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WRITING FOR REALITY TELEVISION
REALITY TELEVISION IS NOT NEW
Reality television is a hybrid that combines the documentary and drama formats. It is unscripted television. Many people believe erroneously that Survivor was the first reality program ever to hit the airwaves. This is not even close to being true. Alan Funt first hit the air with Candid Camera in 1948, which was followed by a string of reality-driven game shows including Truth or Consequences and To Tell the Truth. In 1973, PBS launched the ground-breaking An American Family, a 12-part series centered on Bill and Patricia Loud and their five children. The Louds were a real-life family whose problems played out on the small screen. Issues that America tuned in to see included problems within the marriage, and a son, Lance Loud, who is credited as being the first openly gay person ever to be on TV.
There is a whole host of other reality shows that came well before Survivor made its big ratings splash. These include shows like Cops, which follows real-life police officers out on the street, and even The People’s Court, which captures the drama and intrigue of people suing and being sued in small claims court. So, while Survivor can’t be credited with being the first reality program, it can, perhaps be credited with making the genre hot.
WHY REALITY TELEVISION IS HERE TO STAY
Big surprise that after the success of Survivor, it seemed that every new program to hit the air was a reality show. Some were the absolute pits. Most people weren’t big fans. Almost everyone assumed that reality was just a phase that would eventually burn itself out. That didn’t happen, nor will it. If America’s initial reception to the surge in reality programming was lukewarm, it didn’t take long for the audiences to embrace it. Today, reality television is red hot. Many of these shows have loyal followings and bring in huge ratings. If Americans love reality TV, networks love it even more. Reality TV is cheaper to produce than scripted television, and thus, if a show takes off, it can bring a much bigger return in advertising dollars. With the mega success of shows like American Idol and The Amazing Race, you can expect networks to continue to pump out new reality programs. And this is a good thing. The truth is, reality shows pay for scripted shows.
“When creating reality programming, we should always think of the audience…is there an audience for this type of show? What is the promo? How will the network promote the show? What is the budget? Because most reality shows will never play in syndication or get a second run on the network, you need to make all your money in one episode. Like Extreme Makeover with Sears…what is the ‘Sears’ for your show?” — Emmy nominee Glenn Meehan, supervising producer, The Talk co-executive producer, Little People, Big World
While some reality programming is downright bad (Think Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, or Keeping up with the Kardashians) some of it is really very good (Think Dancing with the Stars, Undercover Boss, and Shark Tank).
What separates the good reality programs from the bad is that the good ones tap into basic human interests and needs. Most explore a central question, and viewers tune in to see the answer. Let’s take a look:
● The Apprentice: What if you could have it all? Who in America doesn’t want to be as rich and as successful as Donald Trump?
● Undercover Boss: Will the big boss every truly understand how hard I work and what I am up against at this job?
● The Bachelor: Can you find true love? At a core level, human beings want to believe in love and romance.
● American Idol: Who will become rich and famous? Self-explanatory. This is the American dream.
● Trading Spouses: Is the grass really greener? When things are mundane, most of us, at some point, fantasize about living someone else’s life somewhere else.
● Survivor: Who is king of the jungle? This almost goes back to cavemen in that it’s survival of the fittest…and smartest.
As with all television, if you want to create reality programming, don’t just regurgitate what we have already seen. Instead, see if you can come up with your own original idea. If you can hit on something that touches basic human needs or desires, you will be ahead of the game. Also, think about centering your show on a universal theme — something that strikes a chord with most people. That will almost guarantee a big audience. To give you an example of what I’m talking about, a while back, I was waiting at CBS to go into a meeting. I overheard a fascinating conversation where Jonathan Littman, president of Jerry Bruckheimer Television and executive producer of The Amazing Race was talking about how the moment he heard the pitch for that show he knew it would be a hit. He said something to the effect of, “Who hasn’t travelled with a spouse, a friend, or a loved one — and before you’re out of the driveway, you’re already arguing about something.”
“There was nothing like it on TV and it was unprecedented in size and scope yet the human/emotional component was instantly relata-ble.” — Emmy winner Jonathan Littman, president, Jerry Bruckheimer Television and executive producer, The Amazing Race on why he said “yes” when he heard the pitch for The Amazing Race
In addition to The Amazing Race having a universal theme, the genius of that show is that it’s broad enough to attract a wide audience of all ages. It literally appeals to kids, octogenarians, and everyone in between. Come up with a concept like that, and your career will be made.
WHY AMERICANS HAVE BECOME REALITY-OBSESSED
One of the reasons that reality has taken off has to do with America’s obsession with fame. Not so very long ago, people only secretly dreamed of being stars. Deep down, most recognized it wouldn’t happen; to be on TV, you had to an actor. But reality TV makes it so average people can be catapulted to celebrity. Hollywood has finally become accessible to the average bear. And the beauty of it is that you don’t have to be an actor, you don’t have to be particularly good-looking — heck, you don’t even have to have talent. This is the exact reason that America’s Funniest Videos has done so well for so long. It gives people a shot at 15 minutes of fame. But reality TV takes that 15 minutes and makes lasting celebrities out of people. It also makes some of them very rich. Look at some of these household names: Bill Ransic, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Carrie Underwood, Trista and Ryan, Rob and Amber. The list goes on. Because these people are real, we can relate to them — even admire some of them. It’s the “real” factor that has us hooked. Viewers subconsciously think if it can happen to them, it could happen to anyone.
Another reason we love reality TV so much is because it gives us a licence to be voyeuristic. Be honest. How can you not stop and turn your head when shows like Here Comes Honey Boo Boo or Duck Dynasty show up on your TV screen? Deep down, we know we really shouldn’t be watching some of this stuff, but the truth is, it’s downright addictive…and for all of the wrong reasons. For most of us, these kinds of shows are guilty pleasures. And that’s what they’re intended to be.
DOCUMENTARY VS. GAME SHOW
Most reality TV can be broken down into two categories: game and documentary. Examples of game reality shows are Dancing with the Stars, Project Runway, The Amazing Race, and Survivor, to name just a few. These shows all revolve around various personal challenges and winning a contest. If you look closely at them, they are really game shows that have been taken out of the studio to be played in the field. The second type of reality show is more documentary-driven. Examples are shows like Keeping up with the Kardashians, Bridezillas, Real World and Little People, Big World. In both game and documentary-style reality shows, most of the so-called writing is done in the edit room.
“The biggest impact editing makes on a documentary-style show is to take the vast amounts of video shot and cut it down to broadcast length, while still making a comprehensible story. Often you’ll hear reality stars complain about how they were edited. What they are really complaining about is the fact that so much of what happened to them had to be cut for time, so their entire point of view was not seen. When the shooting ratio is 40:1, it’s true — most of your story is not going to air.” — Emmy nominee, Jim Johnston, executive producer, Real World and Starting Over
REALITY IS A PRODUCER’S GAME
Reality television is run by producers. While there may be very little physical writing involved, there is still oodles of storytelling. In fact, one of the job titles on a reality show is “story producer.” To give you an idea of how close this job comes to that of a writer, currently the Writers Guild of America is fighting to get reality producers to be part of the union so that they can be protected along with the rest of the television writers.
“I never approach reality as reality, but rather as drama. I look at how drama is structured. At the end of the day storytelling is what attracts audiences.” — Emmy Award winner Jay Bienstock, executive producer, The Apprentice, Survivor, The American Baking Competition
Reality television may be unscripted, but in its own unique way it feels much like a scripted drama…which may be part of its wide appeal. It’s drama, but the characters are real, which makes it all the more thrilling. The storylines often follow the basics of good drama writing. If done right, there should be a clear-cut beginning, middle, and end. There are protagonists and antagonists. (Look at a show like The Bachelor. There’s always the sweet girl everyone loves and the bitchy girl everyone hates.) Characters must grow or change in some way. Determining where the commercial breaks fall within your storyline is crucial. You have to look at the timing of each act, and make sure you end it in such a way that the viewer will stick around to see the outcome. On occasion, your big scene gets broken up into two acts, and you hang the audience in the middle of the scene.
“As a story producer you usually have one great scene — a dispute, confrontation, or romantic entanglement — and from there you have to build your story. You search for scenes that set up this big scene, and then you look for the scenes that demonstrate how the characters have changed as a result of this big moment.” — Emmy nominee, Jim Johnston, producer/executive producer, Real World and Starting Over
HOW TO WRITE A TREATMENT FOR A REALITY TV SHOW
You can sell an idea for a reality show either by pitching it — or by writing a treatment. There is no real standard for treatments in reality television. Per usual, the key is to get the idea across quickly and concisely. I would encourage you to make your treatment as visual as possible. Definitely add photos to give the flavor of what you are going for. If you decide to pitch your idea, you should try to think creatively as to how you can best get the idea across in an entertaining way.
“Many times we have a demo/sales reel to show during our pitch meetings. Right now we have a reality/game show that we are taking out. We play the game with the suits.” — Emmy nominee Glenn Meehan, supervising producer, The Talk, co-executive producer, Little People, Big World
THE ETHICS OF REALITY TELEVISION
In the past few years, I have heard tons of ideas for new reality shows. While most of them are interesting, there are always a handful that shock me by the creator’s lack of common decency and morals. One that jumps to mind had been floating around Europe, with no takers (thankfully). Recognizing that it perhaps needed a small tweak (right!), the producers were going to take a closer look at it before trying to sell the concept in America. The show is called Make Me a Mum. The lowbrow concept is that men compete, hoping to be the top dog who gets to impregnate a woman who wants to be a mother. The show’s producers originally intended to use a microscopic camera to record the fertilization. This is the kind of show that makes me embarrassed to tell people that I work in television.
I have heard concepts that range from giving homeless people a chunk of money to spend, to letting mental patients out of a hospital to see how they react in society without their medication. The list goes on. Let me remind you that if you want to work in reality television, the same rules of ethics apply as they do in any other kind of television. Sometimes it may not seem like they do…but they do. Reality is not a license for irresponsibility.