A goof is a mistake. The term is also used in a number of specific senses: in cinema, it is an error or oversight during production that is visible in the released version of the film.
Etymology
Several origins have been proposed for the word. According to Merriam-Webster, "goof" is likely a variation of "goff" in an English dialect, meaning simpleton. Some say the word may come from an identically pronounced
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
word meaning "body", some even say it was just a mistake that happened while typing the word "good", hence the word "goof" is also known as another word for mistake See the etymological explanation of
Hessu Hopo, 'Goofy' in Finnish language.
The Spanish word ''
gofio'' refers to the balls of toasted flour and salt eaten by the original inhabitants of the
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...
. In Latin America (esp. Cuba) the word "comegofio" (lit. "gofio-eater") came to refer to anyone from the Canaries, stereotyped as primitive or stupid.
Cinema
In
filmmaking, a ''goof'' is a mistake made during film production that finds its way into the final released picture. Depending upon the film and the actual scene, the goof may have different effects: a loss in
realism
Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to:
In the arts
*Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts
Arts movements related to realism include:
*Classical Realism
*Literary realism, a move ...
, an annoyance, or it could just be funny. It is often a type of
continuity error. Goofs are also known as "
blooper
A blooper is a short clip from a film or video production, usually a deleted scene, containing a mistake made by a member of the cast or crew. It also refers to an error made during a live radio or TV broadcast or news report, usually in terms o ...
s"
[Normally used on th]
IMDb site
for bloopers. or "mistakes".
There are several types of goofs, for example:
* Somebody or something from the film crew is in the picture that wasn't planned (e.g.,
camera and cameraman is reflected in a mirror, or the
microphone is visible, a rope pushing a character over is visible, a hook pulling a character up in the air is visible).
*
Chronological or
continuity error
In fiction, continuity is a consistency of the characteristics of people, plot, objects, and places seen by the reader or viewer over some period of time. It is relevant to several media.
Continuity is particularly a concern in the production of ...
s (e.g. a
cigarette
A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhaled via the opp ...
getting longer with the next scene, a cup or glass gaining in volume in the next scene, damage to a building that disappears, or moved props)
* Historical inaccuracies and anachronisms (e.g., an
HDTV set in a film set in the 1970s, radio tower in cowboy movie).
* Geographic: an object or landmark reveals the scene was filmed in a different city than the city it is set. This is very common in
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
films that are shot in
Canada.
* Problems in audio or soundtrack (e.g. a
dog barking before its mouth moves, a person's lips carry on moving after they have finished speaking).
*
Intertitles displaying wrong words (e.g. a character called "John" may have his name misspelled ''Jhon'' in the subtitles by accident).
*
Editing errors, where dialog or events in one scene refer to material that occurred in a prior scene in the
screenplay
''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993.
Background
After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...
, but which was deleted in the final cut of the film.
Goofs can be found in a large number of films and episodes, even in very expensive productions. The 1977 film ''
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope'', for example, has been counted to have 200 goofs in it, ranging from disappearing props to a storm trooper hitting his head on an opening door.
See also
*
Gaffe
A political gaffe is an error in speech made by a politician.
Definition
According to Barack Obama it is:
used by the press to describe any maladroit phrase by a candidate that reveals ignorance, carelessness, fuzzy thinking, insensitivity, m ...
*
Goofball comedy
Stupidity is a lack of intelligence, understanding, reason, or wit. It may be innate, assumed or reactive. The word ''stupid'' comes from the Latin word ''stupere''. Fool (stock character), Stupid characters are often used for comedy in fictio ...
References
External links
{{Wiktionary, goof
Insultingly Stupid Movie Physics
Film and video terminology
Error
it:Blooper