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Author Topic: Bleep  (Read 3872 times)

ralfsmouse

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Re: Bleep
« Reply #15 on: May 13, 2013, 11:07:42 pm »
There was a specific word in the script that was used for the recording. The word was chicken but could have been many other words that would have achieved the same result.
Great! Now when I watch the episode I can't help but read all of the characters' lips as "chicken," making the episode even more silly.

The storyboard artist is told that the word "chicken" actually means '**** you" in this show so they aren't confused.
If that storyboard artist had no idea what the episode was about, I bet that they thought that Arthur was a weird show.

We could have just used the word '**** off' in the recording since we were going to bleep it anyway but then the script and the recording would have have the swear word in it, and that would have made the clients WGBH  and Marc Brown too nervous during the process.
I could imagine it, all of the voice actors acting as innocent kids as usual, just randomly throwing in "f***" during the process. It would be funniest when Jane starts to get mad at DW and she shouts "F*** off!" as a response.

Earwig

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Re: Bleep
« Reply #16 on: May 13, 2013, 11:46:10 pm »
It makes me  very happy to hear that anyone would enjoy the show more thinking about it  that way.  I always think of Dw saying FO when I hear the bleep but I tend to be kind of gutteral in my thoughts. My hat is off to you and it makes me laugh to hear that. That was a cool show.


LovingBeagles

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Re: Bleep
« Reply #17 on: May 14, 2013, 02:02:53 am »
It's a little hard for me to imagine the word as, "F*** off!", when towards the end of the episode, one of D.W.'s friends is heard as saying "No, you're a *bleep*!" or something along those lines. In that context, I think the b-word would have made more sense.

Mr. Rocketburn

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Re: Bleep
« Reply #18 on: May 14, 2013, 01:19:33 pm »
Yeah, I thought it was the B-word, too, judging by how the teenage boy used it at his mom.

Was "chicken" used for "The Altos" opening, too? It was obvious what the bad words were there. :P (But don't TV shows just add bleeps with editing software, not a button?)

I always wondered how Arthur knew the word at age 8. Today, that wouldn't be surprising, but back in 2003, I don't think kids knew as much swear words at that age.

Snowth Woogle

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Re: Bleep
« Reply #19 on: May 14, 2013, 07:00:54 pm »
Well, considering the kids at D.W.'s preschool, let alone D.W. herself, didn't even know what it was they were saying, naturally, they wouldn't know what kind of context to use it in... notice not only do they say things along the lines of, "No, you're a *bleep*!", they also say, "You look like a *bleep*!"... so yeah, it doesn't make sense to use it in those contexts, but the fact the those little kids don't even know what it is they're saying, THAT makes sense.

And Rocketburn, being a producer myself and knowing a few things about production, you would be surprised by how somethings are done when it comes to the soundtrack, and sometimes, somethings are achieved simply by pushing buttons... heck, back in the old days of sitcoms, the laugh track was added via a typewriter-like machine containing tape loops hooked up to the editing equipment, and during the editing process, when a laugh was needed, a button would be pushed to cue up a laugh.
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ralfsmouse

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Re: Bleep
« Reply #20 on: May 14, 2013, 07:29:43 pm »
And Rocketburn, being a producer myself and knowing a few things about production, you would be surprised by how somethings are done when it comes to the soundtrack, and sometimes, somethings are achieved simply by pushing buttons... heck, back in the old days of sitcoms, the laugh track was added via a typewriter-like machine containing tape loops hooked up to the editing equipment, and during the editing process, when a laugh was needed, a button would be pushed to cue up a laugh.

I also do TV production, and I am quite familiar with in-studio linear editing, but I have never added bleeps in during filming. I've always just taken the studio-edited footage into Final Cut Studio and add it in. I suppose that if I were doing a show that involved no post-production (feeding right from the video mixer into the DVD writer), I might use the sound board to add a bleep, but I'm already enough of an octopus in the control room as is.

LovingBeagles

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Re: Bleep
« Reply #21 on: May 14, 2013, 07:48:15 pm »
Well, considering the kids at D.W.'s preschool, let alone D.W. herself, didn't even know what it was they were saying, naturally, they wouldn't know what kind of context to use it in... notice not only do they say things along the lines of, "No, you're a *bleep*!", they also say, "You look like a *bleep*!"... so yeah, it doesn't make sense to use it in those contexts, but the fact the those little kids don't even know what it is they're saying, THAT makes sense.


Yeah, that was something I was going to bring up- how kids D.W.'s age wouldn't know the contexts in which to use a specific cuss word. Looks like you beat me to it, though. :)

Yeah, I thought it was the B-word, too, judging by how the teenage boy used it at his mom.

Was "chicken" used for "The Altos" opening, too? It was obvious what the bad words were there. :P (But don't TV shows just add bleeps with editing software, not a button?)

I always wondered how Arthur knew the word at age 8. Today, that wouldn't be surprising, but back in 2003, I don't think kids knew as much swear words at that age.


A little fun fact: According to the Arthur wiki, that teenage boy is Slappy Blackhead, the boy in the movie in "D.W.'s Time Trouble", with a different color scheme. I didn't notice that before I read it.
As for 8-year-olds knowing the swear word, it's possible that Arthur went through something similar to what D.W. learned. Maybe he heard the word and asked what it meant, then it was explained to him. But I guess that's either a secret for the show's writers, or open to your imagination.

ralfsmouse

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Re: Bleep
« Reply #22 on: May 14, 2013, 09:03:47 pm »
I always think of Dw saying FO when I hear the bleep but I tend to be kind of gutteral in my thoughts.

Another funny place to imagine the bleep removal is during the intro when Arthur and DW are running around the house. When Arthur knocks over the lamp and breaks the glass bird, the uncensored line would probably be "Mom! Arthur just broke your favorite glass bird!" But it's funnier to think of it as "Mom! Arthur just F***ed your favorite F***ing bird!"

Snowth Woogle

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Re: Bleep
« Reply #23 on: May 14, 2013, 11:05:46 pm »
When Arthur knocks over the lamp and breaks the glass bird, the uncensored line would probably be "Mom! Arthur just broke your favorite glass bird!" But it's funnier to think of it as "Mom! Arthur just F***ed your favorite F***ing bird!"
I found it funnier in my mind, because I had recalled that not all of "glass" got bleeped, so when you REALLY think about it THAT way, you get: "Mom! Arthur just *bleep*ed your favorite *bleep*ass bird!"

Wow, we're suddenly getting really dirty on this forum! XD
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Re: Bleep
« Reply #24 on: May 16, 2013, 02:37:24 am »
This episode had me thinking a lot of things for each bleep. :P

Snowth Woogle

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Re: Bleep
« Reply #25 on: July 05, 2013, 03:42:49 pm »
In watching this episode again today, I actually noticed an animation error that never caught my eye before until now:

As D.W. is watching the mother say to her son, "I can, and I have!", we see that Thora is standing at the register in the background, however, Thora's feet are overlaying a china item that's sitting on the shelf that D.W. is looking over.
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MCCJ

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Re: Bleep
« Reply #26 on: July 05, 2013, 07:48:11 pm »
In watching this episode again today, I actually noticed an animation error that never caught my eye before until now:

As D.W. is watching the mother say to her son, "I can, and I have!", we see that Thora is standing at the register in the background, however, Thora's feet are overlaying a china item that's sitting on the shelf that D.W. is looking over.

Good observation Snowth.

Ladonna Compson

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Re: Bleep
« Reply #27 on: September 09, 2013, 02:42:22 am »
i never did get why some people made such a big deal about that episode. a lot of people, (mostly oversensitive parents.) wanted it banned. i personally think that it would be one of the better episodes, and i would let my kids watch it. i would watch it a lot more often, but the last time i did, my mom yelled, "what are you watching?!?" me, "oh, just Arthur, mom!" mom, *hairy eyeball.* i don't think my mom trusts Arthur anymore. :-[
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ralfsmouse

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Re: Bleep
« Reply #28 on: September 09, 2013, 07:42:46 pm »
i never did get why some people made such a big deal about that episode. a lot of people, (mostly oversensitive parents.) wanted it banned. i personally think that it would be one of the better episodes, and i would let my kids watch it. i would watch it a lot more often, but the last time i did, my mom yelled, "what are you watching?!?" me, "oh, just Arthur, mom!" mom, *hairy eyeball.* i don't think my mom trusts Arthur anymore. :-[

Many cartoons have an episode that involves bad language, but I think that the objection to this one was due to the fact that they used an actual bleep, rather than covering it up with another sound. The bleep just made the whole thing sound a little worse, in my opinion.