Irish people nod a lot on TV...

simu

Has anyone else noticed this? It does not apply to media-savvy presenters and so on but when average people are interviewed on the street for the news and so on, they nod during the pauses in their speech. I was walking down the road [nod, nod], then I saw the house on fire, twas devastating[nod, nod]. As if they're trying to nod the camera away, or something. Am I imagining this?

democrates

Nod as much as Americans.

Gran Hermano

I blame Mary Robinson for starting the trend

Kinetic^

/me nods in agreement

simu

democrates wrote:

Nod as much as Americans.

Lol. Great punning there.

However, I disagree. I think this is an Irish trait. We're still, as a nation, scared by the camera. We are the rabbit nodding in the headlights. Seriously, has anyone else noticed this?

Mossy Monk

One thing I have noticed is on Winning Streak when they call out the contestants names at any stage during the show they always wave to the camera. Never understood why.

Jesus Wept

Mossy Monk wrote:

One thing I have noticed is on Winning Streak when they call out the contestants names at any stage during the show they always wave to the camera. Never understood why.

The people who are on that show are a breed of their own.

simu

The-Rigger wrote:

The people who are on that show are a breed of their own.

Don't get uppity! None of us here on the fancy smancy interweb are more than a generation or two away from the Winning streak audience.

Irish people just aren't good at the TV thing. I blame the famine, myself...

democrates

yeah, it's like "I'm on telly, I'm famous for a minute, this is good, I could win some money, this is good, just keep nodding, are youu big rich important people watching? just so you know I want to keep good things happening, I'm in, all the way, talk to me, nod nod nod ." sad

MooseJam

lol, how random can you get

monkeyfudge

I tend to clasp the back of my neck a lot when being interviewed on camera...

MooseJam

monkeyfudge wrote:

I tend to clasp the back of my neck a lot when being interviewed on camera...

why were you being interviewed, are you famous ?

democrates

MooseJam wrote:

lol, how random can you get

Random? I'm thinking that all the time. Well you never know when a richie will handout for nods. Nod, people, nod, nod like the wind. Are you nodding yet? Your gaff could be bugged by a richie, get nodding.

admiralofthefleet

Mossy Monk wrote:

One thing I have noticed is on Winning Streak when they call out the contestants names at any stage during the show they always wave to the camera. Never understood why.

its because they promised margo from the corner shop in the village that has 200 pubs, 1 butcher, a florist and a petrol pump outside one of the 200 pubs that they would wave to say hello and thanks for selling the 'winning' ticket, oh and because the parish priest said "good luck, dont forget the basket when you come home"

monkeyfudge

MooseJam wrote:

why were you being interviewed, are you famous ?

My line of work means it can happen quite a bit... I'm much better at being interviewed on the radio though... I always get a bunch of different nervous reactions going when I have a camera turned on me though.

funky penguin

I do that as well monkeh. Kind of an anime action, my hand just starts scratching the back of head when I'm in an nervous conversation.

democrates

funky penguin wrote:

I do that as well monkeh. Kind of an anime action, my hand just starts scratching the back of head when I'm in an nervous conversation.

Don't fret it Bertie.

monkeyfudge

funky penguin wrote:

I do that as well monkeh. Kind of an anime action, my hand just starts scratching the back of head when I'm in an nervous conversation.

Exactly... Goku does it all the time.

WindSock

Nodding is more tolerant for me than a person that keeps saying 'mmhmm. mmhmm. mmhmm.''

Tar.Aldarion

Official nickname change to the land of nod for Ireland?

mike65

simu wrote:

Don't get uppity! None of us here on the fancy smancy interweb are more than a generation or two away from the Winning streak audience.

Irish people just aren't good at the TV thing. I blame the famine, myself...

Some truth in this, the Irish are broadly speaking visually illiterate, words are great & music not a problem but show Joe O'Public a clever piece of visual art and he'll be flumouxed. There are no great cinematographers, no top level photographers from here (cept Robert Carlos Clarke), tis why architecture in Ireland has been a busted flush since the start bar the occassional moment, Gaudi could never have flourished here. The only area that the Irish have done consistanly well in creative visuals is dress design and associated crafts.

As for tv, the sight of a camera continues to illicit all the wrong reactions - a gormless wave, a silly attempt to make rabbit ears sign behind vox-pop interviewer, a panicked scuttle across the street and around the corner lest they be seen by Mam. The yanks by contrast always seem to be at home even when dressed like trash in the carpark of Walmart.

Mike.