talula March 9, 2015 Share March 9, 2015 (edited) Producer-Driven Scripted Drama and Bravo’s ‘Real Housewives’ SeriesMarch 6, 2013https://famewhorgas.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/producer-driven-scripted-drama-and-bravos-real-housewives-series/ Edited March 12, 2015 by talula Link to comment
ryebread March 9, 2015 Share March 9, 2015 https://famewhorgas....sewives-series/ Juicy! I think that deserves a thread all it's own because if I know you guys, and I think I do, that article could generate 50 pages of discussion that would span all the franchises. Wow. I knew some of that but that was awesome. I need a cigarette. They [producers] tell each of the other cast members things that they know are going to piss them off about another person so that when they film, they are full of grudges and rage against the person. When they want to start trouble, they usually go to a person who doesn’t mind coming off as a bitch. It is usually someone with a thick skin who really needs the money and can’t just quit. In this case, it is Tamra Barney — she will do whatever the producers ask her to. Ha! 5 Link to comment
AnnA March 9, 2015 Share March 9, 2015 Eurekagirl, have you ever seen what one of the contracts these women have to sign look like? Kim has no business being on a reality show if she wants to control the narrative to her story. The contract makes it crystal clear that they'll have the right to make fun of you, place you in a potentially very embarrassing light, unflattering editing, etc. When I saw your post the first thing I did was search for information on the HW's contracts. I had the time to do that since I was just hanging out waiting for some plumbing work to get done. There's not much to do around the house without water. Anyway, I found some interesting info about that on RadarOnline. Their piece outlined the highlight but also had a link to an actual document. HW's Contracts To a certain extent. There are events she will need to be included in, but they have a ton of discretion with most things from what I understand. There are just a few things that are mandated. Look at Yo; she misses most stuff. Thank you. I remember the Jill Zarin fiasco. It was interesting to read how they film. Can someone please start that Fourth Wall thread? After the Amsterdam episode, we seem to have a lot to discuss about what the HW's can and cannot do. 5 Link to comment
WireWrap March 9, 2015 Share March 9, 2015 I don't think things were really calming down per se but not acknowledging or owning up to bad behavior makes others concerned of her state of mind? I would take it as, um okay Kim bugged out and wants to act like she didn't or that it was an honest mistake and doesn't think she owes us an apology. Not cool but not for all this either. Blown way out of proportion. They were concerned but not over the top worried until Brandi told LsaR that Kim was suicidal and that she was worse that anyone knew, all things that would alarm anyone with an ounce of compassion. Yes.....Brandi's box of tricks does not include good taste, timing or discretion. You forgot to add "maturity", Brandi lacks the maturity most 44 year old mother of 2 kids have. Some of you probably saw this gossip piece last fall but it was new to me. Way back in November Hollywood Gossip reported that at the Amsterdam dinner: "Kim shot back with some remark about how it's an open secret in Hollywood that Harry sleeps around." Does anyone think she actually said that and it was edited out? Yes, IMO, they did the same thing this time that they did with the Adrienne/surrogacy, they edited out whatever was said but left in the emotional recoil of the other women. I believe it because otherwise why was LisaR hatred for Kim going from 0 to 100. After reading the article above and how they're manipulated nothing would surprise me. Producer-Driven Scripted Drama and Bravo’s ‘Real Housewives’ Series March 6, 2013 https://famewhorgas....sewives-series/ Was it just Bravo's luck that Lisar drove with Kim to the poker game? Could her line producer have know ahead of time Kim was flying from the chandelier after talking to her? They then made sure Kyle nor Brandi drove with her, because they may have taken her to the ER to have her stomach pumped out? Therefore ruining a possible storyline! Even if Kim shared the limo with either Brandi or Kyle, she still would have been filmed and she still would have been seen high on film. Her getting high before leaving her house had nothing to do with who she was riding with. Not to mention her nasty aggressive behavior at the poker party itself or the fight/drama in the driveway. Her lack of sobriety was apparent without the limo scene IMO. 7 Link to comment
Avaleigh March 9, 2015 Share March 9, 2015 The much requested thread where we can talk about things Andy doesn't want us to know about like contracts, producer machinations, and other fourth wall type stuff. 8 Link to comment
GreatKazu March 9, 2015 Share March 9, 2015 (edited) RealityTVSmack1, on 09 Mar 2015 - 12:19 PM, said: https://famewhorgas....sewives-series/ Link won't work for me. I get an error message. :-( Was it just Bravo's luck that Lisar drove with Kim to the poker game? Could her line producer have know ahead of time Kim was flying from the chandelier after talking to her? They then made sure Kyle nor Brandi drove with her, because they may have taken her to the ER to have her stomach pumped out? Therefore ruining a possible storyline! Bravo had no idea how Kim would behave in the limo and they certainly wouldn't know what, if anything, LisaR would say to Kim. As I posted, Kim could have been all alone in the limo and it still would have been obvious that she was high. Edited March 9, 2015 by GreatKazu 6 Link to comment
Umbelina March 9, 2015 Share March 9, 2015 https://famewhorgas.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/producer-driven-scripted-drama-and-bravos-real-housewives-series/ One of the articles about this. Simon (of RHNY) has also blogged about this, very well, over the years. I don't have a link or even know if his blogs still exist...anyone? Alex (RHNY) has done videos analyzing the various HW shows as well, with good commentary about which scenes were set up, how the producers delay filming until people ARE drunk, what's fake, what's real. Don't have those links either, but I remember some of them being quite informative. 1 Link to comment
GreatKazu March 9, 2015 Share March 9, 2015 Oh, finally. The link works. Thank you. 1 Link to comment
WireWrap March 9, 2015 Share March 9, 2015 (edited) Oh, finally. The link works. Thank you. A word of caution regarding this site, it was started by a fan/devotee of Teresa Giudice to destroy all the other NJ HWs after the Gorgas and the Whakilie(sp) joined. They have failed to produce any facts to back up most of their claims even when they promised to do so. Most of their "behind the scene" information concerning the NJ show was given to them by Johnny the Greek and Penny (his wife) who he was desperate to get on the show as a full time HW. Also, much of their claims, including those in this "article", (with all the extracted "proof") go directly against what Alex (NY) has said in her video blogs. Edited March 10, 2015 by WireWrap 6 Link to comment
Umbelina March 9, 2015 Share March 9, 2015 Yeah, the link didn't work for me either, I just googled the title. I'd trust Simon and Alex over that link. The ex wives are pretty closed mouthed in general though, contracts? Link to comment
AnnA March 9, 2015 Share March 9, 2015 (edited) Thank you Avaleigh! Since I have way too much time on my hands today, I collected a few links about the HW's contracts. Two of them are from RadarOnline so judge them accordingly. Secret Houswives’ Contract Reveals What Fame Hungry Stars Sign Up For – Lose Virtually All Their Rights, Agree To Be Secretly Recorded RadarOnline HW's Contract Real Housewives Reportedly Faked Scenes: Is anything on reality TV real? Fox411 Faked HW's Scenes Shocking Details From Bravo’s The Real Housewives’ Contract Revealed allthingsrh HW's Contracts We Can Fictionalize The Footage! – Secret Bravo Contract Exposes How ‘Reality’ Shows Are Really Made Radaronline Fictionalized Footage Five Horrible Provisions You Might Find In A Reality Show Contract Zenerlaw Horrible Provisions Real Housewives - The Contract, the Salary, the Motivation….to Become and STAY a Housewife StoopidHousewives Contracts Edited March 9, 2015 by AnnA 4 Link to comment
Umbelina March 9, 2015 Share March 9, 2015 (edited) “It’s very interesting because in reality competition shows like ‘Big Brother,’ you can watch live feeds and you can actually see that the contestants are being directed so if you follow those live bloggers and feeds you see that for yourself,” she said. “I mean, I think that we’re all smart enough to know that these are strategic settings that people are in when you’re watching reality television.” Still, for viewers who trust that reality shows aren’t scripted, is it up to stars to keep them in the dark? From the second link posted by AnnA (and thanks for the links!) I think people who have watched the live feeds of Big Brother do have a completely different perspective on "reality TV" in general, and certainly on the Housewives shows. I admit to being a BB addict, and now with flashback on the live feeds, rarely miss any moment of importance that happens on the LIVE FEEDS of BB. Actually, watching the "real" footage and then what the EDIT shows is probably the main cause for my addiction. It's fascinating how they can twist "real" to make someone look good or bad. I want my summer back, so I'm going to try very hard to not get sucked into BB this year, BTW. If you really want to see how producers create storylines, the live feeds are usually free for the first 3 days, and cost only about $25 for the whole 3 months plus run of the show. They will really open your eyes to editing, and how moments can be picked apart to make someone look "picked on" or "stupid" or "victimized" even if that person is the opposite of that. In a bit of fairness to the BB editors, they only have a day or two to "turn around" episodes, not the months of editing Bravo enjoys for the HW shows, but you can really see how they develop a storyline or character, and FIND the moments that support whatever story they've been trying to tell. It can be infuriating when a complete asshole ends up with a hero edit, or visa versa. It happens all the time. Just one example. A few years ago they made a "love story" out of an obviously (but closeted) gay man, and a serious psycho, stalker woman. From the edit, or what was shown on TV? You would have rooted for those two "lovebirds" to marry. Those who watched the live feeds though? Saw that she was completely nuts, he was totally not interested, and she had many psycho moments that could have easily fit into any horror story or lifetime movie. Edited March 9, 2015 by Umbelina 2 Link to comment
WireWrap March 9, 2015 Share March 9, 2015 Yeah, the link didn't work for me either, I just googled the title. I'd trust Simon and Alex over that link. The ex wives are pretty closed mouthed in general though, contracts? According to both Alex and Simon, the HWs are not fed lines, never told what to say by any producer/crew member or forced/encouraged to drink to excess. They will reshoot scenes to capture faces of different HWs during something dramatic but they do not plan out a scene other than where it is held, be it a restaurant, a HWs home, vacation/trip nor do they plan the topic prior except to encourage their particular HW to get their story/opinion out there to the rest of the HWs. What the HWs do/say/action is on the HW and no one else. 5 Link to comment
Umbelina March 9, 2015 Share March 9, 2015 Again, I encourage any of you who don't watch the live feeds, and then edited show Big Brother, to give it a try this summer. It's incredibly eye opening about shaping "reality" shows. If they want someone to look good? They do. Fans on line will be screaming "what the hell?" but feedsters are a small group compared to the majority of BB watchers, so CBS gets away with their whack edits. 3 Link to comment
BlackMamba March 9, 2015 Share March 9, 2015 I remember reading from famewhorgas once that Vicki and Tamra had to reshoot a scene multiple times because Tamra was messing it up the scene laughing and not following "the script." If I find the link I will be happy to share. Think someone made this in the comment section. Here is good blog by FW who interviewed producer who worked on NJ. https://famewhorgas.wordpress.com/2014/11/01/reality-tv-producer-shares-shocking-behind-the-scenes-secrets-about-the-real-housewives-of-new-jersey-exclusive/ Link to comment
AnnA March 9, 2015 Share March 9, 2015 I remember reading from famewhorgas once that Vicki and Tamra had to reshoot a scene multiple times because Tamra was messing it up the scene laughing and not following "the script." If I find the link I will be happy to share. Think someone made this in the comment section. Here is good blog by FW who interviewed producer who worked on NJ. https://famewhorgas.wordpress.com/2014/11/01/reality-tv-producer-shares-shocking-behind-the-scenes-secrets-about-the-real-housewives-of-new-jersey-exclusive/ Thanks for the link. My favorite part of that interview was when the producer said: “Oh come on, at the start of the season the production team sits down and gives a general overview of where we want the storyline for the show to go. ALL of the wives are in on this. We discuss popular storylines from the season before, storylines that need tying up, and also ways of threading in new storylines that look organic to the story. Do you really think we spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on just following these woman around with no plan? No, the season and the storyline has a basic outline from the first day.” 3 Link to comment
blueeyed March 9, 2015 Share March 9, 2015 Again, I encourage any of you who don't watch the live feeds, and then edited show Big Brother, to give it a try this summer. It's incredibly eye opening about shaping "reality" shows. If they want someone to look good? They do. Fans on line will be screaming "what the hell?" but feedsters are a small group compared to the majority of BB watchers, so CBS gets away with their whack edits. ^This! So true. Two words Frankie Grande. Horrible, horrible on the feeds, great edit. 4 Link to comment
BlackMamba March 10, 2015 Share March 10, 2015 ^This! So true. Two words Frankie Grande. Horrible, horrible on the feeds, great edit. Ugh. The worst stunt casting EVER. He killed last season for me. 3 Link to comment
Almost 3000 March 10, 2015 Share March 10, 2015 I believe for the first time this season Bravo has clips of the RHoBH showing production of a scene. The one I remember best is from the BH Scavenger Hunt. I can't remember if they have ever done this before but it appears that TPTB are breaking the fourth wall in an unprecedented way this season. I'd link but I'm to lazy to find the clip and hate Bravo's site. Really most of the fun for me is the behind the scene drama anyway and of course the posters here! 2 Link to comment
Higgins March 10, 2015 Share March 10, 2015 (edited) That's why it is hard to get worked up over any of this. There is so much we don't see and many reactions we do see are to things we haven't been shown. So it might look as if someone is out of control or over reacting but they are reacting to things we don't even know happened. Edited March 10, 2015 by Higgins 6 Link to comment
zoeysmom March 10, 2015 Share March 10, 2015 That's why it is hard to get worked up over any of this. There is so much we don't see and many reactions we do see are to things we haven't been shown. So it might look as if someone is out of control or over reacting but they are reacting to things we don't even know happened. By this the fifth season the seasoned veterans are going to waste much in the way of unused filming scenes. RHOBH always seems to shoot for the shortest period but get ton of footage. Scenes like Poker Night are pretty real, whatever it was that happened to Brandi in Amsterdam was probably one of those moments where no one even cared enough to fake it. Let her act the fool. 3 Link to comment
Umbelina March 10, 2015 Share March 10, 2015 (edited) It's not about "real" though, as you will realize quickly watching BB edit AND the feeds. The stuff happens, but there is a ton of backstory, or reasons that they may or may not show. Poker night probably took hours to film, if things Alex and Simon have said are true. We saw, what? Maybe 7-11 minutes of film on that? Remember when Camille said her Dubois dinner filmed for 8 hours? It gets tricky, but I really want to break my BB habit this year, it's a huge time suck and incredibly addicting. For me, the main attraction is to watch what really happens, and then watch the bullshit the editors decide to show, easily turning villains into heroes, or visa versa, and making "tru luv" out of crazy/stalking and disinterest/stupidity. Why yes, I am talking about Danielle and Shane, for those BB watchers out there. OMG what a crock the TV version of that was. Edited March 10, 2015 by Umbelina 2 Link to comment
WireWrap March 10, 2015 Share March 10, 2015 It's not about "real" though, as you will realize quickly watching BB edit AND the feeds. The stuff happens, but there is a ton of backstory, or reasons that they may or may not show. Poker night probably took hours to film, if things Alex and Simon have said are true. We saw, what? Maybe 7-11 minutes of film on that? Remember when Camille said her Dubois dinner filmed for 8 hours? It gets tricky, but I really want to break my BB habit this year, it's a huge time suck and incredibly addicting. For me, the main attraction is to watch what really happens, and then watch the bullshit the editors decide to show, easily turning villains into heroes, or visa versa, and making "tru luv" out of crazy/stalking and disinterest/stupidity. Why yes, I am talking about Danielle and Shane, for those BB watchers out there. OMG what a crock the TV version of that was. These are 2 very different types of "reality" shows, Real HWs and BB, they are not comparable IMO. Of course there has to be some behind the scenes work, including reshooting scenes, otherwise we would see cameras/crew in every scene. The "storyline" written pre-filming is along the lines of tying up loose ends after the last reunion, the lunch between LisaV and Kyle is just 1 example of this and it usually takes from 1/3 to 1/2 of each season to put last season in the past and slowly incorporate the new season. According to both Alex and Simon, their "line" producer would suggest topics to talk about, encourage the HW to defend/explain their point of view/opinion on any given subject but they never told them what to do, what to say or how to say it, that was left up to each HW. The producers do not make up lies about the cast either but they do not care if cast members do it to each other. The HWs have more control than not. 4 Link to comment
AnnA March 10, 2015 Share March 10, 2015 (edited) I may be in the minority but I never heard of Big Brother. There are so many good shows on TV this season that I wouldn't even consider adding another "reality" show to what I'm watching now. Edited March 10, 2015 by AnnA 2 Link to comment
Umbelina March 10, 2015 Share March 10, 2015 AnnA, the thing that makes it unique is that the cameras run all the time, EVERYWHERE, they are locked in a house with a backyard (stage set but it looks like that.) Live feeds allow you to watch what really happens, and THEN watch the TV show they do 3 days a week, and really see what editing does. The tension is that one is voted out each week, last person standing gets $500K. Link to comment
AnnA March 10, 2015 Share March 10, 2015 AnnA, the thing that makes it unique is that the cameras run all the time, EVERYWHERE, they are locked in a house with a backyard (stage set but it looks like that.) Live feeds allow you to watch what really happens, and THEN watch the TV show they do 3 days a week, and really see what editing does. The tension is that one is voted out each week, last person standing gets $500K. Three days a week? My time is too valuable. 3 Link to comment
Umbelina March 10, 2015 Share March 10, 2015 Yeah, I got sucked in when recovering and confined to bed. It's VERY addicting. I'm seriously going to try to give it up this summer, but I'm glad I watched, because you learn so much about "reality tv" and how they can edit anyone any old way they want to. Link to comment
howivesforever March 10, 2015 Share March 10, 2015 I confess I'm a big brother addict for about 15 years now. It's gone downhill since Allison took over, but I'm still addicted. 1 Link to comment
breezy424 March 10, 2015 Share March 10, 2015 (edited) A word of caution regarding this site, it was started by a fan/devotee of Teresa Giudice to destroy all the other NY HWs after the Gorgas and the Whakilie(sp) joined. They have failed to produce any facts to back up most of their claims even when they promised to do so. Most of their "behind the scene" information concerning the NJ show was given to them by Johnny the Greek and Penny (his wife) who he was desperate to get on the show as a full time HW. Also, much of their claims, including those in this "article", (with all the extracted "proof") go directly against what Alex (NY) has said in her video blogs. Totally agree. And the site has no problem using 'posts' by anyone as 'fact' if they're within the agenda of the site. Oh, and if you do post to the site, you can be blocked if you don't follow the agenda. Edited to correct the spelling of 'site'. I can't believe I did that. Edited March 10, 2015 by breezy424 1 Link to comment
zoeysmom March 10, 2015 Share March 10, 2015 It's not about "real" though, as you will realize quickly watching BB edit AND the feeds. The stuff happens, but there is a ton of backstory, or reasons that they may or may not show. Poker night probably took hours to film, if things Alex and Simon have said are true. We saw, what? Maybe 7-11 minutes of film on that? Remember when Camille said her Dubois dinner filmed for 8 hours? It gets tricky, but I really want to break my BB habit this year, it's a huge time suck and incredibly addicting. For me, the main attraction is to watch what really happens, and then watch the bullshit the editors decide to show, easily turning villains into heroes, or visa versa, and making "tru luv" out of crazy/stalking and disinterest/stupidity. Why yes, I am talking about Danielle and Shane, for those BB watchers out there. OMG what a crock the TV version of that was. Eileen in her blog said they arrived at 8:30 pm http://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-beverly-hills/season-5/blogs/eileen-davidson/eileen-brandi-attacks-then When Eileen went by to pick up Lisav she said the party broke up early at 10 pm. Just my thought but I do believe Kyle and Lisar were out pretty quick. There may have been some additional filming after Brandi and Kim left. Eileen and Vince seemed to be breaking down the evening. 2 Link to comment
rho March 10, 2015 Share March 10, 2015 These are 2 very different types of "reality" shows, Real HWs and BB, they are not comparable IMO. I have to agree with this! There is a very big difference between being filmed occasionally throughout the week as a pseudo celebrity and going from a nobody to cameras 100% of the time. Shows like BB and The Real World are written in post, while the RH franchise has a lot of prep done before the cameras start filming. 4 Link to comment
blueeyed March 10, 2015 Share March 10, 2015 It's not about "real" though, as you will realize quickly watching BB edit AND the feeds. The stuff happens, but there is a ton of backstory, or reasons that they may or may not show. Poker night probably took hours to film, if things Alex and Simon have said are true. We saw, what? Maybe 7-11 minutes of film on that? Remember when Camille said her Dubois dinner filmed for 8 hours? It gets tricky, but I really want to break my BB habit this year, it's a huge time suck and incredibly addicting. For me, the main attraction is to watch what really happens, and then watch the bullshit the editors decide to show, easily turning villains into heroes, or visa versa, and making "tru luv" out of crazy/stalking and disinterest/stupidity. Why yes, I am talking about Danielle and Shane, for those BB watchers out there. OMG what a crock the TV version of that was. I knew it was Shane and Danielle. That was such a terrible thing CBS did to them, she was scary. 1 Link to comment
JAYJAY1979 March 11, 2015 Share March 11, 2015 I read somewhere that when the housewives go on their cast trips.. they are filmed non-stop for the duration of the trip and you know how you can get annoyed with people if you are with them non-stop and with cameras on you all the time.. drama can happen. For me, season 9 of Real Housewives of Orange County totally went a different direction then what was set up. To me, it seemed like Tamra and Vicki would have issues with Heather.. and that Shannon would kind of buddy up to Heather.. but be neutral for the most part. However, Shannon instantly clicked with Vicki and to a lesser extent Tamra right away thus Heather felt excluded.. she didn't want to anger either Tamra nor Vicki so she took out her frustrations on Shannon. Plus, there were scenes where Shannon's eccentric behavior annoyed Heather. So the narrative shifted to Shannon being gaslighted by Heather & Tamra.. while Vicki and newbie Lizzie kind of observed from the sidelines.. and then Mr. dubrow got mad at Mr. Beador and there was an issue there. So I think producers have a plan on where to go.. but there is enough flexibility to shift the narrative if something unexpected happens. Hence why Shannon's melt down at the dinner party was epic.. because it was so real and raw.. and it wasn't scripted because of Shannon breaking the 4th wall by saying everything is on the camera, the truth will be seen. And also season 4 of RHOBH changed narratives. I think the original intent was Yolanda/Brandi trying to overthrow Lisa V.. and trying to recruit newbie Joyce.. while Joyce ended up trying to warn Lisa V.. and Lisa V not believing.. but causing Brandi to go after Joyce.. but Joyce wouldn't fold nor get mad.. eventually Brandi had to backtrack a bit.. and then managed to turn Kyle/Kim against Lisa V... and then the gang up happened while Lisa V refused to play along and left early. The result of this has Lisa V being friends with Joyce & Carleton even after they were fired from the show.. and Brandi is odd girl out. So I do think that there is blocking, shooting, and somewhat fake. however, when something organic happens (like Kim R at poker night and in the limo with Lisa R.. or Shannon B during the dinner party in the OC).. then the producers will incorporate and shift gears. 5 Link to comment
AnnA March 12, 2015 Share March 12, 2015 (edited) We got into a discussion in the episode thread about whether or not any of the scenes are staged. ryebread posted that a while back there was a video clip taken by a fan of Bethanny repeating the same scene over and over again. I had no idea such things existed so I went to look for it because I do believe some scenes are staged. What I couldn't believe is how many reports there are online about specific instances of scenes being staged. I will admit that I have not found any (yet) about RHOBH but these are just a few of the many and I wasn't even trying hard. One search and a slew of links popped up. I can't verify the accuracy of these links but they do exist. FOX411 on RHOC Fox has a four minute video with commentary on the various "staged" scenes on RHOC and especially about Vicki's. More on the OC: allthingsrh on Vicki RHONY Caught Carole and Heather stood on Meeting House Lane and waited for the crew to call ‘rolling,’ before walking toward the camera and sitting on a park bench. They even shot the scene twice! That same link also had this about RHOA" "More recently Walter Jackson, who was featured last season on RHOA as Kenya Moore's boyfriend, gave a radio interview in which he admitted that the relationship was fake and that they were acting in order to give Kenya a storyline, and he suggested that Bravo knew all about it." RadarOnline RHONY RadarOnline RHONJ The Examiner on Kenya Moore RHOA “She was wearing the same yellow dress that she wore in court on Tuesday as if she left the same day of court,” the source says. “They did not have permission to film at that house." RHOA Court Room Scene Staged "The entire court proceeding between Sheree and her ex-husband Bob Whitfield, which was included in a Tuesday, December 13 episode, was staged. The site noticed that the judge featured on the Bravo reality show is named Bensonetta Tipton Lane. It was later found out that the real judge Lane is black, but the female judge on the show was white." RealityTea RHOA Edited March 12, 2015 by AnnA 1 Link to comment
RedheadZombie March 12, 2015 Share March 12, 2015 For me, season 9 of Real Housewives of Orange County totally went a different direction then what was set up. To me, it seemed like Tamra and Vicki would have issues with Heather.. and that Shannon would kind of buddy up to Heather.. but be neutral for the most part. However, Shannon instantly clicked with Vicki and to a lesser extent Tamra right away thus Heather felt excluded.. she didn't want to anger either Tamra nor Vicki so she took out her frustrations on Shannon. Plus, there were scenes where Shannon's eccentric behavior annoyed Heather. So the narrative shifted to Shannon being gaslighted by Heather & Tamra.. while Vicki and newbie Lizzie kind of observed from the sidelines.. and then Mr. dubrow got mad at Mr. Beador and there was an issue there. So I think producers have a plan on where to go.. but there is enough flexibility to shift the narrative if something unexpected happens. Hence why Shannon's melt down at the dinner party was epic.. because it was so real and raw.. and it wasn't scripted because of Shannon breaking the 4th wall by saying everything is on the camera, the truth will be seen. I think that dinner party is the most disturbing episode I've watched on any of the housewives shows. Heather and her husband, in one of the most despicable moves I've ever witnessed, claiming Shannon has had a mental break, and questioning calling an ambulance. Being involuntarily committed is difficult, but not impossible. Terry, being an MD, may have found it a little easier. Absolutely human garbage. 6 Link to comment
ryebread March 12, 2015 Share March 12, 2015 I had no idea such things existed so I went to look for it because I do believe some scenes are staged. What I couldn't believe is how many reports there are online about specific instances of scenes being staged. Sooo much evidence some of this is staged. Probably not all, but a lot. This clip is interesting to me because it shows how it was filmed. Around the :40 mark Lisa leaves the table, to take direction/offer a suggestion to production and returns back to her disagreement with Kristen. Looks to me like Kristen was smiling until the cameras started to roll again. Any of you VPR's fans remember this scene? What were they arguing about? https://youtu.be/9eRKJqiiZzQ?t=10s Also, at :10 the producer walks right in front of the camera of the pedestrian/papparazzi who filmed this. To prevent it from being caught on tape? 1 Link to comment
Almost 3000 March 12, 2015 Share March 12, 2015 I think that dinner party is the most disturbing episode I've watched on any of the housewives shows. Heather and her husband, in one of the most despicable moves I've ever witnessed, claiming Shannon has had a mental break, and questioning calling an ambulance. Being involuntarily committed is difficult, but not impossible. Terry, being an MD, may have found it a little easier. Absolutely human garbage. Whenever I have a moment of liking the Dubrows I just check out his Yelp ratings. 2 Link to comment
zoeysmom March 12, 2015 Share March 12, 2015 For the most part I think the producers of RHOBH have a far easier cast to deal with as the majority of them are actors. Also when you have a full on ham like Brandi who gets to every scene early and "on", it probably goes quickly. I am not sure who Brandi's line producer is but I would bet it is the same as Tamra Barney's. They both say the same things, "I make the show," and both like to make shit up about other cast members and then scream truth cannon.' This past season Tamra told one she couldn't get out of and had to admit and then at the Reunion laid the blame on Vicki's doorstep for not bringing anything and Tamra having to carry the load. I am thinking Rinna and Eileen's line producer(s) are living with dream clients. Seasoned professionals who caught on very quickly. I get they have to go back and create scenes for continuity. There was one last season of Michael and Joyce going for sushi to discuss Brandi's racist comments and I believe someone saw them in the restaurant long after shooting. Same with Yolanda this year-she has the same questionable coral colour top on talking about how Bella was always the edgy sister. Another one is Yolanda and Blanca in the closet-pretty obvious the care and feeding of Bella (No curfew) scenes were shot after the DUI. 5 Link to comment
Evenshorter March 13, 2015 Share March 13, 2015 From the second link posted by AnnA (and thanks for the links!) I think people who have watched the live feeds of Big Brother do have a completely different perspective on "reality TV" in general, and certainly on the Housewives shows. I admit to being a BB addict, and now with flashback on the live feeds, rarely miss any moment of importance that happens on the LIVE FEEDS of BB. Actually, watching the "real" footage and then what the EDIT shows is probably the main cause for my addiction. It's fascinating how they can twist "real" to make someone look good or bad. I want my summer back, so I'm going to try very hard to not get sucked into BB this year, BTW. If you really want to see how producers create storylines, the live feeds are usually free for the first 3 days, and cost only about $25 for the whole 3 months plus run of the show. They will really open your eyes to editing, and how moments can be picked apart to make someone look "picked on" or "stupid" or "victimized" even if that person is the opposite of that. In a bit of fairness to the BB editors, they only have a day or two to "turn around" episodes, not the months of editing Bravo enjoys for the HW shows, but you can really see how they develop a storyline or character, and FIND the moments that support whatever story they've been trying to tell. It can be infuriating when a complete asshole ends up with a hero edit, or visa versa. It happens all the time. Just one example. A few years ago they made a "love story" out of an obviously (but closeted) gay man, and a serious psycho, stalker woman. From the edit, or what was shown on TV? You would have rooted for those two "lovebirds" to marry. Those who watched the live feeds though? Saw that she was completely nuts, he was totally not interested, and she had many psycho moments that could have easily fit into any horror story or lifetime movie. I totally thought you meant Macrae and Amanda, not Danielle and Shane!!! 1 Link to comment
Wings March 13, 2015 Share March 13, 2015 It's not about "real" though, as you will realize quickly watching BB edit AND the feeds. The stuff happens, but there is a ton of backstory, or reasons that they may or may not show. Poker night probably took hours to film, if things Alex and Simon have said are true. We saw, what? Maybe 7-11 minutes of film on that? Remember when Camille said her Dubois dinner filmed for 8 hours? It gets tricky, but I really want to break my BB habit this year, it's a huge time suck and incredibly addicting. For me, the main attraction is to watch what really happens, and then watch the bullshit the editors decide to show, easily turning villains into heroes, or visa versa, and making "tru luv" out of crazy/stalking and disinterest/stupidity. Why yes, I am talking about Danielle and Shane, for those BB watchers out there. OMG what a crock the TV version of that was. I am going to make a concerted effort to break my BB habit, too. It takes way too much of my time. Now, I have said this before, so there is that! Link to comment
mbutterfly March 14, 2015 Share March 14, 2015 (edited) Producer-Driven Scripted Drama and Bravo’s ‘Real Housewives’ Series March 6, 2013 https://famewhorgas.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/producer-driven-scripted-drama-and-bravos-real-housewives-series/ An article that state lawyers and managers have banned together suggests lack of professional journalism, I think. Edited March 14, 2015 by mbutterfly 1 Link to comment
AnnA March 15, 2015 Share March 15, 2015 (edited) An article that state lawyers and managers have banned together suggests lack of professional journalism, I think. So true! Even though they could use a good editor, I think there's some truth in that piece. I've been reluctant to join in on the Brandi bashing, not because she doesn't deserve it but because I believe she was hired as the "troublemaker" as stated in that piece. "When they want to start trouble, they usually go to a person who doesn’t mind coming off as a bitch. It is usually someone with a thick skin who really needs the money and can’t just quit." They use Tamara as an example but it applies to Brandi as well. A while back I read about the bonuses HWs get at the end of the season depending on how much drama they bring, That came from an interview I read about Teresa but since then, I've looked to see who brings it each season. This season on RHOBH, Brandi, Kim and LisaR will get the big buck bonuses. The famewhorgas piece mentions that too. "Some of the drama in these shows flows naturally (and they get a bonus out of it) and some of it is scripted. The cast knows what they have to do and say (not word for word, they don’t memorize script); and if they don’t get it on the first take, they have to film it over. So they will usually cooperate the first time around so they can go home." Edited March 15, 2015 by AnnA 1 Link to comment
zoeysmom March 15, 2015 Share March 15, 2015 So true! Even though they could use a good editor, I think there's some truth in that piece. I've been reluctant to join in on the Brandi bashing, not because she doesn't deserve it but because I believe she was hired as the "troublemaker" as stated in that piece. "When they want to start trouble, they usually go to a person who doesn’t mind coming off as a bitch. It is usually someone with a thick skin who really needs the money and can’t just quit." They use Tamara as an example but it applies to Brandi as well. A while back I read about the bonuses HWs get at the end of the season depending on how much drama they bring, That came from an interview I read about Teresa but since then, I've looked to see who brings it each season. This season on RHOBH, Brandi, Kim and LisaR will get the big buck bonuses. The famewhorgas piece mentions that too. "Some of the drama in these shows flows naturally (and they get a bonus out of it) and some of it is scripted. The cast knows what they have to do and say (not word for word, they don’t memorize script); and if they don’t get it on the first take, they have to film it over. So they will usually cooperate the first time around so they can go home." I have posted it a time or two Tamra Barney's contract. In her contract she received extra money for her court case and family involvement. Teresa Giudice was paid in increments because of her court case. I believe the final payment is now withheld until after the Reunion is filmed. Jacqueline, Kim, Adrienne are most likely the cause of that loophole. Teresa reads cue cards for her talking heads a great deal of the time. I don't think there are a lot of do overs most of the time it is because there is an issue with the sound. The line producers are sitting just out of camera range listening and of course recording the conversations-so if they hear something interesting they can adjust the focus of the filming. Best example-last year Kyle made a comment to Joyce that someone had stunk up Carlton's bathroom. There was no one around to hear it. It was obvious at the joint birthday dinner for Mauricio and Ken that someone had really trumped up Kyle's comments and Carlton was furious. 1 Link to comment
AnnA March 15, 2015 Share March 15, 2015 I have posted it a time or two Tamra Barney's contract. In her contract she received extra money for her court case and family involvement. Teresa Giudice was paid in increments because of her court case. I believe the final payment is now withheld until after the Reunion is filmed. Jacqueline, Kim, Adrienne are most likely the cause of that loophole. Teresa reads cue cards for her talking heads a great deal of the time. Thanks for the info on the final payment. I was wondering how they penalize a housewife for not showing up at the reunion. And we've all witnessed how well Teresa reads them. I was trying to think of the last one she messed up but it's completely slipped my mind. 1 Link to comment
meeeeech March 15, 2015 Share March 15, 2015 Great thread. I remember an IG video of a Nene/Porsha sit down lunch where they had the waiter come out twice and pretend to re-serve their meals as the cameramen tried to get different angles. Porsha was facing the person taking the video and looked extremely annoyed the first time, so that may have been why they had to reshoot. Link to comment
motorcitymom65 March 15, 2015 Share March 15, 2015 Great thread. I remember an IG video of a Nene/Porsha sit down lunch where they had the waiter come out twice and pretend to re-serve their meals as the cameramen tried to get different angles. Porsha was facing the person taking the video and looked extremely annoyed the first time, so that may have been why they had to reshoot. For me the fact that they reshoot doesn't really mean very much. You can clearly see just in watching dinner scenes that they must be reshooting things. My favorite thing over the years has been to watch Kyle's hair at various dinner functions. One time last season she started the dinner with her hair up, then it was hanging down, then just 10 seconds later it was back up. It happened quickly. I also love to watch the tables. Food is suddenly there, then gone in mere seconds, when we didn't see anyone around to clear the table. Sometimes at the beginning of a dinner if you look closely you will see an entree, then minutes later see them eating a salad. They are going to have to reshoot, especially when they are in public. We have heard HW's talk about fans running up in the middle of a scene to ask questions or want an autograph. Folks shout things at them. Someone makes an announcement over a loudspeaker when they are shopping or at the airport. Someone stands in front of their table at a restaurant and blocks their shot. This stuff is going to happen. It might mean that everything is not quite as spontaneous, but it doesn't mean that their words or the sentiment behind them aren't real or their own. Even if someone asks them to say it all over again. With feeling. 7 Link to comment
zoeysmom March 15, 2015 Share March 15, 2015 Thanks for the info on the final payment. I was wondering how they penalize a housewife for not showing up at the reunion. And we've all witnessed how well Teresa reads them. I was trying to think of the last one she messed up but it's completely slipped my mind. From what Alex McCord said about last season's RHONYC every one but Ramona had 7 week contracts. At the end of 7 weeks they either delivered or were put on waivers-we saw it with Aviva. If I had to guess I would say they withhold 25% and maybe more from difficult RH such as Kim, Jacqueline, Camille. The second season of Atlanta the ladies decided not to "bring it" to protest their pay-it was an awful Reunion. In this Reality Tea article, post previously on another thread, http://www.realitytea.com/ I posted Brandi claims she showed up at the Reunion and wasn't going to say anything. Yeah, right. 1 Link to comment
PhilMarlowe2 March 16, 2015 Share March 16, 2015 Since this has become a kind of "cross-show" conversation, I'll just throw in that I worked on "The Real World" for four seasons. It was literally my job to watch all of the unedited footage and basically write about what was happening so the story department could determine how to put together the episodes. I will say that "The Real World" was very, very pure - at least at the time. What you saw was what you got. They didn't do any re-shoots, there were no scripts, there was no producer intervention (unless you count their weekly talking head interviews which, yes, did often shore up feelings in the cast members - one of the lead directors on the show had a graduate degree in psychology). The editing really represented the gist of what went down - they would have to leave stuff out for time, or mess with timelines if the footage wasn't there to tell the story in its complete, chronological way - but they never misrepresented the essence of what happened. I know it surprises a lot of people, but the show actually went out of its way to protect cast members. The "villains" you saw on TV were almost always much, much worse in the raw footage. Anyhow, this was about 10 years ago now, so I have no idea if the show is still as honest as it was back then. But that was at least one show that kept things pretty legit. 8 Link to comment
breezy424 March 16, 2015 Share March 16, 2015 I have no doubt that they sometimes reshoot scenes because of various technical problems. I don't have much of a problem with that. I also think that things get switched up in the editing process as well. You have to keep in mind that they're not only dealing with telling a story but they have to tell it in a certain amount of time - stretching is the biggest culprit and sometimes they just put something in to fill up a few seconds and they don't think the viewer is paying that much attention. The housewive shows are not the only ones who do this. The reality is that most viewers don't pick up on these things. I've done some personal editing of video and all I can say is that it's not easy...at all. 4 Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.