Staged TV

[Matt Deckard]

I'm talking Storage Wars, American Pickers, Meet the Hutterites...

There are too many of these staged TV shows on History Channel, and now, National Geographic with Meet the Hutterites... It's actually starting to take a sizable chunk of money away from production that require skilled prop masters set makers and costume designers.

 

[Matt Deckard]

And as my makeup artist friend just mentioned to me... these shows are killing makeup jobs as well.

 

[Mark B.]

You can probably include all the reality TV shows in there as well. They are about as staged as they come.

 

[Matt Deckard]

You can call it reality... but it's staged.

 

[Tomasso]

You can call it reality... but it's staged.

Yep, I happened to walk by the Miami Ink store a while back and witnessed the cast planning their next scene. The proliferation of reality shows is due to their relatively inexpensive production costs.

 

[DNO]

"Reality TV" is a blight. I eagerly await its demise...but I'm not holding my breath. It has, unfortunately, really mastered the "lowest common denominator" concept.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Yep, I happened to walk by the Miami Ink store a while back and witnessed the cast planning their next scene. The proliferation of reality shows is due to their relatively inexpensive production costs.

Exactly. And if people think the people who guest on these shows get anything tangible in return for their participation, think again. You're lucky if you get a room for the night in a really cheesy hotel.

 

[hatophile]

Are the TV producers so uncreative they can't think of something new and different besides these "reality" shows?

 

[MissMittens]

I believe that all of the "reality" shows are staged, and even scripted. It's a way to get amateur actors for a production without having to pay them. Several lavish hotel rooms, or a mansion in the Hills for a month, is cheaper than filming 2 days on a regular set. That's the only reason MTV has been able to keep going :/

 

[scottyrocks]

Are the TV producers so uncreative they can't think of something new and different besides these "reality" shows?

It's all about the money. Combine low production costs with a finished product that people lap up like ice cream, and you have a recipe for success. Advertisers want to sell, production wants low cost, both want viewers, and the viewers want these programs.

 

[MissMittens]

It's all about the money. Combine low production costs with a finished product that people lap up like ice cream, and you have a recipe for success. Advertisers want to sell, production wants low cost, both want viewers, and the viewers want these programs.

Sadly, until viewers stop watching, or go off the radar (I have ditched my cable completely, and watch all my shows via streaming), it's not likely to change anytime soon

 

[bunnyb.gal]

Can't figure out who watches these - no one I know will own up to it...

 

[scottyrocks]

I think for many it's a 'guilty pleasure.' They love it but won't admit it.

 

[Rathdown]

I'm talking Storage Wars, American Pickers, Meet the Hutterites...

There are too many of these staged TV shows on History Channel, and now, National Geographic with Meet the Hutterites... It's actually starting to take a sizable chunk of money away from production that require skilled prop masters set makers and costume designers.

Matt, you could make the same argument about animated films. Television works to a different metric than film, with vastly smaller budgets and incredibly tight delivery schedules. Depending on the program content a producer is lucky to get $2m for 13 half hour episodes with most shows budgeted at around $130k-$150k per episode. Broadcasters can, and sometimes do, demand delivery of the first program within 120 days of signing the contract. Blissful luxury is a contract to delivery time of one year.

The total spend for programming at History Channel is less than a quarter of the budget spent on a film like Avatar. And it's films like Avatar that suck up sizable chunks of money that delay or prevent other productions from going forward, not the programs on cable/satellite television.

 

[Edward]

I knew reality TV had eaten itself the day I saw a DVD release of The Osbornes marketed as reality television but containing "blooper reels". Uhm.....

I've seen some great reality TV - The Victorian House, The 1940s House, The Experiment (a BBC recreation of the original Stanford Prison Experiment). Most of it is populist trash, though. Still, wasn't that ever the case with TV in general? It is a shame, though, to see the machine churn out all these fame-hungry wannabes while talented actors, writers and crew go without work.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

I knew reality TV had eaten itself the day I saw a DVD release of The Osbornes marketed as reality television but containing "blooper reels". Uhm.....

Is that possible??? I thought most reality shows were already one big blooper reel. :doh:

 

[Worf]

"Reality TV" is a blight. I eagerly await its demise...but I'm not holding my breath. It has, unfortunately, really mastered the "lowest common denominator" concept.

Amen brother! Preach on! BUT it is like an open bag of potato chips. My son or ole lady'll be watching some drivel and if I stop and watch for ONE SECOND... the next thing you know you look up and you've lost an hour of your life watching that junk. I'm not saying "I'm too good to watch it", but I AM too SMART to start watching it.

Worf

 

[MissMittens]

I freely admit I watched "American Pickers"............which is completely set-up, but I have huge gaps in my knowledge of Americana for the period 1950-1970 and AP was more a source of education than entertainment

 

[Undertow]

I enjoy watching the scuz on COPS every once in a while when my dad and I are taking a break from cribbage. I guess you could call that a reality show.

Regarding the other stuff we call "reality" television, it's just another type of scripted programming made cheap and sold for a few bucks. The difference is that there aren't writers who are trying to develop a specific moral at the end of the story. Modern "reality" shows are tailored to the idea that everyday folks can live interesting lives.

Give me a gun, a bottle of whiskey and 300 acres to live on - I can live an interesting life without anyone knowing.

 

[Rathdown]

I enjoy watching the scuz on COPS every once in a while when my dad and I are taking a break from cribbage. I guess you could call that a reality show.

It is, and it is probably the granddaddy of 'em all. Camera crews are imbedded with police departments, and record what happens, no scripts involved.

Regarding the other stuff we call "reality" television, it's just another type of scripted programming made cheap and sold for a few bucks. The difference is that there aren't writers who are trying to develop a specific moral at the end of the story. Modern "reality" shows are tailored to the idea that everyday folks can live interesting lives.

Well, everyday folks can lead interesting lives, or they can lead lives of quiet desperation. Most, sadly really don't lead interesting lives, but they can vicariously experience the lives of others via the medium of scripted television. Yes, the programming is made on a restricted budget (although I'd hardly call a spend of around $10,000 per finished minute cheap), and no, the writers aren't looking to develop a specific moral theme for each episode that reveals itself at the end of the program. They're there to provide the thematic road map that will entertain the demographic that has been identified as the actual or potential audience for the program. Like Louis B. Meyer is famously alleged to have said, "If you want to send a message, call Western Union."

Give me a gun, a bottle of whiskey and 300 acres to live on - I can live an interesting life without anyone knowing.

Sounds like a hell of a reality series to me...