issue 27// vol 45

War of the words

Game of cups

» Amistake that should never happen in film or television

Jessica Berget Opinions Editor

n case you haven’t heard enough about

Game of Thrones and you aren't sick of hearing about that damn coffee cup again, consider this hot take: People are right for being outraged. I know it’s a stance that has been done to death, but it bears necessary repeating. The coffee cup and yes, the water bottle from the series finale are major mistakes that should never happen in film or television ever again.

How many other television shows

or movies can you think of where there have been some production mistakes, or something left in a scene that shouldn't have been there? Off the top of my head I can think of a few. Small mistakes in film are bound to happen and that’s totally cool. However, that coffee cup in episode four was a pretty fucking obvious mistake, and it wasn't an isolated incident. In the series finale, there was a water bottle left in one of the final shots. Many people claim that these mistakes are a testament to how little the show’s creators care about the show. I don't think I would go that far, but I do agree it is a disappointing and frustrating mistake to happen with what was once such a great show, which is why it should never happen again.

There is a reason most filmmakers and producers take so much care to make sure that there are absolutely no inconsistencies or mistakes in the show. It takes the audience out of the fantasy of the show and ruins the illusion, which as a viewer is incredibly frustrating. In the context of a television series whose quality has substantially degenerated with each later season, I can understand why fans are so upset about the cup.

There may have been some unnoticeable hiccups or accidents in other shows and movies but something like a coffee cup in a scene, especially in a medievalesque fantasy piece like Game of Thrones, is pretty glaring. Furthermore, I find it hard to believe that the cup made it in, given how many eyes that scene has gone through. Producers, directors, editors, or anyone else who had a part in the show—nobody noticed it.

Like I said, it is just a small mistake that was bound to happen sooner or later. However, it’s a mistake that happened not once, but twice in one season, both times with a beverage container being left in very visibly. I could understand it happening as a one-time thing, but I think twice in the same season, after all the scrutiny and backlash from the first mistake, is inexcusable.

Rants 1n your pants

» ‘Detective Pikachu’ would have been so much better with Danny DeVito

Jessica Berget Opinions Editor

n May 10, Pokémon fans all around

were either ecstatic or dreaded the release of Pokémon Detective Pikachu. However, I think if more fans had known that Danny DeVito was considered for the voice of Pikachu, the release of the film would have much more unpleasant. Ryan Reynolds may have done a good job with the role but compared with DeVito I think it’s obvious who would have played the better Pokémon.

Indeed, DeVito was considered for the role of the adorable Pokémon detective, in large part because an online petition calling for DeVito to voice the character garnered

about 50,000 signatures. In fact, test footage with his voice was even made by the filmmakers to see if he would be a good fit because of the internet’s response.

Watching the film myself, I couldn't help but think how much better the movie would have been had DeVito voiced the starring role. A movie about an adorable Pokémon who solves crime with a sassy and crude demeanor is the exact role DeVito was born to play. I think it was a waste to make the movie and not have him be in it. Ifyou ask me, Ryan Reynolds’ voice was too neutral and flat to be captivating or humorous in this role. Experiencing the movie with the knowledge that DeVito could have been Pikachu instead left a Danny DeVito-sized hole in my heart that will never be filled.

opinions // no. 15

Coffee cups? In my Westeros? It's more likely than you think!

>» Expecting absolute perfection from TV shows and movies is unrealistic

Bex Peterson Editor-in-Chief

f all the internet rages I’ve witnessed

over the final season of Game of Thrones, the one that makes the least sense to me is the absolute frothing fury over the infamous coffee cup left on the table in episode four (and, yes, the water bottle in the finale). Should they have been there? No. Is it, as many people have described, incontrovertible proof that the executive producers “definitely didn’t care” about the quality of their final season by making some kind of easily avoidable mistake? Absolutely not. We accept the occasional typos in our newspapers and printed books despite the amount of time and effort that goes into editing them—why should film and television be any different?

I'll admit I get a bit defensive on this topic because as someone who used to work in film, I know what the days are like. I think people get this image of a film set as some kind of glitzy, quiet workspace where actors lounge in luxury between takes while directors carefully craft every shot with painstaking attention to detail and time is no object. In reality, people should be picturing something like a construction site. Actors and crew need to be able to eat and drink between takes, and snacks are often brought around set to keep everyone’s blood sugar up during the long hours of shooting. One of the most oft-repeated jokes when set-ups are running behind schedule is “we'll fix it in post,’ meaning that any mistakes caught on the day will have to be rectified in post-production. Because of tight schedules, 15 to 20-hour days making everyone a bit loopy, and the general chaos of film, post-production has to deal with a lot of fixes.

A shot goes through many different hands before a final version is delivered.

I guarantee that production and post- production had to filter out plenty of immersion-breaking errors along the way.

Tat least hoped that although DeVito didn't get this role, there might be a future Pokémon movie he could still be in. Unfortunately, that day may never come. Some Pokémon fans may be disheartened to know that, at least as of three years ago, DeVito didn’t even know what Pokémon was, suggesting that he will probably never voice any adorable Pokémon in any future movies. When asked about the possibility at an It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia special event in 2016, he responded, “What the fuck is Pokémon?”

With no Danny DeVito Pokémon movies on our horizon, the only thing we can find comfort in is the edited Pokémon Detective Pikachu trailers with DeVito’s voice dubbed over on YouTube.

The coffee cup, with its neutral colour palette, would have blended right in with the rest of the scene and would have been incredibly easy to miss in the light of much bigger concerns and fixes to focus on.

The argument people often make for why this error is particularly egregious is the show’s massive budget—which, given the nature of the mistake, makes absolutely no sense. It’s not like they spent $15 million per episode on a designated “coffee cup sniper” in production or post.

For some much-needed perspective, The Lord of the Rings trilogy had a budget of $94 million; adjusted for inflation, this equates to about $140 million today. They had comparatively more time and money to produce a shorter product than the final season of Game of Thrones, and that fantasy trilogy is rife with mistakes: Trucks ambling along in the background, forgotten coloured contact lenses, “dead” orcs sitting up after Aragorn jumps over them, so on and so forth. Hell, even Academy Award darling Gladiator infamously gave us chariots flipping over to reveal gas canisters underneath. These things happen. It’s not a sign of laziness, it’s what we get when fallible humans make fallible products. Given the time and effort that goes into the more important parts of production—the writing, the visual effects, the attention to detail in set and costume design—it’s wildly unrealistic and, quite honestly, grossly unfair to expect a flawless product. I say let the person who’s never made a mistake at work be the first to cast Twitter shade on this one.

In the grand scheme of things, a coffee cup is not a big deal. The Game of Thrones production team handled the gaffe with grace and good humour, and it’s already been edited out so the coffee cup won't appear in DVD box sets and digital copies. It’s really your choice whether you decide to laugh and enjoy the thought of Daenerys Targaryen sipping on a latte or let something so small and petty ruin the show for you.

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