I've railed on reality shows a lot over the years.
I'll admit it. I'm not above it. I couldn't get enough of the first season of "Survivor". I'd say I was the perfect audience member, since I never heard of it until the first night it was on. I jumped right in as a horde of people got tossed off a boat, and were swimming toward the shore of some remote island. It began in this heated, primal, "Most Dangerous Game" way that seriously made me question whether or not people were actually going to die. Not being a particularly avid viewer I sat there in awe, wondering whether Paddy Chayefsky's prophecies for our TV culture were coming true.
Working on the reality show earlier in the year gave me a refreshed perspective. Since it was created to follow the general formula of the more game show oriented reality programming, the bulk of what was shot related to rigidly defined competitions. All of these pre-written, pre-designed, and faux-sporting event aspects made the end result tiresome, laughable, and boring. Honestly what had some spark and edge was everything else. The on-set behaviors, the behind the scenes spats, and generally the underlying currents. Unfortunately none of these things, whether filmed or not, ever made it to airing. I guess some reality shows are actually documentaries with all of the wrong footage in them.
I feel like I got a promotion recently, however, because I started work on a documentary. It's definitely a welcome change from that earlier experience! Let me start by saying that I will only make vague references, if any, to the subject of the documentary on here. It deals with a nationally known story that demands a great deal of discretion, but I'm more than happy to delve into some behind the scenes action for you.
Today's magic word was diplomacy. The actual documentarians I am working with are grad students whose thesis project I am assisting. It's fascinating to watch as two people vie for control, especially when there are clearly underlying weaknesses in both that they are concealing through this exact means. Having only met one of them prior to today, I found it quite a rough terrain to navigate.
Making a fiction film interrupts general society, to say little of the space time continuum. As I look out from inside my second day of a documentary production I start to see an array of things to ponder. First, there's certain arrogance to regular moviemaking, such as the resolve that everyone in the vicinity must remain quiet. You can't interrupt real life like that. You have to take it on its own terms and try to find your bearings within it.
I'll admit it. I'm not above it. I couldn't get enough of the first season of "Survivor". I'd say I was the perfect audience member, since I never heard of it until the first night it was on. I jumped right in as a horde of people got tossed off a boat, and were swimming toward the shore of some remote island. It began in this heated, primal, "Most Dangerous Game" way that seriously made me question whether or not people were actually going to die. Not being a particularly avid viewer I sat there in awe, wondering whether Paddy Chayefsky's prophecies for our TV culture were coming true.
Working on the reality show earlier in the year gave me a refreshed perspective. Since it was created to follow the general formula of the more game show oriented reality programming, the bulk of what was shot related to rigidly defined competitions. All of these pre-written, pre-designed, and faux-sporting event aspects made the end result tiresome, laughable, and boring. Honestly what had some spark and edge was everything else. The on-set behaviors, the behind the scenes spats, and generally the underlying currents. Unfortunately none of these things, whether filmed or not, ever made it to airing. I guess some reality shows are actually documentaries with all of the wrong footage in them.
I feel like I got a promotion recently, however, because I started work on a documentary. It's definitely a welcome change from that earlier experience! Let me start by saying that I will only make vague references, if any, to the subject of the documentary on here. It deals with a nationally known story that demands a great deal of discretion, but I'm more than happy to delve into some behind the scenes action for you.
Today's magic word was diplomacy. The actual documentarians I am working with are grad students whose thesis project I am assisting. It's fascinating to watch as two people vie for control, especially when there are clearly underlying weaknesses in both that they are concealing through this exact means. Having only met one of them prior to today, I found it quite a rough terrain to navigate.
Making a fiction film interrupts general society, to say little of the space time continuum. As I look out from inside my second day of a documentary production I start to see an array of things to ponder. First, there's certain arrogance to regular moviemaking, such as the resolve that everyone in the vicinity must remain quiet. You can't interrupt real life like that. You have to take it on its own terms and try to find your bearings within it.
Oooh! Another project? Do tell!
ReplyDeleteThere's actually a lot more to say that I'll go into later.
ReplyDelete