Defining Reality Television « Reality Television Craze

Defining Reality Television

Reality television is unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, which documents actual events, and features ordinary people instead of professional actors on televised programming.

Examples include a wide range of programming formats, from game to quiz shows to surveillance- or voyeurism-focused productions such as “Real World” on MTV and “Big Brother” on CBS.

These shows place participants in exotic locations or abnormal situations, sometimes coached to act in certain ways by off-screen handlers, and with events on screen sometimes manipulated through editing and other post-production techniques.

~ by onemargaret on August 1, 2008.

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A Bit of History: “Candid Camera”

"Candid Camera" was a long-running CBS television series, created and produced by Allen Funt, which began on radio as "Candid Microphone" on June 28, 1947. This concept later came to television on August 10, 1948. The show continued on network, syndicated, or cable television as a regular show or a series of specials. Funt hosted or co-hosted almost all TV versions, until he had a stroke in 1993. Ths show involved concealed cameras, filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims were told the show's famous catch phrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera." The show also played its hidden camera pranks on celebrities. One fine example is actress, Ann Jillian. Now, Ms. Jillian, who is Lithuanian, was scheduled to make a small donation to a Lithuanian charity. When police officers informed her a con artist was behind the charity, they convinced her to donate a much larger amount with the assurance that he would be arrested when he accepted the check. After the arrest attempt, Ms. Jillian was told the man was running a legitimate charity, a set-up that forced her into acting as though she had intended to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars all along.