How does Hill define reality TV? Describe his
definitions in the context of a contemporary Reality TV show.
Hill (2005) points
out that reality television is a series of various events in which the lives of groups or
individuals are captured in attempt to create television based on real life
events. He stated that is comes in many styles that use a range of techniques
such as non-professional actors, hand held camera shots, with no use of script.
It is the most traditional term for factual entertainment and in modern times
is the merging between factual programming and entertainment based television
(Hill, 2005).
It is difficult to identify reality
television as one genre, as it explores those of documentaries, drama, and
lifestyle. Initially reality television was influenced by documentaries, in which the initial focus was everyday life and actual events with the
use of voice over, close ups, and sound. However as time goes on we see that
reality television has moved away from truthful events in which documentaries continue
to portray. With reality television changing over time, it has evidently moved
from show casing on scene footage of law and order and emergency services to
showcasing almost anything. This includes themes such as personal lives,
cooking shows, game shows such as who wants to be a millionaire, fishing shows,
conflicting shows such as Jeremy Kyle, competition shows such as survivor, shows
using surveillance such as police ten seven or road cops, and many more. Examples
of hand held camera use are MTV’s catfish, and the amazing race in which a
camera man follows the teams around in order to capture every moment. However it
is difficult to depict between a documentary and reality television. Cathy Come
Home which is a 1966 film is an example of a docu-drama, which is an acted
dramatization of real life events. The film showcases people in real life
dramas in a way that is not aimed at gaining ratings. It did not use artificial
directing, sound effects, or editing techniques and rather captured important
moments and sounds. These aspects are
where reality television today differs, in the sense that the content is
moderated to engage viewers rather than portray reality. Typical modern series
create a sense of drama and story-telling with the use of non-actors and
generally non-scripted material, with their most powerful tool being their
editing and effects (Hill 2005). A good example of this is ‘Keeping up with the
Kardashians’, which is a program that showcases a family living a glamorous
life style with excessive drama, parties, and money in their day to day lives. However
it is often argued that these aspects are extremely dramatized in order to
maintain high viewer ratings. Hill
(2005) states in his piece that interest define popular factual programs more
than reality does. Viewers enjoy watching people partake in everyday activities
and get enjoyment out of on screen conflicts, which may explain the dramatization of the most popular reality television programs.
Thus reality
television is, or at least should be real life depictions of reality. It is
difficult to create one definition for the concept of reality television as is
has moved from actual content, or viewer demanded content in some cases.
Hill, A. (2005) The reality genre. In A. Hill, Reality TV: Audiences
and Popular Factual Television. (pp. 14 – 40). Oxon: Routledge.
Good, thanks Eden
ReplyDelete