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BTMO
Joined: 14 Jan 2005
Posts: 783
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 Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2008 1:11 pm Post subject: Jamie Oliver Does Autopsy on TV |
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Ok, Oliver didn't actually do it, but he had Gunther von Hagens conduct one on a grossly obese guy, showing the impact of excessive fat on human organs.
Laying aside the "gee whiz" nature of the show, and the cuts to the grossed out audience members... why don't we see more of this sort of thing on tv?
I *love* documentaries, but they are all moving down the path of reality tv shows - ie, less about the science / technology / nature - and more about how the scientist / technologist / naturalist gets voted off of the island.
Anyone have a favourite doco format they'd like to discuss? And how can we get more quality docos on tv? |
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Bruce Simpson
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Joined: 02 Jan 2005
Posts: 6094
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| Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2008 6:27 pm Post subject: |
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The trouble with documentaries is that they require intelligent, learned people to be involved and they cost lots of money.
Compare that with "Reality TV" where you can simply throw a bunch of dim-bulbs in some outrageous set of circumstances and just roll-cameras.
Clearly, given that TV is all about profit, documentaries are never going to be an attractive proposition unless we get a *real* public service broadcaster. |
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BTMO
Joined: 14 Jan 2005
Posts: 783
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| Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2008 12:12 am Post subject: |
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| Bruce Simpson wrote: | The trouble with documentaries is that they require intelligent, learned people to be involved and they cost lots of money.
Compare that with "Reality TV" where you can simply throw a bunch of dim-bulbs in some outrageous set of circumstances and just roll-cameras.
Clearly, given that TV is all about profit, documentaries are never going to be an attractive proposition unless we get a *real* public service broadcaster. |
Here in NZ, we buy a lot of documentaries. This is fine. We can buy them from overseas. Surely it doesn't cost more to buy a documentary than some dross like "Shot of Love" (or whatever it is called - some slapper has a house full of boys and girls, and they all do challenges to win her "love") |
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Krayy
Joined: 19 Sep 2008
Posts: 8
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| Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 11:13 am Post subject: |
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| Bruce Simpson wrote: | The trouble with documentaries is that they require intelligent, learned people to be involved and they cost lots of money.
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The again, look at the success that documentaries such as March of the Penguins, An Inconvenient Truth and Earth are having at theaters. Most would see this as desperation at wanting something other than the usual Hollywood formulaic offering, but I would like to think that there is a viewer base out there who do want ot be well informed (okay, so An Inconvenient Truth is a stretch there, but you get my meaning)
| Bruce Simpson wrote: | Compare that with "Reality TV" where you can simply throw a bunch of dim-bulbs in some outrageous set of circumstances and just roll-cameras.
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I like some of the reality shows simply for the human dynamic. e.g. Hells Kitchen (the Ramsay one, not the other fool) to see how people perform under pressure and the gradual breakdown in the group and the imminent back stabbing. The Amazing Race when the couples reach the breaking point and start berating each other. And of course the tumultuous relationship between father & son in American Chopper (and the engineering that they do).
Leave out the Simple Life, the Bog Brothers, the Survivors and other fool-fests and some of the viewing is not that bad. |
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Bruce Simpson
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| Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 12:24 pm Post subject: |
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| Krayy wrote: | | I like some of the reality shows simply for the human dynamic. e.g. Hells Kitchen (the Ramsay one, not the other fool) to see how people perform under pressure and the gradual breakdown in the group and the imminent back stabbing. The Amazing Race when the couples reach the breaking point and start berating each other. And of course the tumultuous relationship between father & son in American Chopper (and the engineering that they do). |
If what you saw on TV was an accurate representation of what actually happened that would be true.
However, as someone who's done some "reality TV" I can tell you that what the public see and what actually happened are often so different as to be unrecongisable.
The producers, directors and editors all seem to focus on the worst aspects of human nature and much of the good stuff gets buried because it's not controversial enough or wouldn't make the programme so "edgy".
Never mistake "Reality TV" for reality  |
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Krayy
Joined: 19 Sep 2008
Posts: 8
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| Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 12:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Bruce Simpson wrote: | | The producers, directors and editors all seem to focus on the worst aspects of human nature and much of the good stuff gets buried because it's not controversial enough or wouldn't make the programme so "edgy". |
I see your point and have noticed it before. Most notably in the Jamie Oliver one where he took all the street kids to turn into chefs. Lots of bad attitudes and drama and the winners at the end had hardly had a mention for the whole program. Presumably they got on with the job and didn't do anything newsworthy during the eliminations other than what they were supposed to do which was learn to cook.
BTW, I do understand the lengths that Junkyard Wars and it's ilk are set up, from seeding the junkyard with the appropriate materials and the pre-planning, but again the spectacle outweighs the theatrics (for me anyway).
One show I can't stand, but the wife is keen on is Most Haunted. I have to laugh when they show the night scenes with their "night viewing video cameras" which are just video cameras with normal lights that are
"greenscaled" in post production, the shenanigans with the various mediums talking to ghosts, and their "investigators" that do double duty as the make up ladies (or is the other way round). |
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lamp_abi
Joined: 08 Mar 2010
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2010 8:13 pm Post subject: |
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| I can't stand watching reality shows (okay, except American Idol and Hell's Kitchen) as it's obvious the show is scripted and I can't stand how some people on the show pretend to be dumber than they really are. It's an insult to themselves. I can't believe people would actually prefer to be embarrassed if only for the sake of fame. |
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