Work of Art

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Flippy, this is an honest question - how much reality TV have you watched? Most of the questions you pose can be answered with "that's the deal with these shows."

First - any time there's a group project on these shows, there's always someone who didn't contribute enough and they're kicked off. For Eric to bring it up immediately is expected, and for Simon to ask is expected.

Second - the shows are highly edited and designed around beats and story arcs. You really don't need a script to manipulate what we see into a storyline.

Third - people know they are on camera and act up. They want their plot points to be heard so they speak obviously and complain pointedly.

Fourth - the "confessional" shots are always done later, after the show was filmed, and are responses to prodding from someone off-camera.

All of this stuff is as old as the Survivor hills, and much of it dates older, from the Real World. Noticing it is like watching Seinfeld and complaining because the actors pause when the audience laughs.

[flippyshark]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

Flippy, this is an honest question - how much reality TV have you watched? Most of the questions you pose can be answered with "that's the deal with these shows."

First - any time there's a group project on these shows, there's always someone who didn't contribute enough and they're kicked off. For Eric to bring it up immediately is expected, and for Simon to ask is expected.

Second - the shows are highly edited and designed around beats and story arcs. You really don't need a script to manipulate what we see into a storyline.

Third - people know they are on camera and act up. They want their plot points to be heard so they speak obviously and complain pointedly.

Fourth - the "confessional" shots are always done later, after the show was filmed, and are responses to prodding from someone off-camera.

All of this stuff is as old as the Survivor hills, and much of it dates older, from the Real World. Noticing it is like watching Seinfeld and complaining because the actors pause when the audience laughs.

You've diagnosed the disease quite accurately. I avoid this genre and always have, probably because the contrivances and tropes interest me so little. (Reality, hah!) I abjured Survivor and its ilk from day one. For whatever reason, I got sucked into the first season of Top Chef, and now this show, but yeah, your Seinfeld analogy has the sting of truth. I'm allergic to the very fabric of reality TV, and still sputtering with disbelief about it. But Work of Art is engaging enough to keep my attention. Thanks for putting up with me.