CG158

Hello there! (:

My group is doing a project entitled "The Truth Behind Reality" - one which aims to portray the evolution of Reality TV over the years as well as to bring to light the impacts it has on society.

We have chosen to focus on a few particular genres and their development over the years.
1. Hidden Camera (It began in the 1940s with Candid Camera and has led to this day shows such as the modern day Punk'd and Scare Tactics etc. )
The development we have identified is that of increasing complexity of pranks, growing budgets, and no longer just finding humour in Candid moments, but also now delighting in the terror victims may experience in scary pranks.

2. Elimination Game Shows (Started in 1950s with the game show Beat The Clock, evolving into out-of-studio game shows with the same elimination concept, famous examples being Big Brother and Survivor etc.)
Change can be seen from how early game shows were more bent on the enjoyment of participants, but elimination game shows now focus on the competitive aspect - often placing participants in extremely uncomfortable and both mentally and physical challenging situations.

3. Celebrity Shows (A newer genre that probably came about with The Osbournes in 2002 - and shows such as Meet the Barkers, A Simple Life and even Punk'd are common celebreality shows.)
Although relatively fresh, Celebrity Shows have sought more excitement instead of just following celebrities on their eventually mundane routines. Shows like A Simple Life place famous faces in difficult and sticky situations - that which are now staged for the celebrities and not in 'natural' contexts.

4. Self-Improvement (Day time talk shows were the first to transform lives via makeovers, followed by advice on What Not To Wear in 2001 . This then led to more outrageous transformations inExtreme Makeover, Dr 90210 and The Swan)
Earlier shows offered fashion advice without changing the participants natural appearance and physical shape, but such genres have evolved to consist more of plastic surgeries, weight loss, and even drastic transformations on teenagers such as I Want A Famous Face

Basically the impact on society that we have found are negative impacts - such as the increasing sense of voyeurism in viewers (where we become obsessed with peeping into the lives of others), the developing focus on outward appearance and looks, dissolving of moral values as actions we see on Reality TV seem alright to do, and the flippant attitude to concepts such as marriage, promises and love.

Finally, we are attempting to hold a mini-exhibition to help create an awareness with a deeper look into Reality TV and the impacts it has on us - of which involve a timeline of the evolution, perhaps a few video snippets of reality shows, and our own mini-reality game shows for participants.


I would really like to hear your thoughts on
-whether our exhibition will be suitable and if there's anything else we can add
-your views on the development of reality TV (specifically these 4 mentioned genres)
-and all the other impacts Reality TV has had on our society, be it positive or negative
Any other comments related are welcomed very much thankfully too!
If possible, it would be helpful if you could include your age and how often you watch Reality TV.

I sincerely hope you will be able to help my group and I to complete this project with as much substance as we can squeeze in, so I really really need your opinions on this! (:

Forever debted,
Marie. cjgrp158@gmail.com