The screen actors guild in America has compiled a report where it states 3,523 roles for actors were lost last year due to the growth in the reality tv industry. They also added the airtime for reality tv has risen from 15 to 22 hours.
Let’s face it, a high percentage of Americans want to be actors, a fact their own media and films highlight often. America is probably the biggest promoter of reality telly and of course the actors wouldn’t be moaning if they got a slot fronting a reality tv show! Personally I think reality tv happens to be a phase the television industry is going through and in due course the excitement over it and the current reality show trends will settle down but lets not forget the positive side of reality tv.
The positives to me outweigh the negatives, shows like international wife swap often conclude with both families having learned and gained something from the cultural cross exchange that takes place, not only do they make friends from it, they also realise their own short fallings and rectify them. How can shows like this be a bad thing? Of course there are other shows that depict obvious benefits and show social and psychological personal improvements, show’s such as ‘Bad Lad’s Army’ and the recent 1950’s holiday camp one which offer people a fascinating insight into our recent past. Programme’s like this show visual improvement in people as they realise the constraints of the past and what people had to endure so thus through hardships thus we see personal growth and improvement, no bad thing in today’s trashy society (ok I like trashy). There’s a lot of other show’s I could mention, the driving school ones, the cookery ones but the thing is, as people we can relate to them, we can identify with driving school shows and quip at how we made the same mistakes during lessons. The bulk of non celeb reality shows are interesting socio-psychological experiments with more often than not positive out comes for all concerned.
The beauty of reality tv is that it offers the chance for joe public to volunteer, to become the actor/actress, there’s no affiliation to actors guilds or acting school qualifications needed, just a personality, and joe public often shines through to make top entertainment. I often wonder how many times characters have been told by other people in life ‘your funny or talented – you should be on the telly’? At least reality tv gives the masses a chance to shine, it’s a forum.. Ironically its wannabe actors that are trying to get on reality tv to get noticed, I refer to the recent Makosi big brother revelation when it was leaked she was actually with a talent agency.
Ok, so there’s a lot of crap reality tv show’s on the box right now but lets take the ones like I’ve mentioned and embrace the fact that they are an insightful look into the human psyche and generally something we can all learn from as well as have a light hearted giggle at and not take too seriously. When I watched the X factor at the weekend I had a lump in my throat as the hopefuls made it through the final and when show’s like that evoke empathy and put us in touch with our emotions, that’s got to be a positive, Seeing people get on in life instead of resenting it like the cynics and critics has to be admired in anybody.
Let’s face it, a high percentage of Americans want to be actors, a fact their own media and films highlight often. America is probably the biggest promoter of reality telly and of course the actors wouldn’t be moaning if they got a slot fronting a reality tv show! Personally I think reality tv happens to be a phase the television industry is going through and in due course the excitement over it and the current reality show trends will settle down but lets not forget the positive side of reality tv.
The positives to me outweigh the negatives, shows like international wife swap often conclude with both families having learned and gained something from the cultural cross exchange that takes place, not only do they make friends from it, they also realise their own short fallings and rectify them. How can shows like this be a bad thing? Of course there are other shows that depict obvious benefits and show social and psychological personal improvements, show’s such as ‘Bad Lad’s Army’ and the recent 1950’s holiday camp one which offer people a fascinating insight into our recent past. Programme’s like this show visual improvement in people as they realise the constraints of the past and what people had to endure so thus through hardships thus we see personal growth and improvement, no bad thing in today’s trashy society (ok I like trashy). There’s a lot of other show’s I could mention, the driving school ones, the cookery ones but the thing is, as people we can relate to them, we can identify with driving school shows and quip at how we made the same mistakes during lessons. The bulk of non celeb reality shows are interesting socio-psychological experiments with more often than not positive out comes for all concerned.
The beauty of reality tv is that it offers the chance for joe public to volunteer, to become the actor/actress, there’s no affiliation to actors guilds or acting school qualifications needed, just a personality, and joe public often shines through to make top entertainment. I often wonder how many times characters have been told by other people in life ‘your funny or talented – you should be on the telly’? At least reality tv gives the masses a chance to shine, it’s a forum.. Ironically its wannabe actors that are trying to get on reality tv to get noticed, I refer to the recent Makosi big brother revelation when it was leaked she was actually with a talent agency.
Ok, so there’s a lot of crap reality tv show’s on the box right now but lets take the ones like I’ve mentioned and embrace the fact that they are an insightful look into the human psyche and generally something we can all learn from as well as have a light hearted giggle at and not take too seriously. When I watched the X factor at the weekend I had a lump in my throat as the hopefuls made it through the final and when show’s like that evoke empathy and put us in touch with our emotions, that’s got to be a positive, Seeing people get on in life instead of resenting it like the cynics and critics has to be admired in anybody.
1 comment:
Always quick to say I don't watch tv and certainly not reality tv but I do have to admit to enjoying Wife Swap. You are spot on - the families do seem to learn a lot from it - whether it has any kind of lasting influence or not who knows?
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