So... I did not love reading the actual book, but I did, however, enjoy watching these videos. I found myself completely captivated and entertained by the progression of things and seeing all of the modern twists they put on the classic story. I think the characters are portrayed well, but I feel like there is just SO much drama, like a whole mess of drama all the time and its exhausting.There were a few things I did not enjoy too much though, 1. every five minutes having to wait for it to cue up the next video along with ads, and 2. the other videos that branch from this (Lydia's videos, Charlottes sister's videos, etc). I did find quite a few times difficult to watch because they were over dramatic, and I simply was getting annoyed by it. For example, episode 87... while I understand the gravity of the situation that Lydia is in and that it is a very hard time, I think the acting and such was a tad over the top.
Also, side note: in episode 4 Lizzie says that her mom was freaking out and then mentions that she wonders how many videos will start like that, and let me tell you, its none. Yes, her mom freaking out is mentioned other times, but no other video ever starts on that note.
One thing that makes me curious is the fact that a lot fo the blogs are saying the same thing; it was easier o be entertained by this series, but the acting was at times over the top and cringy. I go thinking about it, and I feel like the extreme acting was partly intentional. Maybe they wanted to go so far away from what the book-reading experience was, and to do so, they acted with extremity as to really leave not much up to the imagination of the viewer, differing from reading a novel? Or, maybe the over acting was they attempt at seeming like normal vloggers, and the production was juts slightly out of touch. Still though, I find it hard to ignore that everyones comments on the dramatic acting are the same.
ReplyDeleteI think this was one of my biggest stumbling blocks to this series: the acting! I found it over-the-top and annoying, especially the Lydia character. Sure, i understand she is supposed to be a type of "party animal," but did it have to be such a huge stereotype? I found there to be no subtlety and nuances to any of the performances that made me like them as human beings. All I could think of by the 15th show in was "I can't believe I have to interact with these people for 85 more episodes."
ReplyDeleteI agree that a big issue with the series was the acting... I found Lizzie to be incredibly annoying. However aside from that, I think the reason most of us came to the same general consensus (that being that the vlogs were more entertaining than the original) is because that's the reason the vlogs were created. They were made to be more easily accessible to people who maybe struggled a bit following the original novel, which is probably why many of us found ourselves inexplicably enjoying them!
ReplyDeleteI do think it's partly intentional - they are amping up the drama for sure. As I warned y'all,. it is HARD to watch these in a big chunk rather than 5 mins at a time. I got into this after it was, oh I don't know, about halfway through probably? I anxiously awaited each new episode (I think it was Thursdays at noon or something, because I remember closing my office door and watching them during common hour while I ate my lunch between classes! It's such a guilty pleasure in so many ways.
ReplyDeleteHere's a question though: do we expect the acting and production value of a YouTube series to be the same as from a big studio? Or should it be a bit more low-tech, in homage to the medium?
This thread of comments was really interesting to read, and I had not at all previously thought that the bad acting could have been intentional. It makes sense at the level of a series being made of vlogs, and it also specifically makes sense for the high level of drama in P&P. To answer your questions--I think lower budget media doesn't necessarily need to mean bad acting or lower production, but being on YouTube specifically...I don't know, this is probably a slippery slope, but I do have lower expectations when it comes to YouTube. I have definitely seen cool and artsy stuff on YouTube for sure, but anything that I've seen that's a series it has this level of corniness that TLBD had, and it just seems to *fit*. Why? I have no idea!
DeleteIn replying to both Jera's post, I think that one of the reasons why the show was made to be so dramatic was to attract the attention of viewers who may have not been interested in the original text. With the proliferation of reality tv shows on the market, maybe the producers thought it would suit their series well.
ReplyDeleteIn response to MB's comment, I think we should not necessarily expect the acting and production to be the same as a big studio. Though I do feel that as Netflix and Youtube are starting to produce their own tv shows and movies that the standards will be raised. It is because of the lower quality acting that made many people believe that the show was real. According to the "Lizzie Diaries" article, people were reaching out and trying to help Lydia in the case of Wickham sexually harassing her with the nude tape. They even went so far as to get the content removed.