Cathy Come Home's Contribution to RTV - Olivia Kinane

How  has the early docudrama contributed to Reality TV? Discuss in the context of a current RTV program.

The docudrama, Cathy Come Home (Loch, 1969) made shock waves when it first came out. This is due to its realness as viewers were given a harsh insight into what it was really like for the poor and what there living conditions were like (Goldman, 2006). It sparked outrage as people around England realised what was happening under there noses (Smith, 2006). There hasn't been a film or docudrama yet to have had such of a big impact on society as Cathy come home.  However, the effects of it and the ripples that it first caused are still visible in media today.

The reality television show Catfish: The TV Show (Schulman, 2012)  is a prime example of this. The television show is about people who are in online relationships that have never seen or met there love and want to. The show follows these hopeless romantics to meet the love of their live for the first time. Unfortunately their love never seems to be the person they thought they were, they are usually pretending to be the opposite sex, a friend trying to get pay back, or there 100kgs heavier than there pictures. This is called "Catfishing" and it is a very real part of our society today (Schulman 2012).

The show highlights the real modern way to find love.  Like Cathy Come Home we are subjected to a world that we might not have realised was apart of our society; we realise the seedy underbelly of online dating and how dangerous it can really be (Goldman, 2013).

The 'realness' of the show is aided by the cinematography. The docudrama Cathy Come Home was revolutionary with Loach's use of a hand held 16mm camera (Biressi & Nunn, 2012). The effect of this is defiantly evident in Catfish , the episodes are filmed on standard handheld cameras, point and shoot cameras and Go-pro cameras (Schulman, 2012). These camera choices make it more real and raw as parts of it is filmed on camera's that you can pick up from your local shopping mall. 

The show like, Cathy Come Home (Loach 1969) mixes the sad truth with true reality TV drama. The show raises awareness and helps with the prevention of further young teens falling into the same trap.

Cathy Come Home (Loach, 1969) has had a huge impact on society, from the cinematography, the social effect it caused and the awareness that it spread nationwide. Catfish: The TV Show (Schulman, 2012) is a perfect example of a television show that has been influenced by Cathy Come Home.

References

Loach, K. (Director) (1969) Cathy Come Home.

Schulman, Y. (Director) (2012) Catfish: The TV Show

Goldman, T. M. (2013) "Catfish" Tells the truth about dating in America. Retrieved from http://www.salon.com/2013/08/02/catfish_tells_the_truth_about_dating_in_america/

Smith, L. (2006) Its probably the most influential hour and a half of television there has ever been. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/society/2006/feb/15/2

Biressi, A., Nunn, H. (2012) Reality TV: Realism and Revelation. Columbia University Press.