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Deja Thomas-Price Professor Ashlyn Walden English 1102 3 March 2014 Background/Introduction Reality TV has taken the world of television by storm. Its not surprising that this is the type of television that many people watch during their free time. As far as some people go, its the only type that they engage in. Perhaps, youre even one of these people. I know that I am. Of course, this isnt the only type of television that Im interested in, but it does consume a lot of my TV time. I believe that reality television is unlike any other, and what draws me in so much is that for the most part, its very different from other types of TV shows, considering its not fictional and doesnt follow some made-up storyline. Its interesting to be able to watch real people doing real things in their real life, right? It makes it easier to be able to actually relate to what youre watching when you know that what was filmed actually happened. What about if youre not really watching what you think youre watching though? Not in a sense of illusion, but what if what you think youre watching is actually a masterpiece of editing, scripting, and a desperate attempt to satisfy a particular revenue model just so said REALity show can stay on the air? Its evident that if this is the case, then maybe reality TV doesnt consist of as much reality as were actually convinced to believe, and honestly, that doesnt sound like such a good thing. Ive done a great amount of research, and Ive gathered it all in order to share it with you. Throughout this inquiry, we will address the question: how is

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reality TV a misnomer? More specifically, we will examine how producers edit, script, and follow a revenue model to inform the unfolding of the events on reality television. By the end of this paper, youll be more familiar with reality television and what goes on behind than scenes than ever before. While examining my research, youll also be able to get glimpses of my own input and what I think about everything concerning this topic as a whole. Literature Review Now that Ive addressed the fact that there is indeed quite a bit of editing and other activities that go on behind the scenes that you may or may not know about, Ive decided to give insight to some of the unfamiliar terms as well as key topics that go hand in hand with everything that goes on after the scenes have already been filmed. Even though its very misleading, I thought it was incredibly interesting that theres actually terminology that producers/editors use to define the excessive editing that they engage in. While conducting my research, a lot was revealed to me as far as reality television goes, and it really made me realize how shady the producers/editors of the shows actually can be! Terms: Reality Television: Reality Television is considered to be a genre of television which generally consists of non-actors and rather than having a particular plot or script to read from like most shows do, whats recorded is basically what you see is what you get, literally, or at least thats what reality television is portrayed to consist of and contain. Frankenbiting: Frankenbiting is the art of selective editing. Ultimately, this is what a plethora of reality television show editors use to make scenes of a particular show appear as something that it initially wasnt supposed to be. Frankenbiting has become popular with this genre of

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television, because it is one of the easiest ways to make the shows more appealing than they might actually be without said editing. Context Frankenbiting: This form of frankenbiting is when a particular piece of audio that happens to be reasonably unedited is taken and ran but out of context. Selective Frankenbiting: This form of frankenbiting is kind of similar to context frankenbiting, however, the difference is that several sentences that have absolutely nothing to do with each other are edited together to make an entire new sentence. Video cuts are usually added to this type of frankenbiting to cover up the audio cuts, which helps to make situations seem way more believable than they actually are. Revenue Model: Concerning television, this is basically what the people in the business go by to determine how much a show will make, how much the actors, contestants, etc. on the show will be paid, and how much the network that the show is airing on will be paid. This has a lot to do with views and how many people show interest in the show. Planned Story: A storyline created within a reality series by piecing filmed footage together. Followed Story: A storyline that is set in stone prior to filming and then followed throughout the course of filming. Variance Reality television has changed a lot since when it first began to air on our television screens. The types of shows categorized as reality television consisted of a lot more reality than it does today. Initially, there were generally more shows that exerted more knowledge as opposed to the reality television shows of today. According to Pepi Leistyna, there originally

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were and still are many reality TV shows thats composed of information that is useful to viewers. Discovery Communications INC. includes many networks that are composed of old and new reality television shows that are informative to viewers such as: the Discovery Channel, the Learning Channel, Animal Planet, the Science Channel, and Discovery Health. In Whats So Real and New about Reality TV, Pepi Leistyna goes on to explain that all reality TV shows arent bad news, even though thats what the norm of them seem to consist of today. However, all original reality TV shows werent educational shows. Many of them were primarily games shows and shows that consisted of contestants competing for some sort of prize. A lot of original reality television series were candid shows, such as Candid Camera, originally known as Candid Microphone. In Understanding Reality Television, Su Holmes and Deborah Jermyn talk about how Candid Camera is arguably one of the first reality television shows ever made. Script For years, its been debatable about whether or not reality television is scripted or not. Its very obvious that many reality TV series are scripted, even though theres not any concrete proof that the shows are. In Reality TV: Remaking Television Culture, Susan Murray and Laurie Ouellette stated that in an Associated Press/TV Guide poll, viewers of reality series voted whether or not they thought that reality television was fake or not and the majority of them confirmed that it didnt really matter to them whether it was or not. The different types of reality television series definitely sparks up the question of whether or not the genre is scripted. In How Reality TV Works, David Rupel talks about the way reality series are created and how they are intended to run storyline wise. The two types he talks about are planned story and followed story. Its very easy to say that reality shows that go by the followed story progression could possibly be scripted since the storyline is already concrete. Newsday stated in the Chicago Tribune News

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that shows are indeed scripted, and the only thing that isnt usually fabricated is the dialogue within the shows. Editing Editing is the norm in reality shows today, and its what causes them to appear incredibly more appealing than they might actually be. With shows following the revenue model and trying to stay on air for as long as possible, its essential that the shows gain enough views to make enough money to prosper on whatever networks they may be airing on, so its important for the editors and producers to charm viewers with excessive editing. James Poniewozik, David Rupel, and Newsday talk about how editors use frankenbiting and many other techniques to edit footage captured while filming the shows such as selecting different pieces of footage and inserting them where they want them into a scene to make it appear as if something is happening when it really isnt. This is how editors enhance friendships to make them appear as romances, etc. Behavior Editing and scripting helps to make recorded footage for reality shows seem a lot more appealing than it actually is, but the way the contestants, actors, non-actors, etc. behave on the show is what makes all of it come together at the end of the day, or at least thats how it seems with modern day reality television. To most, its more interesting to watch a bunch of people acting crazy and fighting against or with each other than acting sane. With shows like Bad Girls Club (a reality TV show that consists of a lot of girls placed in one house that get violent with each other practically every other episode), its easy for reality TV shows to stay on air, because they follow the revenue model efficiently, and with this type of behavior, its easy to gain a lot of views on a regular basis, because people tune in to watch this. In Entertaining Crime: Reality

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Television Programs, Mark Fishman and Gray Cavender mention how crime scenes are recorded and turned into reality shows for people to view at home. This is a prime example of how behaving a certain way, especially bad behavior is very popular with reality television, primarily in todays reality television series. Reality Television Show Raw and Uncut After conducting my research about reality television and how it is possibly a misnomer, Ive created an idea to solve the issue of incorporating excessive, misleading editing and scripting in order to draw in and maintain a decent viewership in hopes of satisfying the revenue model. Generally, misleading editing is integrated into reality television shows due to attempting to appear more appealing in hopes of maintaining a certain viewership. A decent way for producers to concoct the ideal reality television series that would still impose as being appealing without all of the editing could be to stick to a specific set of personalities. Taking a Bad Girls Club/The Real World stance and putting a mold of personalities into one house would definitely be something that people would be interested in viewing. By a mold of personalities, Im talking about the hot blonde, the nerd, the bully, etc. Basically, this mold would consist of different types of people that would interact in a way thats interesting to watch, and could potentially cause cliques to form. That would immediately draw people in, because to some extent, it would draw many different viewers in, because everyone could probably find someone to relate to. Assuming that the people chosen have interesting personalities, it would probably be easy for them to behave the way many people would expect them to act on reality series without all of the editing. If not, that could still impose a decent viewership, because it would be interesting to see a lot of girls falling for the nerdy guy of the house, or the hot blonde being the bookworm of the house. Next, a great way to really make them do interesting things is to take

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away television, their cell phones, etc. Theyll be forced to interact, and being away from all of these things would cause them to act out a bit, probably due to boredom and being forced to talk to other people. Even though its stirring the pot a bit, producers could definitely influence the actors to do things. They dont necessarily have to edit things that are said and done to create a story, but they could definitely put bugs in their ears about things going on in the house, kind of like they do on The Bad Girls Club and The Real World. Instead of making it seem like they did something they really didnt, why not tricking them into doing it? That makes for a much more interesting outcome. Lastly, they can really draw out filming sessions. Having cameras filming your every move nonstop for an extended period of time is bound to make you go a little crazy sooner or later. Presumably, all types of reality shows arent going to be able to follow the model I just created to avoid editing or prosper without a little editing here and there, but with a little bit of brainstorming, theres no doubt in my mind that theres alternative ways to make for an interesting reality series without editing, scripting, and the whole shebang. So What? Why is the research even important, or even this inquiry altogether? As stated earlier, many people watch reality television on a regular basis. Weve all been fooled to believe that what were actually watching is the real deal. Were misled into thinking that the people on these shows really act the way we see them act, are really engaged in these romantic relationships, and actually say the insane, outrageous things that we watch them say, or at least thought we did. This isnt the case with all reality shows, but the majority of them really are fabricated, and I believe its important for people to know that what theyre watching is very distorted, and its not as it seems. Everyone doesnt watch reality television, obviously, but nine times out of ten, everyone knows someone that does, whether it is a parent, a sibling, a child, etc. Throughout the

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years, its been extremely evident that the things that people watch on television really influences the way they may think or act as far as particular situations may go. If were tricked into thinking that acting a certain way may be okay or acceptable, then whos to say that we or the people around us may not begin to think that this is okay to apply to their daily lives as well? I think the research conducted in this inquiry is extremely important to pay attention to when it comes to the younger people of our generation. With them being exposed to all of these shows that consist of people fighting, acting like maniacs, and doing and saying many other things that most people probably wouldnt agree with to be morally right, its imperative that we know the truth about these types of shows are spread it on to them so they know that this probably isnt how people really act, and that the majority of what we watch is probably edited to reel in viewers. This is all due to people not wanting to watch anything boring. People generally seem to be attracted to people acting out, and that is where most of this editing and frankenbiting begins: enhancing what is filmed so more people are prone to watch, which is fine, but more awareness of what goes on behind the scenes would be even better. Interview Throughout conducting my research, I decided to interview a friend of mine, Rachael Crenshaw, a dedicated viewer of reality television, to see what her take was on everything Im researching concerning reality TV. Youve all seen a glimpse of my opinions and the viewpoint of my sources, so I thought itd be interesting to get another point of view before concluding my paper. Q: You watch reality television quite a bit, why is this?

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A: I find it interesting, because its real life. With all of the cartoony, made-up shows on TV, I feel like Im wasting my time by watching those. If what Im watching is real-life, I feel like Im spending my time more wisely and actually learning something from what Im watching, to some extent. Q: So you dont feel like you can learn from made-up shows, but you feel like reality TV teaches you something? Can you explain what you mean by this? A: I dont necessarily believe that I cant learn anything from fake shows with a made-up storyline, but I feel like I can learn more valuable lessons watching reality shows, because its real people going through real things in their lives. For some reason, I just feel like I can relate more. Q: Do you truthfully believe that reality TV is one-hundred percent real and there is not scripting or editing? A: Of course not. I definitely know for a fact that a lot of reality shows, even some of the ones that I watch, are scripted and edited. Its not surprising to me at all, nor does it change the fact that I love watching reality TV. I try my best to steer away from the shows that are CLEARLY scripted and edited a lot. I dont mind a little scripting or editing here and there, because I know things may get boring sometimes while filming is going on so producers have to spice things up a bit, it is real life after all. In real life, boredom happens, which is why I understand the reasoning behind the editing of some of these shows. I just keep in mind that its all in favor of the viewers, and move on with life. I dont sit around whining about it like a lot of other people do just because a few scenes of a reality show may be scripted. At the end of the day, it still captures all of our attention, right? Therefore, theres no need to complain about it. Its not hurting anyone.

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Q: So youre saying that you dont feel that theres anything wrong with scripting and editing shows that are supposed to be real? What about the way the people on these shows are made to look? What about the younger and gullible people of our generation being influenced by the things they watch and possibly engage in because they believe that its okay to do it or that its normal, thanks to editing? A: I dont feel that theres anything wrong with it, because at the end of the day, it really happened. Maybe not in the order that we think it did, maybe not exactly how we believe it did, but it happened, and I think thats what so realistic about reality TV. Yeah, theres editing on shows, and some people may be edited to look a certain way, but if someone on one of these series says, I hate that dumb bitch Maria. Shes so ugly, then thats what they said. We all need to remember that these editors can only whats THERE, somehow, at the end of the day, one way or another. Even if it isnt, it still makes for great television. As far as gullible people go, I dont think reality TV is the one to blame for their actions. We cant prevent everything from being presented a certain way just because there are younger people or people that are influenced by things more than others. Their parents are the ones that should be worrying about that, not the producers of these television shows. Conclusion Now that you all have reviewed my research mixed with my opinions and others, maybe the truth about reality television has finally been exposed to you. Even though I have made it very evident that reality TV is a misnomer, Im definitely not saying that I believe we should stop watching these types of shows just because a few sentences are tweaked to give off the impression that someone is a psycho when theyre actually not, however, I think its necessary

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that we all are familiar with what were watching. Im not going to stop watching my favorite reality series anytime soon just because I now know the truth about them, nevertheless, I feel a lot better knowing that what Im watching may not necessarily be what Im convinced to think it is.

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Works Cited Andrejevic, Mark. "The Appeal of The Real." Reality TV: The Work of Being Watched. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2004. 7-13. Print. Fishman, Mark, and Gray Cavender. "Television Reality Crime Programs." Entertaining Crime: Television Reality Programs. New York: Aldine De Gruyter, 1998. 3-14. Print. Holmes, Su, and Deborah Jermyn. "Candid Camera and The Origins of Reality TV." Understanding Reality Television. London: Routledge, 2004. N. pag. Print. "Introduction." Reality TV: Remaking Television Culture. Ed. Susan Murray and Laurie Ouellette. New York: New York UP, 2004. 1-19. Print. Leistyna, Pepi. "What's So Real and New about Reality TV." Media/cultural Studies: Critical Approaches. Ed. Rhonda Hammer and Douglas Kellner. New York: Peter Lang, 2009. 339-54. Print. Magder, Ted. "7." The End of TV 101: Reality Television, Formats and the New Business of TV. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 137-52. Print. Newsday. "'Frankenbiting' Scares up Reality Controversy." Chicago Tribune News 21 July 2005: n. pag. Print. Poniewozik, James. "How Reality TV Fakes It." Time Magazine 6 Feb. 2006: 1-4. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://resource2.rockyview.ab.ca/ssela101/related_reads/how_reality_tv_fakes_it.pdf>.

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Rupel, David. "How Reality TV Works." Writers Guild Of America, West. Writers Guild Of America, West, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://www.wga.org/organizesub.aspx?id=1091>. Thomas-Price, Deja' "Assignment One." Observation Notes (2014): n. pag. Print.