By Forris Day Jr.
One of the hottest genres in TV today is “Reality TV”. Reality TV has been around a long time. A program that most people have probably heard of is “Candid Camera”. It’s a reality show that first appeared on television in 1948 where host Allen Funt would play harmless practical jokes on unsuspecting people and we, the viewer, had the pleasure of watching these poor folks reactions through the lens of a hidden camera. In the end Funt always let them off the hook by pointing to the hidden camera and everyone got a good laugh.
Reality TV has drastically changed over the years and is now one of the most lucrative forms of television to be involved in because it’s production costs are lower that scripted TV. Enter reality TV writer, Troy DeVolld, and his book aptly named “Reality TV”. You read right, writer! (Wait, is that even a sentence?) Yes these shows have writers, but I’ll let DeVolld explain it in his book. DeVolld has worked for well over 10 years on reality programs such as “The Osbournes” and “Dancing With the Stars”. He is an expert on the subject and shares his knowledge in the book.
Here is what I learned. Even though I always said I hated reality TV I found out that I do indeed like some of it. I just didn’t know some of my favorite shows were classified as reality TV. “This Old House” can be considered reality TV. DeVolld taught me by using other examples but yes T.O.H is reality TV and I’m hooked. I also learned that there are writers on these shows and how these writers duties differ than those on a scripted program. I also found out that I personally am not cut out to work on reality TV. It is just a lot of work and organization. The work doesn’t scare me but the organization does.
The book covers a brief history of the genre and tells us the steps from pre-production to post-production. You will find out what it is like working on a set and what is expected of you. You will get some tips on pitching your own show and maybe make it big time and you will get guidance on where to find work on existing shows. If you are a creative editor you can genuinely shine in the reality TV arena if you choose to pursue a career in this misunderstood type of programing. Yes these shows heavily rely on editing, so some of the reality isn’t what you may think. Perhaps I’ve said too much.
Overall a very good book. I struggled through the first few chapters as DeVolld tells stories of people not accepting that there are writers on these shows. I got the gist of his frustration right away and I wanted to move on. Chapter 5 is where I really got into the book. It is where he covers pre-production and it is where the meat of this book for me starts. Lots of good info in the first chapters but I’m just saying for me they were a slow read.
He has included exercises to help you understand the concepts and a really neat glossary that covers some basic television industry terminology. It is a somewhat thin book that can be read in just a few hours. If you are already in the business there probably isn’t much information here for you. I recommend it to anyone who wants to get into the business, but I will go further and recommend it to folks who are fans of TV and want to understand what they are watching.
Rating: 7/10 – “What is real and what isn’t?”