Actors + guitars

[The Fury]

I was just watching the Brady Bunch movie (why, I have no idea) and there was some s****y actor trying to play the guitar. Do they think the audiences are stupid and we won't notice the fact that this bloke has probably never seen a guitar before. Why would they do such a thing, why not get a guitar player to "act" at playing the guitar?-I mean who could do it better.

I know it was only the Brady Bunch, but this kind of thing happens all the time.
Does this piss anybody else off, or am I getting too wound up over nothing?

Phewwww . . . . ...... Rant over:)

[barbietta]

It annoys the bejeesus out of me too. I also play piano, and I am particularly annoyed when I see fake pianists. I'm sure there are plenty of starving artists out there who would gladly be a hands double for actors.

[gck]

well, I've never seen a movie in which their are close-ups of the hands of pianist or guitarist who doesn't know how to play the instrument!!
If one of the main characters of a movie has to play guitar but the actor can't, it's cheaper to have him "act as if he could play" rather than hiring an artist and then copy the actor's face over the artist's with a computer or something (if you know what I mean): however, for the hand close-ups, they always use professionals!

The only strange guitar playing thing I've ever seen on TV was the following: there's was this guy who's a detective that's also a guitar player and from time to time, you see him play with close-ups of his hands: one time, the guitarist hand double wore a ring on the ring finger, whereas the actor (in the same scene) didn't :)

[jaytee]

yeah it seems kinda dumb they couldnt at least teach these people a few chords or something so they could at least fake it better....

i only ever saw one movie where they actually learned to play....it was called something like "that thing you do" ...it wasnt a very popular movie i dont think....but the actors were really happy that they actually got to play....they said it was hard work to learn to play in a short amount of time but they all thought it was way worth the work. actors could benefit for sure by lessons.
besides...wouldnt you think it would be cheaper to get an actor guitar lessons for a few months than pay some stunt doubles?

hmmm....maybe the stuntmans union has some stipulation concerning this...lol

--jt

[gck]

hmm... maybe the stunt doubles are more afraid of tendonitis than jumping out of exploding cars and dodging the flaming debris while beating 12 mafia killers with their karate skills :)

nay, teaching an actor how to play an instrument is just a waste of time and money: first, I think it's tremendously hard to learn an instrument if you personally don't really want to: what gives you the strength to go through hours of practice if it wasn't your love for the instrument? Second: maybe 1 of 100 cinema visistors might notice that the actors can't really play, but 99 don't, so it doesn't really pay out. Third, learning an instrument takes time. You wouldn't want your favorite movies to come out 10 months later just because the actor had to learn guitar first because of some 20 second playing scene, would you?

And if the movie is really about music, you can be sure the actors CAN play there instruments!

[cyberfret]

For movies or TV you can not just hire some starving musician off of the street. You have to hire a union musician.....at musician union rates. So it just depends on whether they think it is worth the money to hire real musicians, and especially for TV....they don't.

Ralph Machio (Karate Kid fame) trained for a few of months for the part in the movie "Crossroads". So he learned how to play guitar, and how to fake the parts better. He also had someone there during the shoot to guide him.

--Shawn

[The Fury]

gck: hmm... maybe the stunt doubles are more afraid of tendonitis than jumping out of exploding cars and dodging the flaming debris while beating 12 mafia killers with their karate skills

Hehehe V. funny:D

I can understand some famous actors not learning the guitar for maybe a few minutes worth of film, but it really gets to me when some background actors are attempting to play when clearly they have no idea.

Maybe there are more serious things I should be getting annoyed at but I just cant help it. :)

[slaughteredsoul]

I've seen it done and it always makes me laugh.
But i disagree with everyone who says it's a waste of money...a good director is one that takes care of the smallest details,and if u're gonna make a movie,u might as well put everything u have into it.If it was some low-budget obscure movie u're watching on a foreign chanel with subtitles that take up half the page,then i'd overlook.Otherwise,actors are always told to put on weight/learn horseriding/go bald/stand still while a million cokaroaches(sp?) scramble all over their faces...i'm sure they can learn some chords and make us happy :)

[The Fury]

slaughteredsoul: low-budget obscure foreign movies with subtitles.

I don't watch those kinds of films anymore. lol

[slaughteredsoul]

oh i'm still a loser :D lol

[smfulla]

yeah it annoys the hell out of me as well. ESPECIALLY when they are only playing chords. It's like on the music its still the same chord, but they change their hand position. Honestly, its bloody annoying.
On the movie 'Once Were Warriors' (a kiwi film, with real kiwi's and its not one of those cheap as movies, its a hardout one) they actually made up a song for the movie, and the actor played it (for real). And the actor can still play it and sing it. It's called Beth's song. I don't think its downloadable, its on acoustic, but anyway, New Zealanders go the extra mile =] (sorry, shameless New Zealand plug)

[55'gibby]

Folks lossen' yer sphinkters..


It's just a movie... It's not real..... if you want real there are plenty of videos to steal licks from..... I'll provide a list if you like

[Alicemadeshy]

I know,.. Im bringing back a REALLY old thread, but I was reading some old ones, and I agree with this one, Actors+Guitar=NOOOOO!!!!

[68Mustang]

johnny depp apparently rocks

[x3roXL]

I know,.. Im bringing back a REALLY old thread, but I was reading some old ones, and I agree with this one, Actors+Guitar=NOOOOO!!!!
Ahh, I was wondering why this fury guy had 1000s of post and I never seen him. Lol.

But yeah... I hate when they do that. Especially on some movie that came on disney channel. Some christmas movie I think. Long time ago. This guy wanted a red jimi hendrix strat? Then he started playing it and his fingers weren't even moving some of the time. He just held it.

It was Disney though...

[CaNaDiAN,Eh?]

Ahh, I was wondering why this fury guy had 1000s of post and I never seen him. Lol.




Yeah I was wondering the same thing...lol