0/5

No more promo shots like this, please?

It’s becoming a bit of a cliché to use a moody image of an actor staring into a body of still water.

2015-04-23_0049

It’s becoming a bit of a cliché to use a moody image of an actor photographed from behind and staring into a body of still water.

This image is from Foxtel’s upcoming Tassie drama, The Kettering Incident.

2013-01-12_2053

It’s not too dissimilar from BBC’s poster image for 2013’s Top of the Lake, filmed by Jane Campion in New Zealand. The series will air soon on ABC.

 

2015-04-11_1753

Meanwhile this one is a screenshot from ABC’s upcoming The Secret River miniseries, due later this year.

Broadchurch used a similar outlook for David Tennant and Olivia Colman, but not from behind.

4 Responses

  1. Agree. Foxtel’s drama feels stinky – from choice of subject matter to every style decision they push, particularly in the last few years. Their publicity is channel 7 gag-worthy (Kettering) and after their logie success, expect more of the same. Wentworth might sell to every dumb market but so does white bread and coke! Its well produced sexy stupid soap. Suspect these highly paid clowns know where their bread is buttered. They’re certainly hopeless hit pickers at the exciting “uncensored” end of international TV production – a space in Aus TV they outrageously indicate is there space alone. Yes agree. Their drama feels HBO wannabe. Channel 7 wannabe at worst. Help. Cookie cutter storytelling! But maybe they’re secretly happy with that cos its a main stream audience they need to survive. But no indication whatsoever that they have the first clue about good exciting TV culture at…

  2. When l first heard about Kettering i thought it did sound like Top Of The Lake but was prepared to give it a break. The more l see and hear about it, including this promo shot, leads me to think Kettering is wanna be of TOTL.

    If Foxtel wants to remain relevant in Drama, they need to really cut loose and not rely on rehashes. I cancelled my subscription and know others have as well once l realised I was getting a thinly disguised version of Channel 7 drama. My bet is that Kettering is no better than the awful Winter.

  3. Yes – very derivative and very dull. The tough questions will soon be asked – and answered. Was TKI commissioned on the strength of the scripts or the pitch? There is a great deal of hype around any high-budget series and the pressure is intense. If it delivers everyone will pat themselves on the back, but if it fails to connect with a fickle audience Foxtel will have a bit of soul-searching to do. My view is that they are hiding behind longform drama like Wentworth and a Place to Call Home because they don’t really have any drama expertise. If they are serious about delivering in this genre (and they should be) they need to hire an experienced drama producer with a track record in drama development. A career in STV is not enough.

Leave a Reply