Channel 4 Seeking Volunteers For TV

[powerstruggle]

Hello There,

I'm a freelance assistant producer working in television. I'm posting a note about the latest production I'm working on. It's a programme for Channel 4 which looks at human behaviour and has been devised with educational experts. We are looking to find a large, diverse group of people that are a representative sample of typical Britain. We are looking for people with different ages, gender, professional background and ethnic background. We would like to include people who are from a business, entrepreneurial or self employed background which is why I am posting on this forum. I've enclosed some more info below with our contact details. I work on various types of factual productions so am pleased to have found this forum as there may be future productions that I can tell you about that are looking to feature business, products or services .

I have sort permission to put up this post from the editor of Business Zone but apologise in advance if this notice inconveniences you in any way.

Best wishes, Anj

· Channel 4 is looking for volunteers from across the UK from all walks of life to take part in “Power Struggle”, an important televised event.

· This will be a unique educational experience designed to understand human behaviour.

· If you’re interested, and are aged 18 or over, please call

0845 652 0635

Application forms can be downloaded from dragonfly.tv/application

[Beachcomber]

Whats the program about?

[powerstruggle]

It's a programme looking at human behaviour and human characteristics which has been devised with eductional experts. We are filming in London in one place over 1 or 2 days at the end of June. It's a group focused experience with some focus on individuals within the group. We can't say exactly what we're filming as this will change the value of the experience but this is the sort of programme that will appeal to those who have a curiosity about life and wonder what makes us tick. It's about debate, talking and excercising the brain, it's not a physical experience. I hope this helps, Anj

[plymgary]

I just applied. :)

[An Oasis]

Sounds like an interesting programme, let us know when it's on.

[garyk]

powerstruggle? sounds like getting a load of ego-maniacs together and fighting it out.

count me in ;)

[Robert Wheeler]

Proceed with extreme caution. What may seem like a fantastic PR opportunity could lead to you being rubbished as an established business person. In my opinion most reality TV shows are manipulatively edited and contrived pieces of "edutainment" and should be avoided by the majority of people.

The only reason Channel 4 broadcast these things is because it fulfils hours of their compulsory remit to produce documentaries. When they had to produce proper documentaries it cost lots of money. Now they can make endless "social experiments" like this for two ha'pennys and a paperclip, and it all gets counted towards their quota.

[Dawg]

Proceed with extreme caution. What may seem like a fantastic PR opportunity could lead to you being rubbished as an established business person. In my opinion most reality TV shows are manipulatively edited and contrived pieces of "edutainment" and should be avoided by the majority of people.

The only reason Channel 4 broadcast these things is because it fulfils hours of their compulsory remit to produce documentaries. When they had to produce proper documentaries it cost lots of money. Now they can make endless "social experiments" like this for two ha'pennys and a paperclip, and it all gets counted towards their quota.

Absolutely. Especially when they won't even say what it is about but put it in nebulous blatherspeak terms:

It's a group focused experience with some focus on individuals within the group.
As against an individual focused experience with some focus on the group around the individual?
Nadablah: this means nothing and probably hides some sort of pop psychology aimed at seeing how 'educational' peer group pressure, (read 'humiliation'), actually is.
But, you say, it's been devised by "educational experts". Expert shpexpert; experts according to whom? Beware TV producers bearing experts.

However if you want to take a chance on public humiliation and boogering yer biz all in the name of entertainment, this might be ideal.

[Robert Wheeler]

Channel 4 used to make some outstanding television. It was not always expensive, like the fantastic kid's programme 'Pob', or the inspired home made 'Adam and Joe Show', but it was often brilliant and original. When they went down the 'Big Brother' route, their whole ethos changed.

They arguably had the best soap opera there has ever been in 'Brookside'. I did not regularly watch or even enjoy the series, but the thing was just shot so well, just like a soap opera about people living mundane (but dramatic) lives should be. The moment 'Big Brother' started, that series was doomed. They lost interest in the higher end of pop drama, and went to the lowest end of reality gibberish.

Reading between the lines, the show touted by the original poster sounds like an attempt to align with two of the more creditable shows, Dragon's Den and the Alan Sugar thing. But they will be looking to show that people have "been on a journey" and have "had their eyes opened" and that they have "learned something about themselves" and that it has "been an experience".

Just to illustrate how out of hand this 'Reality' TV thing is getting, the supermarket where I used to shop had one of its staff made briefly famous on whatever that pop star show is that was on just before Xmas. It gives me some kind of comfort that my cosy little Sainsburys where I now shop, has a friendly atmosphere and familiarality that I have enjoyed from bringing my custom there on and off single I was a little boy. No member of their staff is likely to be thrust into fame. I won't find the man who is restocking the spuds dancing down the high street, singing Tom Jones songs while flying on a CG magic carpet. I like the fact that there are some characters in thaty store, but they are MY characters. I get to chat with them when I am at the till, they recognise me, they are friendly sorts.

Then I find out, they have made a flipping reality TV documentary about that very store! Can't they leave anything alone! I mean, the last thing I would want to make a documentary about is teh palce I buy my cereal. It is such a thin strand from which to contrieve a programme it is unbelievable. If things go on like this much longer, there will be no people left to make reality TV programmes about.

Thinking about it, this is not an exageration, as another bunch of people from my locality are going to be starring in the third series of "The Choir". This series has a better premsie than most, but it is still all about "The pressure" and the "Will they or won't they get the show together in time" and lots of shots of Gareth Malone walking around with his hand to his face. I can also see the house prices tumbling as they make South Oxhey (which is admittedly not Kensington) out to be some kind of gangland mecca. Here is an idea: If you make a TV programme called 'The Choir' about teaching people from an area with a deprieved reputation to sing, why not actually show us some of the actual meat and bones of teaching the people to sing? That could be fascinating. No, they think that might be too clever for the public at large. Don't want to risk their ratings! Instead they just jump up and fabricate a load of drama.

And at the end of the day, that is what 95% of TV is, including the so-called news. TV is in an intense and long lasting recession of originality and creativity. It seems to be on an endless quest to mimic the content of the myriad of charmless gossip rags that line the shelves of our newsagents.

[sas carpentry]

how much are they paying?

[Beachcomber]

Proceed with extreme caution. What may seem like a fantastic PR opportunity could lead to you being rubbished as an established business person.

Thats exactly what I was thinking.
The recent thread here regarding the escort program sprung to mind - ignoring the real story and 'creatively editing' footage to give the desired (rather than actual) story.

[Write My Site]

I took a look at the application form and there were far too many personal questions for my liking. I'd love the opportunity to promote my business by appearing on a documentary, but I don't think this is it. Questions such as "what was the last thing that made you really angry" probably aren't going to lead to an opportunity for me to present my business -and myself - in the best light!

I think this programme is likely to be another of those "let's push their buttons and see who loses it first" formats. Not for me!