New RTE Drama - Proof

mike65

Anyone see ths first episode (of 4) at 9.30 tonight?

I thought it was pretty okay dispite my inbuilt belief that RTE can't do good drama! The incidental music was a bit insistent and maybe the director or editor was being a bit flash with some of the shots (hey look we've got a crane!) Good performances.

Mike.

Elmo

dispite my inbuilt belief that RTE can't do good drama!

That's only because of fair city, I don't know much bad drama that comes from rte except it, but then it is RTE only main drama.

Anyway I was disappointed felt that for a four parter everything seems dragged out.

And some good preformances but will wait until next week to give a real judgement.

I liked the music

maybe the director or editor was being a bit flash with some of the shots (hey look we've got a crane!)

Ah sure why not, but prehaps used too much.

DMT

The "Social Democrats" party meeting scencewas lame and the sound editor seems to have a preoccupation with the music of Beyonce Knowles....

And since when was DIT Aungier St a garda station?

davros

The opening scenes were a straight lift from "Spooks", in terms of style. The music, the "computer printout" type titles, the cutting, the use of slo-mo, etc. Did I read somewhere that the director of "Proof" was brought in from "Spooks"?

Anyway, no bad thing because "Spooks" is top notch TV.

I'll be watching next week. It's a huge step forward for Irish drama - international intrigue, guys getting whacked by shadowy figures, complicated plot. And it makes Dublin by day look great and Dublin by night atmospherically seedy.

(That crane shot at the start was a bit wobbly.)

davros

Originally posted by davros
Did I read somewhere that the director of "Proof" was brought in from "Spooks"?

I found it: "Proof" is directed by Ciaran Donnelly, who also directed some episodes of "Spooks".

LFCFan

TV2 in Denmark are part of the production team so that might explain the fact that it's a oretty good show! ie. RTE don't have 100% control

mike65

Originally posted by LFCFan
TV2 in Denmark are part of the production team so that might explain the fact that it's a oretty good show! ie. RTE don't have 100% control

I spotted that too, but dont recall any Nordic looking names on the end credits.

Mike.

LFCFan

Originally posted by mike65
I spotted that too, but dont recall any Nordic looking names on the end credits.

Mike.

There's no lack of talent in Ireland, just lack of talent to utilise it.

Elmo

TV2 in Denmark are part of the production team so that might explain the fact that it's a oretty good show! ie. RTE don't have 100% control

Since when was Danish TV good. Have to say the RTE and TV2 producing a show together to me seem like a bad Idea.

Note that TV2 demark was very small in the end credit, for some reason I think RTE and the indo producers had more to do with this series.

Lex_Diamonds

Aye, wasnt too bad for an RTE effort. Im just waiting for Jerry Ryan to turn up as a hitman though. :rolleyes:

mycroft

I spotted that too, but dont recall any Nordic looking names on the end credits.

What like "Sidse Babett Knudsen"? Third lead (Romanian woman).

Very famous in Denmark as an actress.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0461746/

DMT

Originally posted by LFCFan
TV2 in Denmark are part of the production team so that might explain the fact that it's a oretty good show! ie. RTE don't have 100% control

That merely explains the Danish news footage. That is all...

That's only because of fair city, I don't know much bad drama that comes from rte except it, but then it is RTE only main drama.

Since when has Fair City been dramatic? Can you name any decent drama made by RTE?

Elmo

Since when has Fair City been dramatic? Can you name any decent drama made by RTE?

Well lets just look at the drama outside Fair City (okay I know its a soap opera but by their naturn they are dramaic even if like me you dont like them):-

Other Drama's

The Family
Batchelor's Walk
DDU/Making The Cut
Glenroe/Bracken/The Riordans
Stumpet City
The Clinic


And lets face it they don't make much drama. Even look at On Home Ground while it was ****e story, characters and some of the actors where a bit dodgy, it was very well produced. (Good Production <> Good Show)

LFCFan

Originally posted by Elmo
Well lets just look at the drama outside Fair City (okay I know its a soap opera but by their naturn they are dramaic even if like me you dont like them):-

Other Drama's

The Family
Batchelor's Walk
DDU/Making The Cut
Glenroe/Bracken/The Riordans
Stumpet City
The Clinic


And lets face it they don't make much drama. Even look at On Home Ground while it was ****e story, characters and some of the actors where a bit dodgy, it was very well produced. (Good Production <> Good Show)

The Family - Early 90's
Batchelor's Walk - Agree, good show!
DDU/Making The Cut - No Idea, when were these?
Glenroe/Bracken/The Riordans - 70's and 80's
Stumpet City - 70's (or early 80's)
The Clinic - Didn't watch it.

In other words you could only come up with 3 that were in the last decade. Not exactly what you would call consistantly good programming.

BuffyBot

Originally posted by LFCFan
The Family - Early 90's
Batchelor's Walk - Agree, good show!
DDU/Making The Cut - No Idea, when were these?
Glenroe/Bracken/The Riordans - 70's and 80's
Stumpet City - 70's (or early 80's)
The Clinic - Didn't watch it.

In other words you could only come up with 3 that were in the last decade. Not exactly what you would call consistantly good programming.

The Family was a co-production with the BBC as is Batchelor's Walk (stand to be corrected on this one though)

DDU/Making The Cut were about 2 years ago I think

RTE do not make drama. They call Z List Celebrity Farm quality entertainment. Any decent foreign drama RTE acquires is usually at least a season if not two behind any other channel showing the program. Six Feet Under, CSI, CSI: Miami, ect, ect. So those poor souls who only have two channels are seriously screwed when it comes to their selection of quality entertainment.

Elmo

In other words you could only come up with 3 that were in the last decade. Not exactly what you would call consistantly good programming.

Thats my point RTE don't make drama they make Fair City and that is it.

But when they do do drama like proof, any time now, no tears etc.

and other mini series with or without co-producers the make good TV DRAMA.

Six Feet Under, CSI, CSI: Miami, ect, ect. So those poor souls who only have two channels are seriously screwed when it comes to their selection of quality entertainment.

No such thing any more as Two TV land. TG4, TV3 and RTE all get most of there programming before Brit TV.

And with more and more TV stations coming on its harder to get american TV first. But in gerenal except for the 3 show you mentioned they have them first.

My point is don't take Soap Operas as your guide to good drama because they are not good drama. Not even Easters or Coro

mike65

Proof Episode 1 is repeated tonight at 12. 20 am.

Mike.

DMT

Originally posted by mike65
Proof Episode 1 is repeated tonight at 12. 20 am.

Mike.

Means I won't have to miss next mondays episode by watchin Without A Trace on Channel 4*


Completely missed it on TG4 - damn you TG4 for not advertising thegood stuff on RTE1/Net 2

Elmo

Completely missed it on TG4 - damn you TG4 for not advertising thegood stuff on RTE1/Net 2

Perhaps if you read the 4th column of the TV Guide or turn over to the excellent channel that is TG4 you would have known that good shows from Ireland And America tend to be on TG4. (3rd Column in the RTE Guide, forget the west brits in the Indo and the Hearld, and the brit tabs)

10:30 Strait Nua Don "Without A Trace" ar TG4 ar De Ceadione. (An Dara Strait)

(Ta Bron Orm don mo litiru)

Also I don't think TG4 want to be related to RTE. Imagine they would have to go around calling themselfs RTE TG4 or Radio Telefise Eireanne Telefise Na Gealige A 4.

luckat

Anyone watching Proof on RTE (on tonight (Monday) at 9.30).

I saw the first ep and thought it was fantastic - byebye to the RTE cuppatea method of acting, this is gritty, hard and sharp as a carborundum chisel! Beautiful photography, funny dialogue, gripping storyline.

woosaysdan

this should be in television mate

Monty - the one and only

moved

azezil

I was watching it and thinking "oh my god this is Irish!!" , its very good!

luckat

Sorry, didn't realise there was a television forum.

Proof has set a whole new standard for TV drama, in the same way that TG4 has set a new standard for documentary.

sionnach

missed the first episode but with reviews like this i wont miss the second

celticfc

Duplicate threads.

ATTN: thread merged with existing one.

mike65

Episode two built well on the opener, nice car action but I cant belive you could shoot out of a side street backwards and not hit something in 2003 Dublin!

Mike.

davros

Originally posted by mike65
Episode two built well on the opener, nice car action but I cant belive you could shoot out of a side street backwards and not hit something in 2003 Dublin!

Ah, but it is set somewhat in the future, because the reg plate on the BMW in the first episode was 04 D xxxx (something well up in the thousands). So LUAS is probably running and has taken a ton of traffic off the roads. We might see one in the next episode.

lemondrop

Originally posted by Darko
So those poor souls who only have two channels are seriously screwed when it comes to their selection of quality entertainment.

Thank you some pity on those of us cursed with only the two channels.......i used to think RTE were ok but in college i only have RTE 1 and N2 and by god my opinion of them has hit an all time low. Its fine when you're not depending on them for your viewing pleasure. The only good programs they do show are either co-produced by other networks or from other countries.......and then they stop them mid season b/c they have a wonderful idea that a new drama is the way to go. When all they really do is annoy all the fans that they have already got hooked on the other programs. They just show yet another brutal display of irish broadcasting and the worst thing is that we are a very talented country and are more than capable of producing shows that can be watched by everyone from all over the world and we should be proud to say they are irish programs!!!!!

All i can say is thank god for digital at the weekends!!!!

Elmo

Ah, but it is set somewhat in the future, because the reg plate on the BMW in the first episode was 04 D xxxx (something well up in the thousands). So LUAS is probably running and has taken a ton of traffic off the roads. We might see one in the next episode.

Well I am assuming that the Luas has removed much of the traffic, as proof has had two car chases. A sign of good things.

mike65

Just found this at unsion.ie

Success of political thriller Proof 'marred by TV dumbing down'
Saturday February 7th 2004


THE success of RTE's political thriller Proof has been marred by claims from its screenwriter that his original script was "dumbed down".

Tony Philpott criticised the series makers for dramatically altering political elements of his story in order to absolve a corrupt politician of guilt.

Mr Philpott said he was fired from the programme after he resisted re-writing. In the original script, a fictional and corrupt Taoiseach is involved in serious wrong-doing. In the broadcast version, the character is an opposition figure ultimately shown to have been unaware his minions perpetrated crimes in his name.

"'Proof has been a major success and I am absolutely delighted for the broadcaster and the producer. It has been an absolute phenomenon," Mr Philpott told the Irish Independent.

"However, the disparity between what I wrote and what was screened is quite substantial. My resistance reached a point that RTE and the producers decided that I was to be fired from the programme. My main concern was the dumbing down of the script. I was told 'people will not get this'. My other concern was that the political components in the script were reduced, against my wishes."

Screened last month on RTE 1, Proof was a four-part thriller produced by RTE and Danish channel TV2 by Subotica Entertainment, an independent Dublin firm.

Dominic Wright, an executive producer at Subotica, said his firm had collaborated with the director and RTE to develop a script that was, he said, "a fairly rambling thing". The Proof storyline focused on the sex industry and centred on a computer disc falling into the hands of a journalist who exposed a scandal involving a politician funded through vice.

Proof hit a separate controversy after RTE cancelled a repeat of the final episode after a legal complaint from a bank. The Metzler Bank in Germany, which has a branch in the IFSC and is sometimes known as the Metz, complained payments to corrupt politicians in Proof went through a fictional bank known 'the Metz Bank' at the IFSC.

Mike.