yes, and they re-used many of the same cars when they filmed new scenes.


'CHiPs' had a '69 Pontiac GTO with ramps mounted on the rearend. They built it for other cars to hit it from behind and launch up over it. (Man, I would want a strong rollcage in that thing . . . ) The launching cars were totaled but they kept using the same ramp car.

It started out green with a black vinyl top. After a while they started repainting it other colors.

 

[liberator]

I never get the obvious empty coffee cups, it's so obvious there is nothing in them. Yet so easy to fix, put some water in it, they don't really need to have coffee in them, just some weight. Seriously it looks so stupid when they throw their hands around with the empty coffee cup. I saw a parody of people doing that somewhere recently on the web.

 

[batguy]

I never get the obvious empty coffee cups, it's so obvious there is nothing in them. Yet so easy to fix, put some water in it, they don't really need to have coffee in them, just some weight. Seriously it looks so stupid when they throw their hands around with the empty coffee cup. I saw a parody of people doing that somewhere recently on the web.

It's probably about avoiding the mess on the set. Even water spills need some cleanup time.