Reality

Almost every writer we’ve spoken to has mentioned REALITY TV.
It is solely what they’re pitching.
I guess I shouldn’t be shocked but, whoa, I am.
The reality genre has changed the whole pitching game.
This gives me pause.
It’s not really what I want to film, at least not those kind of pitches.
Hmm...
Or more directly: Shit.
Vastly interesting phone conversations so far as to why TV has headed in this decidedly peculiar direction – headlong into reality.
It’s an oddity, some say.
A juggernaut.
This is an industry that is now burying the writer (and the actor, for that matter).
People work in reality for the money, because that’s all that’s available and I need to make a living.
I know only too, too well what they’re talking about;
Me? I’ll do everything in my power not, not, not to do it again.
I’d rather stick a pencil in my ear than work on another reality show.
Thinking out loud, here – what jobs are not for the money?
Very few, I’d say.
The sole writer who, while on the phone, didn’t speak about reality TV without being prompted is a guy named Bill Marsilli, and with good reason, too.
He’s screenwriter who just sold a multi-million dollar script to Jerry Bruckheimer…
Bill doesn’t care a smidgen about reality TV.
And why should he?
He doesn’t have to.
And, yeah, I am envious.
Dot. Dot. Dot.
Perry’s been trying to contact the Sex in the City writing team,
Julie Rottenberg and Elisa Zuritsky.
Apparently he’s met them, cursorily knows them;
Friends of his sister-in-law.
Apparently they don’t care, as they haven’t called him back after numerous calls.
I’ve talked with a number of camera ops and other techies that I’ve worked with over the years;
All of them have this amazingly great quality of not hogging the spotlight, of wanting to stay semi-behind-the-scenes, of largess:
they’ve offered to spin out their spider-web of contacts in the biz for us to call, from various people working in production to assorted production companies.
Back to the phone conversations…
Reality TV.
Reality TV has pulled the carpet out from this industry.
One soundman I just spoke with couldn’t even tell me what the name of the reality show he was currently working on, which I found utterly hilarious.
Not a tinge of embarrassment from him about it ether; Just the way it is, he said.
“It’s money, a job,” he said. “I stopped caring about whether the show was any good a long, long time ago. All I care about is, is the sound is good. That’s it.”
And then there are the writers.
And how they pitch now.
My friend, Henry Tenny, mentioned this: he’s not really into reality but says he wouldn’t mind selling one of his reality ideas, capitalize on the whole craze…