THE ART OF SCRIPTING REALITY

I was watching an episode of Hardcore Pawn and I wondered if reality is so overly scripted that actual reality can't be separated. The episode I watched was about an employee stealing from the store. What I found interesting was how everything was set up in the previous episode and resolved in the following installment. Don't get me wrong, I worked on reality television series and I know that 99% of what happens is scripted.

What made me question this particular set of episodes is the fact that theft does occur in retail environments and I should know because I was a retail manager for years. The thing I find interesting is that even with all my instincts very clear I could not tell if the show was working the audience or if it was actually real in terms of the situation. I guess it's safe to say that certain writers have really learned how to get a sector of the audience confused enough to question their own instinct.

I like shows like Hardcore Pawn because they use real environments and give viewers a glimpse into what certain environments are like. I still wonder if reality has gotten to the point where you can't tell the difference anymore simply because even when an event that's real occurs it's overacted to blend in. Scripting reality is a truly an art that's hard to master given the audience as well as the nature of the series.

Shows like My Big Redneck Wedding and TLC'S Truth Be Told were prime examples of the story being magnified and manipulated to tell a story far removed from the real one. Reality television is simply a way to create content without spending the money required to make something good. While most audiences would rather watch a good CSI or a good 30 Rock networks want to give us something that can make the same advertising dollars without spending five to ten million per weekly episode.

Shows like Here Comes Honey Boo Boo give audiences that train wreck feeling that makes them want to watch. The real story in the end is the trumped up ideas of the "Story Producer" whose job it is to not only create interest but also help cut together something that when seen by audiences will leave them hungry for more.

Let's just say that nothing's as real as it seems and a scripted story drives us to look at our peers on television.