The Effects of Reality TV

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The Effects of Reality TV

• Christie Tuite

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Docu-Soap to Reality

• In 1967, as a "fly on the wall", Paul Watson
  filmed The Family. This new technique was to
  become the forerunner of the docu-soap format.
  His first docu-soaps had socio-political content,
  they were to be the real life spoof of drama
  soaps. Watsons intention was to use the
  potential of this format to explore the human
  condition. "Documentary film must question the
  status quo and you can only do that if you speak
  to ordinary people, not politicians. People need
  to understand each other better.
• -The Encounters Archive http//www.encounters.co
  .za/index.html

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Watsons Baby in 2003
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Continued..
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Continued.
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Reality TV and Ratings

• CSI Crime Scene Investigation 17.4 Million
• Friends 14.7 Million
• Joe Millionaire 14.2 Million
• ER 14.0 Million
• American Idol (Tuesday Edition) 13.2 Million
• Survivor Thailand 12.9 Million
• Everybody Loves Raymond 12.6 Million
• American Idol (Wednesday Edition) 12.5 Million
• Law Order 12.5 Million
• Survivor Amazon 12.5 Million
• -New York Times March 3rd, 2003 Late Edition

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Coming Soon

• Paradise Hotel
• Race to the Altar
• Boy Meets Boy

• Are these real people doing what you would do
  in the same situation?
  

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Can a Casting Director Decide What Constitutes
Reality?

• To what extent can reality be manufactured? Will
  this reality impact us as much as our natural
  environment?

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The Case of Kevin Powell

• Kevin
• As he was way back when
• (The Real World New York)

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Kevin Powells Life Today

• Kevin has contributed articles and commentary for
  Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and Essence
  magazine. After the success of his first book,
  Keepin It Real, he gained acclaim for his second
  effort, Step Into a World The New Anthology of
  Global Black Literature. He is a former senior
  writer for Vibe magazine and is often referenced
  as a foremost authority on the life of Tupac
  Shakur.
• - source http//www.mtv.com

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The Case of Stephen Williams

• Stephen
• As he was way back when
• (The Real World Seattle)

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Stephen Williams Life Today

• Stephen pled guilty on March 28, 2002, to the
  charge of auto theft. After his plea, he was
  processed for two more charges stemming from
  2001 solicitation and loitering in a public
  place with the attempt to commit prostitution. He
  lied to MTVs producers when he told them he went
  to work for an internet radio site after the
  shows conclusion.
• - source http//www.thesmokinggun.com

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Do You Believe In Fairytales?
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Will Everybody Find Their Own Prince Charming?
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Careful, You May Be Sold a Truly Grimm Fantasy
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The New Patriarch?
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Do We Watch Reality TV Like We Watch Car Wrecks?
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Can Reality TV be informative to the public?
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Reality TV helps many people cope and learn about
diseases.

• On MTV's The Real World, viewers watched as one
  housemate, Pedro Zamora, died from AIDS in 1994.
  Vicky Rideout, a vice president of the Kaiser
  Family Foundation, says Zamora's death "had a
  huge impact on awareness about AIDS. . . . It put
  a human face on that disease. -USA Today, March
  17th, 2003, Final Edition

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Disease Education

• Pedro Zamora
• Sharon Osbourne
• Jamie Blyth

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General Education

• The addictive spectacle of maternal reality 'A
  Baby Story' expertly taps into the unbelievably
  heady feelings of pregnancy and childbirth.
  
• -Joyce Millman, The New York Times, August
  13th, 2000
  

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Educational Shows

• True Life on MTV
• A Baby Story on TLC
• Trauma on TLC

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Cultural Education

• MTV's 'The Real World' is a good example of a
  multicultural format that is successful. More
  personal interaction between various groups could
  spawn some interesting productions.
• -Ethel Pitts Walker, MIT Press Journals, Fall
  1994
  

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Culturally Diverse Shows

• MTVs Flipped
• The Real World
• Road Rules
• American Idol
• All American Girl
• A Wedding Story
• A Dating Story

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Reality TV Brings Some Together as a Family

• Most Reality TV shows have characters everyone
  can relate to, and more mature families can enjoy
  them together.