Will the middle solve the riddle?

By | October 22, 2018

So I found myself watching a repeat of Catchphrase on Challenge last night. Carlton era. But I just want to know if you can spot the big graphical difference between these two vids, one from series 10, the other from series 11.

Series 10:

Series 11:

Spotted it? I never quite got my head around how it worked.

Clearly, that big screen is not really a screen as the Catchphrase logo in embossed glistening font at the top and tail of the show will attest, and the catchphrases are added in post (I’d suggest this is probably the same during the TVS era, even if there was some sort of back-projection thing going on). And yet in one there’s a clear reflection on the floor of what’s on the board which doesn’t happen in any series prior.

So how does that work? Are those Catchphrase logos simply on large removable bits of card, removed and added as and when? Has someone been charged with matte-ing the reflection onto the floor? Seems a lot of effort for not much reward. So, what?

12 thoughts on “Will the middle solve the riddle?

  1. David B

    I think the screens always worked. They’re simply too big to be fake. I don’t get the purpose of the cardboard overlay – it’s probably just cosmetic. They obviously used digital overlays to present the best version available of the question graphics as projections of that size can be quite dim. But they had the technology to get the screens to work even on the earliest series – remember how it used to rotate at the end of the show with the screen saver. https://youtu.be/g-p7MMgBQJE

    As for the reflection, my theory is that they matted it out on series 10 (quite a simple thing to do) but didn’t bother on series 11.

    Reply
    1. Brig Bother Post author

      I think matte-ing it out seems like a lot of effort – there’s no floor reflection on the TVS ones either, although I suppose being a locked shot makes it easier.

      More bafflingly, in the episode I watched last night (later series with a pound sign in front of the bonus bank) I wasn’t convinced the reflection was accurately reflecting the bouncing light in the Bonus Catchphrase.

      Reply
  2. 'Mr Babbage'

    The screens were always capable of rudimentary projection, there are some interesting vector images used in the TVS era, but they wouldn’t be great for filming anything, just for the audience really alongside the studio monitors. The reflection in the floor looks too good, but could indicate an experiment with more sophisticated projection hardware that was ‘clearer’ but still needing post work. One of the offices I work in has a similar back projection rig for meetings that is vivid, but quite dark if viewed at the wrong angle, so it may have come off too dark on the telly.

    Let’s face it, you knew this would hook me in.

    Reply
  3. Des Elmes

    Series 11 was filmed at the Central studios in Nottingham, unless I’m mistaken. Series 10, on the other hand, was filmed elsewhere.

    Reply
    1. Brandon

      It’s an good format, but not really good enough to be revived so many times.

      Reply
  4. Brandon

    I thought the big screen clearly couldn’t be a real screen because the contestants never seem to look at it, but I’ve noticed the reflections in the floor which suggest they must have been some kind of projection thing going on there. That or the reflection has been added on somehow in post, but as you said that’s a lot of effort for something hardly anyone will notice, especially back then.

    Reply
    1. SanityOrMadness

      The contestants didn’t look because the placement wasn’t even nearly set up for it, surely? It would be a really shallow angle for them, since it’s pointed at the audience & camera, not them.

      If they were going to see either big screen, it would have to be the (off-screen) Super Catchphrase one.

      Reply
  5. SanityOrMadness

    Anyone else always a bit annoyed by the pointless segment of strip light that joined the two podiums?

    Reply

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