Week 6 – Media Narrated by – Erin Walker Produced by – Erin Walker & Megan Porter Your media consumption and the real(ity) world: getting real with it

Reality TV – What is it? Reality TV is the genre of programming in which the everyday routines of “real life” people (as opposed to fictional characters played by actors) are followed closely by the cameras.”(Frisby, 2004). The first reality TV show was aired in 1949, “Candid Camera” filmed everyday people caught up in unexpected hoaxes organised by the show’s host Allen Funt (Loomis, A 1995). Researcher: Erin Walker

Reality TV The Top 5 Events in 2013 on Television 1. My Kitchen Rules, winner announced (7) 3.27m 2. The Block Sky High, winner announced (9) 3.16m 3. AFL on Seven, grand final (7) 2.71m 4. The Block Sky High, Auctions 2.66m 5. State of Origin Rugby League, match 3 (9) 2.6m Top 20 series in The Voice (9) 1.96m 2. My Kitchen Rules (7) 1.92m 3. The X Factor (7) 1.61m 4. Downton Abbey (7) 1.49m 5. Hamish & Andy's Gap Year Asia (9) 1.49m (Kalina 2013) Researcher: Erin Walker

‘Enhanced’ Reality – Five Tricks of Reality TV 1. Frankenbiting – this is essentially putting words in someone’s mouth. This technique mashes clips together from different scenes to make it seem that the participant said something that they did not. 2. Fake Settings – According to some insiders, on the TV show ‘The Apprentice’ Donald Trump’s ‘Boardroom’ is actually a stage set. 3. Misleading Montage – Cutting to a contestant looking angry or sad can completely change the context of the scene for the viewer. Looks can deceive! 4. The Leading Interview – A lot of reality shows use a ‘confessional’ type question and answer with contestants to add drama to a scene, if the makers use the right questions it can seem as if an event was more dramatic than it actually was. 5. The Overdub - On Fox's 2003 hit Joe Millionaire, lead hunk Evan Marriott, centre, disappeared into the bushes with date Sarah Kozer, left. Kozer says the producers added lusty noises and captions to suggest they were doing more than kissing. ( (Poniewozik, J 2006) Researcher: Erin Walker

‘Enhanced’ Reality – What makes good TV? ‘Reality is real life but you pick out the best bits’ Most shows focus on having a talent: Masterchef – cooking So you think you can dance – dancing Australian Idol, The Voice, Xfactor - singing Researcher: Megan Porter

Reality TV – Who does it appeal to? Four of the 10 most popular 2005–2006 television programs among viewers younger than 17 were reality programs The shows are likely to become a subject of conversation among young people in person and on social-networking sites such as Facebook, suggesting that those preteens and teens who wish to be popular among their peers may feel more motivated to watch the shows regularly Young people often multi-task as they watch television: 28 percent of these viewers go online while viewing a program to engage in discussions about it Youth often view celebrities and other participants in reality television shows as opinion leaders and role models Researcher: Megan Porter

Reality TV vs Social Media 46% of people are posting on Social Media while watching Reality TV. “The first series if people had an opinion about you they would just tell the person in their loungeroom and you would never have to know about it, now they share it with the world and it reaches you in your loungeroom” Amity Dry, The Block Contestant “ Unfortunately - the negative comments are the ones that stick with you…” Tully Smyth, Big Brother Picture source: The Block Facebook Researcher: Megan Porter

Sources ABC TV 2014, Reality Check: What makes good reality television, 23 September, viewed 7 August 2015, Bainbridge, J, Goc, N, & Tynan, L 2011, Media and journalism: new approaches to theory and practice, 2nd edn, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne. Frisby, Cynthia M 2004, "Getting Real with Reality TV." USA Today Magazine 133, no (September 2004): Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed 6 August, 2015). Harmer, N 2012, “Reality” Television, Films and Things, viewed 7 August 2015, Kalina, P “The ratings reality show: the most watched TV of 2013’, Sydney Morning Herald, 5 December Accessed 8 th August 2015, Loomis, A 1995, Candid Camera, Museum of Broadcast Communications, viewed 8 August 2015, Patino, A, Kaltcheva, VD, Smith, Mf 2011, ‘The Appeal of Reality Television For Teen and Pre-Teen Audiences’, Journal Of Advertising Research, Vol.51(1), pp Poniewozik, J 2006, ‘How Reality TV Fakes It’, TIME Magazine, Vol. 167 Issue 6, p Smyth, T 2014, ‘The Reality of Reality TV’, Young Blood Social, viewed 9 August 2015, The Block 2015, The Block TV Series, viewed 9 August 2015, Researchers: Megan Porter & Erin Walker