I'm pretty much the same way. The only television drama with court-room scenes that doesn't make me cringe is The Good Wife, which satirizes them.
This is probably irrational of me -- after all, nobody thinks that actors are actually having sex, but the lack of reality in sex scenes doesn't bother me.
Not really all that irrational. It's the representation of reality - that affects suspension of disbelief.
For example? When I'm watching Buffy, I know it's a fantasy, but it does have to follow its own rules. If it dives outside of its rules, or that grave stone is shown to be just styrofoam and not stone...I'm thrown out of the show. It must appear to be real at least. Or it's well, just silly. (See Plane 9 from Outer Space).
Court room scenes? I know too much so that's part of it. If the television series is a soap opera or a fantasy show like Buffy, I tend to be more forgiving. But if it is presented as say realistic drama, like Broadchurch, the Good Wife, or The Wire? Not so much. Of those three, by the way, the only one that failed to deliver the goods was Broadchurch. Actually Broadchurch was so terrible - it reminded me of daytime soaps, which I'm more forgiving of, because hello, they are daytime soaps.
Sex scenes are actually easier to do than courtroom scenes. Because well, most people know what they look like. But if you do a wonky sex scene that can throw you out of the story. (It happened to me all the time reading fanfic and erotica...I'd think, okay, I know Buffy is a vampire slayer, but is she also a member of Cirque du Soliel? Or a contortionist? Erotica writers get bored and decide to describe people having sex in ways that is...I'm sorry, but anatomically impossible. And that will throw me out of the story. Another thing that will is in a romance novel - having the people into being bitten in the neck - I start wondering if the writer forgot it wasn't vampire fanfic, but a historical romance novel.)
My creative writing prof in college, James Yaffe, told me once that even if something is factually true - if it is beyond most reader's comprehension or what they believe is false, it will pull them out of a story. For example? I wrote a story based on my grandfather who had three brain tumors, survived, but was heavily damaged as a result. One of my readers who had a family member who died of one brain tumor - hated that, and it blew her suspension of disbelief. The professor told me that less was more in this instance. Most readers would have bought one brain tumor. But going for three - threw many out of the story.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2015-05-27 01:18 am (UTC)This is probably irrational of me -- after all, nobody thinks that actors are actually having sex, but the lack of reality in sex scenes doesn't bother me.
Not really all that irrational. It's the representation of reality - that affects suspension of disbelief.
For example? When I'm watching Buffy, I know it's a fantasy, but it does have to follow its own rules. If it dives outside of its rules, or that grave stone is shown to be just styrofoam and not stone...I'm thrown out of the show. It must appear to be real at least.
Or it's well, just silly. (See Plane 9 from Outer Space).
Court room scenes? I know too much so that's part of it. If the television series is a soap opera or a fantasy show like Buffy, I tend to be more forgiving. But if it is presented as say realistic drama, like Broadchurch, the Good Wife, or The Wire? Not so much. Of those three, by the way, the only one that failed to deliver the goods was Broadchurch. Actually Broadchurch was so terrible - it reminded me of daytime soaps, which I'm more forgiving of, because hello, they are daytime soaps.
Sex scenes are actually easier to do than courtroom scenes. Because well, most people know what they look like. But if you do a wonky sex scene that can throw you out of the story. (It happened to me all the time reading fanfic and erotica...I'd think, okay, I know Buffy is a vampire slayer, but is she also a member of Cirque du Soliel? Or a contortionist? Erotica writers get bored and decide to describe people having sex in ways that is...I'm sorry, but anatomically impossible. And that will throw me out of the story. Another thing that will is in a romance novel - having the people into being bitten in the neck - I start wondering if the writer forgot it wasn't vampire fanfic, but a historical romance novel.)
My creative writing prof in college, James Yaffe, told me once that even if something is factually true - if it is beyond most reader's comprehension or what they believe is false, it will pull them out of a story. For example? I wrote a story based on my grandfather who had three brain tumors, survived, but was heavily damaged as a result. One of my readers who had a family member who died of one brain tumor - hated that, and it blew her suspension of disbelief. The professor told me that less was more in this instance. Most readers would have bought one brain tumor. But going for three - threw many out of the story.