I'm fond of griping about "reality TV" and calling it the bane of civilization because I'm a writer by inclination and will always preach from the gospel of scripted television, which is currently going through a golden age by any definition.
However, I will confess that I do watch some
"reality" shows. Now before you light the torches and break out the tar and the feathers, allow me to explain myself. You see, there are three kinds of what I call "alternate realities" in the reality TV racket.
In my opinion there's the "good" reality, and then there's the "evil" reality, then there are the shows that look like the "good" reality, but if you look closely you can see that it's sporting a sinister goatee, I call them the "Evil Twin" reality shows.
GOOD REALITY: Another name I have for this is "Slice Of Life" Reality TV. This is where they show has its cameras aimed at a segment of society, or way of life that you, the average North American viewer doesn't see a lot of. The most popular of these shows center on people earning a living, whether it's running a pawn shop, hunting gators, restoring cars, guns, or antiques, or crisscrossing the nation in the search of collectibles and a nice profit..
EVIL REALITY: I call these "schadenfreude" shows. The main thrust of their appeal is that they make the viewers feel better about themselves by watching narcissistic assholes stab each other in the back, and generally act like narcissistic assholes.
EVIL TWIN REALITY: These are reality shows that pretend to be a slice of life type show, but are in fact, pure schadenfreude. They claim to show you the real lives of people that are "interesting," "glamorous," or "exciting," but usually crumble into grand displays of assholery as the subject's lives self destruct.
Now a lot of Evil Twin shows are deliberately created to be evil twin shows, mostly through casting vain, shallow, narcissistic, borderline personalities, who are willing to do or say anything for fame.
Others start out innocently enough, hoping to capture something normally unseen on video. But then they start to devolve, partially through previously undetected character flaws, and partially because there's a goddamn camera in the room.
You see, one of the fundamental truths of capturing reality on film is that the camera is more than just a recorder, it's an amplifier. People who know they are on camera amp up their emotions, especially in moments of conflict. This is mostly because something inside them feels that they have to be proven right, not only to the person they're in conflict with, but to the whole world in general.
Suddenly things that in ordinary life pass like trivial water under the bridge of life, become massive traumatic events that call for some sort of melodramatic response.
And that's all you need to know about Reality TV.
However, I will confess that I do watch some
"reality" shows. Now before you light the torches and break out the tar and the feathers, allow me to explain myself. You see, there are three kinds of what I call "alternate realities" in the reality TV racket.In my opinion there's the "good" reality, and then there's the "evil" reality, then there are the shows that look like the "good" reality, but if you look closely you can see that it's sporting a sinister goatee, I call them the "Evil Twin" reality shows.
GOOD REALITY: Another name I have for this is "Slice Of Life" Reality TV. This is where they show has its cameras aimed at a segment of society, or way of life that you, the average North American viewer doesn't see a lot of. The most popular of these shows center on people earning a living, whether it's running a pawn shop, hunting gators, restoring cars, guns, or antiques, or crisscrossing the nation in the search of collectibles and a nice profit..
EVIL REALITY: I call these "schadenfreude" shows. The main thrust of their appeal is that they make the viewers feel better about themselves by watching narcissistic assholes stab each other in the back, and generally act like narcissistic assholes.
EVIL TWIN REALITY: These are reality shows that pretend to be a slice of life type show, but are in fact, pure schadenfreude. They claim to show you the real lives of people that are "interesting," "glamorous," or "exciting," but usually crumble into grand displays of assholery as the subject's lives self destruct.
Now a lot of Evil Twin shows are deliberately created to be evil twin shows, mostly through casting vain, shallow, narcissistic, borderline personalities, who are willing to do or say anything for fame.
Others start out innocently enough, hoping to capture something normally unseen on video. But then they start to devolve, partially through previously undetected character flaws, and partially because there's a goddamn camera in the room.
You see, one of the fundamental truths of capturing reality on film is that the camera is more than just a recorder, it's an amplifier. People who know they are on camera amp up their emotions, especially in moments of conflict. This is mostly because something inside them feels that they have to be proven right, not only to the person they're in conflict with, but to the whole world in general.
Suddenly things that in ordinary life pass like trivial water under the bridge of life, become massive traumatic events that call for some sort of melodramatic response.
And that's all you need to know about Reality TV.
Only reality shows I like are American Chopper, Sons of Guns, Pawn Stars etc. People doing a job not some D-bags and skanks clubbing all the time on MTV's dime.
ReplyDeleteYou see, one of the fundamental truths of capturing reality on film is that the camera is more than just a recorder, it's an amplifier. People who know they are on camera amp up their emotions, especially in moments of conflict. This is mostly because something inside them feels that they have to be proven right, not only to the person they're in conflict with, but to the whole world in general.
ReplyDeleteWell that and editing. No telling how much the directors and editors are making things seem unrealistic.