Week 10 - Sarah Hosking

What signifiers of reality have emerged from the documentary genre?

Major plot structures include 'Self-reflexivity' and 'Interactivity' which drawn from Documentary television has contributed to the Reality Television we are constantly subjected too (Ouellette and Murray, 2004). "The self-contained stories in programmes such as 'Police Camera Action!' attract occasional viewers who dip in and out of the series" The differences in length and format between Documentary and Reality Tv differ greatly, and I think this adds too reality tv's attraction. In the 'fast paced' world we've come to accept we now have an even smaller time to zone out infront of our tv.

Reality tv has a quick weekly narrative. Shows like Survivor where theres a set plan of whats to happen (with perhaps an added twist) which enables the viewer to know what to expect. Documentary tv is often thought of as slow or boring and often are movie length and involve a drawn out narrative eventually arriving at a ending point. Reality tv however has as stated above drawn many of plot and narrative structures from documentary television.

Reality tv shows like "Deadliest Catch" could in some terms be thought of as documentary television as it 'documents' the lives of one of the most 'deadliest' jobs in the world. The show is classed as "Documentary/Reality" and has no real direct narrative (by means of a voice over, etc) instead the 'real' people on the show document their own journey fishing on the Bering Sea. I think merging these two genres or having one create the other (like in this case) is a brilliant idea. Fishing shows are often boring and only a fishing enthusiast would really enjoy it. But by making it less educational and with no direct narrative it instead allows the viewer to 'see for themselves'(Hill.A 2005) and gain their own insight into this particular fishing method.

REFERENCES
(Ouellette and Murray, 2004). Reality Television two (2011) Aut University.pdf
Hill, A. (2005) The Reality Genre. In A. Hill, Reality TV: Audiences and Popular Factual Television. (pp.44-40). Oxon: Routledge.