REALITY TELEVISION

What is Reality T.V?Definition: A genre of television programming in which ‘real life’ people are fallowed in a situation, game, etc.

*Mainly scripted*

Producers techniques to make the story: -Characters Arc- Plot Points-Narrative Arcs-A definitive beginning, middle, and end

How it works…• Producers create and manipulate scenes that people want to see• The scenes are created so viewers will stay interested

- These scenes are things that aren’t normally seen on television like fighting and sex

• People get so interested in reality television because viewers get a ‘connection’ with a member on the show, giving them a personal emotion for that cast member• The viewer feels for a character because they compare their own lives with the person on the screen• Viewers then get a feeling of personally understanding a character, making them more interested in watching the show

*This is why every cast member on a reality show is different*

How does this affect the economy?

• Cost Money• Influences Viewers• Change tastes• Creates Jobs

•Every show aired on television cost money •Most are sponsored and paid for by businesses and companies• When the economy is tight, companies are less able to spend money on shows that aren’t being watched by viewers•These shows are scripted with drama and conflicts that will make viewers become more interested in watching and tuning in to the next episode premiere•If a show doesn’t have many viewers, than the show won’t be able to stay on the air for very long, that’s why producers of these reality shows cut and manipulate scenes that will draw in viewers and keep them interested. *If a show becomes popular, they can raise the prices on episode

Money

Example: Jersey Shore• Season 1: $5,000 per episode for each of the cast members• Season 2: $10,000 per episode for each of the cast members• Season 3: $30,000 for cast members Snooki, Pauly D, JWOWW, and the Situation. Less for the other cast members• Season 4: $100,000 per episode for each of the cast members

Influences• Producers & advertisers know that if they have someone who is well known and liked by people, promoting a product, it will sell quicker because the population is easily influenced by somebody they look up to

• People look up to others on television because they desire to have their life like what they see and/or is interested in it because their life is nothing like what they are watching

Example: Kim Kardashian

• Well known celebrity •World’s most highest paid celebrity• Makes $40,000 per episode she stars on• Earning $6 million a year• Made $18 million off her wedding

CHANGE IN TASTE• Because the stars are looked up to, people will copy what they see them doing, to become more ‘like’ them• Companies send celebrities free products for them to use so the companies logo will be shown off

- In the end, people will be more likely to buy it- Making the demand for the product go up

Example: Ronnie from Jersey Shore• Advertised muscle enhancing products•Affects: make the company and product more known and demanded because he claimed he used the product, influencing viewers to use the product •If a celebrity says they don’t like a product, their fans will most likely stop using it as well•This trick has been around for a long time and is used to promote products by people who are at the top of the charts at that particular time

Jobs• To get a reality show, you have to find people who are interested in being a part of it

- Producers place ads on the internet as if it were a job search- People then have to audition for the show- Every person on a reality television show gets paid some amount

of money- Being filmed takes away the real in reality because people don’t

normally have a camera following them, causing them to act different

• If a new show is created, more jobs are needed to be filled for people to work•T.V. channels like MTV, E!, and VH1 use more than 60% of show times on reality television shows•These channels would be nothing like they are today with the creation of reality TV

Technology…Our future is determined by the younger generations of kids who are being surrounded by technology that influences their every decision

• Reality T.V. takes up seventeen percent of prime time T.V. programming

- which means more kids are influence to watch and act like the cast on these shows

• Not only do they watch television, but they are now able to access T.V. episodes on the internet

- meaning people are now able to take television ‘on-the-go’, and raising the numbers of hours spent watching it

DOWNLOADING = No more buying

The End

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Mosthof, Mariella. "How Much Does the Jersey Shore Cast Make? - Jersey Shore." Home - Wetpaint.com. Wetpaint.com. Web. 18 Dec. 2011.

http://www.wetpaint.com/jersey-shore/articles/how-much-does-the-jersey-shore-cast-make-Elling, Wyatt. "6 Ways to Make Money on Reality TV." Open Casting Calls - Modeling Auditions - Reality TV Casting. Web. 20 Dec. 2011. http://www.instantcast.com/LearnAbout/Articles/6_ways_to_make_money_on_reality_tv .

Chase, Libby. "How Much Does Reality TV Pay?" YOUNG MONEY Magazine | Articles on Careers, Entrepreneurship, Personal Finance, and Investing | Young Money. Youngmoney. Web. 18 Dec. 2011. <http://www.youngmoney.com/careers/how-much-does-reality-tv-pay/>.

Work Cited