www.aflcio.org: Inhumanly long hours, cruelty, frayed nerves. And that’s just behind the cameras at reality shows. “It’s scary and nerve-wracking,” said Sevita Qarshi, a producer walking the line Thursday outside the Realscreen conference at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C.>
3 comments:
I am a huge fan of watching reality TV show. I don’t know why I like them so much, but they are really fun to watch. I like watching the competition ones more than shows like the Kardashians because they are just feel more real (basically less scripted). This article brings up a question that I often have while I am watching reality tv, “how much input do the participants of these reality tv shows get in camera placement.” I know what if I was on one of these shows I would be very specific about where they could and could not film. For example, I’m ok with there being a camera in the kitchen, but not in my bedroom or bathroom. In general, there is a lot of potential for a producer to cross a line with shows like this, and camera placements re just the tip of the ice burg.
This is a really interesting article, because it’s something I have never heard about before. I don’t really watch reality TV, but I know that shows start and end quickly, with a fast episode turnover. The amount of episodes and shows out there make reality TV a big business for sure, and there must be a lot of pressure on writers and crew to keep the shows rolling. It seems like that would be a stressful environment to be in, and would not be conductive to a good working environment. I do wish that the article had elaborated on specific incidences and been clearer as to what the stressful environments were. It also mentioned pay issues, and I wish that it had shown figures or evidence of that. I agree with Jason as well, on the issues he presented: are the subjects of the show facing similar problems as the writers?
You normally do not think about the people behind the cameras when you watch tv, especially reality tv. It seems like it is very natural and just normal life for the people on tv, but that is not the case. There are many people would need to be behind those cameras when everyday is filmed in the lives of the reality stars. They do not just turn the cameras on and leave. There are always writers, directors, cameramen, and anyone else working on set. I did not know that they were treated so badly and did not have secure jobs. They should all be represented in a union and protected with rights. They are very hard working and they should be treated properly, if not rewarded. Reality tv can be very crazy on camera, which I can imagine is just as crazy if not more crazy off camera. There are many shows in the wilderness or in remote locations that all of the crew needs to deal with as well as the reality contestants.
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