Welcome to Only in Reality... a series in which I explore the events, philosophies and positions that only exist or occur in Reality TV.
In today's edition we look at the crew position known as the Cast Wrangler.
Now, Cast Wranglers do pretty much what their title implies: they wrangle the cast. So, in any scenario, a Cast Wrangler is the point of contact between Production and the so-called Talent. However, exactly what a Cast Wrangler does differs depending on the genre of Reality they're working in.
On a show like The Bachelor (AKA Everlasting on UnREAL), that is, a Competition Show, the Cast Wrangler is pretty much a human herder. The first of these I met was a louche German we'll call Tristan whose every move seemed an expression of petulance. Tristan's responsibilities included: keeping eyes on cast at all time (even living with them); herding them to and from set; ensuring that none of them had somehow gotten access to a phone or computer or any other item with which they could contact the outside world; and spying on the cast and reporting their personal and interpersonal problems back to the Story Department. Tristan was one of those for-sure psychopaths I've worked with who took strange pleasure in denying cast members the right to speak or even pee.
However, on a show like Housewives or Love and Hip Hop (DocuSoaps), the Cast Wrangler is less of a prison guard and more along the lines of a Personal Assistant. They build a relationship with the cast members and massage their egos (no one gives a shit about cast egos in Competition). They ensure that cast arrives on set on time and in the right wardrobe (a big deal in Docusoaps where we often shoot story out of order). They also, like their Competition compatriots, spy and report back to Production on where the cast is at emotionally (we then take that info and develop story lines accordingly). On shows like Love and Hip Hop there is actually one Cast Wrangler per cast member (which is quite unusual) whereas on Housewives there is generally only one for the whole cast. The job is not only stressful but can actually be dangerous. One cast Wrangler I knew actually had a gun held to his head. He's still in Reality. Go figure.
Cast Wrangling is a thankless and soul-destroying job. Wranglers have to manage extremely difficult (and sometimes violent) personalities and deal with 2 am calls and texts. In fact, the Cast Wrangler on my current show may not be long for this production. She's burnt out from a relentless stream of self-important D-list celebrity cast and their non-stop shenanigans. Update: she quit.
In case you're wondering why you've never seen the credit Cast Wrangler on a show, that's because they are titled as anything from Production Assistant to Co-Executive Producer. I was once promised a Co-Executive Producer credit on a Housewives show (rhymes with - Have Mercy) if I did--basically--a Cast Wrangler's job. I thanked them for the kind offer, but replied that I'd rather stab myself repeatedly in the chest with scissors.
Showing posts with label Real Housewives of Atlanta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Real Housewives of Atlanta. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Monday, November 2, 2015
Reality Bits (Housewives Edition)
1. Celebrity Thievery
Kim Richards who has the dubious distinction of being too messy for Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and is therefore an ex-Housewife, pled no contest to shoplifting from the Target in Van Nuys. She was sentenced to attend 52 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, 300 hours of community labor and can no longer shop (if that's the word) at the Target in Van Nuys. Tribulations trail in Richards' wake: in addition to being kicked off Housewives (for real, how much of a fuck up do you have to be to get fired by Bravo!?), she also walked out of a Dr. Phil interview, got wasted at daughter Brooke's Mexico wedding, and at one point reportedly was living in her car.
But I come here not to cast stones at Richards (who clearly has issues) but to discuss a tendency I've noticed among celebrities to, how do you say, liberate shit from random places. I have been in the company of more than one celebrity who'll just pick up something in a store/showroom we're in and just walk on out with it. Most of the time they get away with it, although I was once extremely gratified when a particularly pernicious thief was stopped in her tracks and was forced to yammer her way out of it. And I still think I was more embarrassed than she was.
But the fascinating thing is that often the stuff being stolen isn't that desirable (or certainly not worth going to the clink over). Richards, for instance, zeroed in on multiple make up cases, markers, stickers and something that looks intriguingly like a dildo (but isn't because Target). I, in turn, have seen celebs steal equally random stuff from production including: a bag of garbage bags; a couple of coolers (the Production Manager who requested them back was fired); a set of multi-colored velour track suits and quantities of craft that would fill several storage units.
I don't know why getting famous increases your predisposition to steal. Is it that you just get so much for free that you come to expect it? Cuz based on my experience thievery's a celebrity pandemic.
2. The Ginger Prince
Nothing warms my soul as much as when I can combine my first love, gossip, with discussions of reality. Thus I am delighted to send you to this article from the Daily Mail that postulates that Camilla, (AKA Charles' former sidepiece, AKA the current Duchess of Cornwall) is currently on the hunt for a bride for everyone's favorite royal Hot Prince Harry (AKA the Ginger Prince).
But how, you might say, is this about Reality? (You might also say I just want an excuse to go looking for images like this, this and even this.) Well, one obstacle to Camilla's matchmaking is that Harry, according to the DM, "has developed a penchant for the company of older, more worldly women on whose discretion he can rely." Funny that they used the word discretion, because the (former) spare to the throne was not being quite as discreet when he had a quickie with Real Housewives of DC cast member Cat Ommanney, during production on that show.
Older ladies may be discreet, but production staff, not so much!
3. Contextless Yes
Finally, Vicky Gunvalson "confessed" on the Real Housewives of Orange County Reunion that her ex, Brooks Ayers abused her (among other things). Much is being made of the fact that when Andy Cohen asked her if she was afraid of Brooks she "timidly nodded her head 'yes'." Now quite possibly he is abusive and she is frightened of him, but I will tell you this: we can find a "yes" or nod from pretty much anywhere in a sequence of footage and place it where we want it (for instance after a question like, "Are you afraid of him?").
So I wouldn't be taking anything that appears on a reality show as gospel, especially when it comes to something as loaded as this. Not everyone out there is sue happy, and I am aware of at least one other instance on Bravo where someone told an extremely damaging and bald-faced lie about another character, and got away with it. Legal be lax.
#princeharry #kimrichards #rhoc #rhbh #rhdc
Kim Richards who has the dubious distinction of being too messy for Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and is therefore an ex-Housewife, pled no contest to shoplifting from the Target in Van Nuys. She was sentenced to attend 52 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, 300 hours of community labor and can no longer shop (if that's the word) at the Target in Van Nuys. Tribulations trail in Richards' wake: in addition to being kicked off Housewives (for real, how much of a fuck up do you have to be to get fired by Bravo!?), she also walked out of a Dr. Phil interview, got wasted at daughter Brooke's Mexico wedding, and at one point reportedly was living in her car.
But I come here not to cast stones at Richards (who clearly has issues) but to discuss a tendency I've noticed among celebrities to, how do you say, liberate shit from random places. I have been in the company of more than one celebrity who'll just pick up something in a store/showroom we're in and just walk on out with it. Most of the time they get away with it, although I was once extremely gratified when a particularly pernicious thief was stopped in her tracks and was forced to yammer her way out of it. And I still think I was more embarrassed than she was.
But the fascinating thing is that often the stuff being stolen isn't that desirable (or certainly not worth going to the clink over). Richards, for instance, zeroed in on multiple make up cases, markers, stickers and something that looks intriguingly like a dildo (but isn't because Target). I, in turn, have seen celebs steal equally random stuff from production including: a bag of garbage bags; a couple of coolers (the Production Manager who requested them back was fired); a set of multi-colored velour track suits and quantities of craft that would fill several storage units.
I don't know why getting famous increases your predisposition to steal. Is it that you just get so much for free that you come to expect it? Cuz based on my experience thievery's a celebrity pandemic.
2. The Ginger Prince
Nothing warms my soul as much as when I can combine my first love, gossip, with discussions of reality. Thus I am delighted to send you to this article from the Daily Mail that postulates that Camilla, (AKA Charles' former sidepiece, AKA the current Duchess of Cornwall) is currently on the hunt for a bride for everyone's favorite royal Hot Prince Harry (AKA the Ginger Prince).
But how, you might say, is this about Reality? (You might also say I just want an excuse to go looking for images like this, this and even this.) Well, one obstacle to Camilla's matchmaking is that Harry, according to the DM, "has developed a penchant for the company of older, more worldly women on whose discretion he can rely." Funny that they used the word discretion, because the (former) spare to the throne was not being quite as discreet when he had a quickie with Real Housewives of DC cast member Cat Ommanney, during production on that show.
Older ladies may be discreet, but production staff, not so much!
3. Contextless Yes
Finally, Vicky Gunvalson "confessed" on the Real Housewives of Orange County Reunion that her ex, Brooks Ayers abused her (among other things). Much is being made of the fact that when Andy Cohen asked her if she was afraid of Brooks she "timidly nodded her head 'yes'." Now quite possibly he is abusive and she is frightened of him, but I will tell you this: we can find a "yes" or nod from pretty much anywhere in a sequence of footage and place it where we want it (for instance after a question like, "Are you afraid of him?").
So I wouldn't be taking anything that appears on a reality show as gospel, especially when it comes to something as loaded as this. Not everyone out there is sue happy, and I am aware of at least one other instance on Bravo where someone told an extremely damaging and bald-faced lie about another character, and got away with it. Legal be lax.
#princeharry #kimrichards #rhoc #rhbh #rhdc
Monday, August 17, 2015
Human Resouces
Pivot's Human Resources has just debuted it's second season. To date the show has received largely (deserved) glowing reviews. However, the degree to which HR is scripted seems to be the major, and frankly unimportant, issue for the reviewers. USA Today writes:
Though rooted in reality, it's obvious that parts of Human Resources are scripted and planned, but the show doesn't attempt to hide that.
Meanwhile, Really Late Review is less certain that the show is scripted, saying:
The fact that I couldn’t tell whether the show was real or not was clever in my opinion. Many shows are too obvious in what style they are (sitcoms feature same, staple humor and situations, while reality shows put people in extreme situations for attention seeking purposes), so I appreciated how the show had me guessing from the beginning.
And the Grey Lady herself concludes its positive review with yet another reflection on how "real" the show is:
Human Resources shows what happens when you put people on screen who have grown up with video cameras. Everyone’s comfortable, no one seems to be performing for the camera.
Set in a start-up recycling business, TerraCycle, and following owner Tom Szaky and his band of quirky scientists, designers and sales agents, HR has its antecedents in shows like Small Town Security (AMC - and also produced by many of the same people at Left/Right), Duck Dynasty (A&E), even The Osbournes (MTV): half hour shows that promote humor over drama. Called Reality Sitcoms within the industry, these shows can be extremely scripted, like Duck Dynasty in which "real" people are thrown into absurd situations, or borderline Follow Docs like Small Town Security or The Osbournes.
Now, I don't work on the show and while (full disclosure) I know and respect many of the main players behind the scenes I have no idea how scripted the show actually is. Given my experience in Reality, however, I would say: somewhat. We have limited shooting schedules so chances are some scenes need to be scheduled and don't just fortuitously happen. But whether the show is knowingly scripted (as USA suggests) or benefits from a great cast (as The Times asserts) is not of great interest to me.
What makes Human Resources sui generis (and a pleasure to watch) is that it steers clear of either produced or happenstance conflict (sometimes we do actually luck into screaming fights between cast members). Instead, it illustrates the small adjustments that are far more common in everyday life. Like, for example, the difficulty a quirky new Canadian employee Tony, encounters while adjusting to the zany environment of TerraCycle (the B Story for this episode); or how Dan and Randi manage to land (with the assistance of the team) a mid-level contract (an A Story that steers clear of the usual over-the-top Reality stakes e.g. "If we don't land this contract, the whole business is gonna go down the shitter," or what you will). Along the way the viewer also gets some take-away about the recycling business, from TerraCycle's sometimes hilarious science team, that feels fun rather than forced.
These are the smaller conflicts those of us who live in the everyday world can relate to, and the kind of conflict that is under-explored in Reality for exactly that reason. Those of us in the industry have long complained about the usually broadcaster-mandated fake drama/stakes that we are forced to implement in most of our shows. This commitment to over-the-top "stakes" ultimately becomes a parody of itself in shows like the now-canceled Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane, where every single task undertaken by Ms. Simmons' long-suffering team is a matter of life or death.
In addition to having a pretty unique show in HR, Pivot has a pretty clever and unusual ad campaign. Basically, it wants to appeal to viewers who either don't watch Reality or, more likely, watch Reality and feel humiliated for doing so. Hence, the tagline for Human Resources is "Takes the trash out of TV one day at a time" (which, I assume, references trashy TV like Housewives and Love and Hip Hop in addition to the recycling business TerraCycle engages in. And if you missed that obvious diss of all Reality, Belisa Balaban EVP of Original Programming for Pivot makes it even clearer, "Human Resources is an unexpected blend of classic workplace comedy within the structure of a process-driven Science show. It is distinctive and delightful, and it's a reality show you can feel good about watching*."
*And also, I strongly suspect, about producing.
You just can't say that for most shows. We really could use a lot more Human Resources out there.
Human Resources screens on Pivot on Fridays at 10 pm ET/PT
Though rooted in reality, it's obvious that parts of Human Resources are scripted and planned, but the show doesn't attempt to hide that.
Meanwhile, Really Late Review is less certain that the show is scripted, saying:
The fact that I couldn’t tell whether the show was real or not was clever in my opinion. Many shows are too obvious in what style they are (sitcoms feature same, staple humor and situations, while reality shows put people in extreme situations for attention seeking purposes), so I appreciated how the show had me guessing from the beginning.
And the Grey Lady herself concludes its positive review with yet another reflection on how "real" the show is:
Human Resources shows what happens when you put people on screen who have grown up with video cameras. Everyone’s comfortable, no one seems to be performing for the camera.
Basically these reviewers would have it that a show rises or falls either on how real it is, or how craftily it addresses the fact that it isn't. While this simplistic obsession may have been excusable back in, I don't know, 1995/6 when The Real World first broke, after over twenty-five years the time has come for a modicum more insight into the Reality genre. And we may as well start by discussing the primary (and most flawed) assumption: that Reality is some kind of homogenous category. It is not. Rather it is a variety of genres (Docu-Soap, Competition, Follow Doc) that share only the fact that the participants in the show are real people playing themselves.
Thus a review will contain comparisons between shows as diverse as Survivor (which is a Competition Reality) and Real Housewives of Atlanta (a Docu Soap) as though such comparisons were viable or even fruitful. In fact, there are as many different genres of Reality as there are of narrative, and no self-respecting reviewer of the latter would compare Film Noire to a Romantic Comedy (or even compare a Romantic Comedy, like 13 Going on 30, to a Western spoof like Blazing Saddles). I'm trying to bring a more nuanced--read: NUANCED--insider's approach to Reality; starting with this review.
Set in a start-up recycling business, TerraCycle, and following owner Tom Szaky and his band of quirky scientists, designers and sales agents, HR has its antecedents in shows like Small Town Security (AMC - and also produced by many of the same people at Left/Right), Duck Dynasty (A&E), even The Osbournes (MTV): half hour shows that promote humor over drama. Called Reality Sitcoms within the industry, these shows can be extremely scripted, like Duck Dynasty in which "real" people are thrown into absurd situations, or borderline Follow Docs like Small Town Security or The Osbournes.
Now, I don't work on the show and while (full disclosure) I know and respect many of the main players behind the scenes I have no idea how scripted the show actually is. Given my experience in Reality, however, I would say: somewhat. We have limited shooting schedules so chances are some scenes need to be scheduled and don't just fortuitously happen. But whether the show is knowingly scripted (as USA suggests) or benefits from a great cast (as The Times asserts) is not of great interest to me.
What makes Human Resources sui generis (and a pleasure to watch) is that it steers clear of either produced or happenstance conflict (sometimes we do actually luck into screaming fights between cast members). Instead, it illustrates the small adjustments that are far more common in everyday life. Like, for example, the difficulty a quirky new Canadian employee Tony, encounters while adjusting to the zany environment of TerraCycle (the B Story for this episode); or how Dan and Randi manage to land (with the assistance of the team) a mid-level contract (an A Story that steers clear of the usual over-the-top Reality stakes e.g. "If we don't land this contract, the whole business is gonna go down the shitter," or what you will). Along the way the viewer also gets some take-away about the recycling business, from TerraCycle's sometimes hilarious science team, that feels fun rather than forced.
These are the smaller conflicts those of us who live in the everyday world can relate to, and the kind of conflict that is under-explored in Reality for exactly that reason. Those of us in the industry have long complained about the usually broadcaster-mandated fake drama/stakes that we are forced to implement in most of our shows. This commitment to over-the-top "stakes" ultimately becomes a parody of itself in shows like the now-canceled Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane, where every single task undertaken by Ms. Simmons' long-suffering team is a matter of life or death.
In addition to having a pretty unique show in HR, Pivot has a pretty clever and unusual ad campaign. Basically, it wants to appeal to viewers who either don't watch Reality or, more likely, watch Reality and feel humiliated for doing so. Hence, the tagline for Human Resources is "Takes the trash out of TV one day at a time" (which, I assume, references trashy TV like Housewives and Love and Hip Hop in addition to the recycling business TerraCycle engages in. And if you missed that obvious diss of all Reality, Belisa Balaban EVP of Original Programming for Pivot makes it even clearer, "Human Resources is an unexpected blend of classic workplace comedy within the structure of a process-driven Science show. It is distinctive and delightful, and it's a reality show you can feel good about watching*."
*And also, I strongly suspect, about producing.
You just can't say that for most shows. We really could use a lot more Human Resources out there.
Human Resources screens on Pivot on Fridays at 10 pm ET/PT
Monday, July 27, 2015
UnREAL: Episode 8
SPOILER ALERT!!
Uh-oh, Rachel done crossed the line!
In Episode 8 of UnREAL Rachel finally fucks bachelor Adam. The show's been hinting at this happening for a while, and using her on-again flirtation with/fucking of DP Jeremy to distract us. But now it's happened and, for those not in the know, this is something we in the industry call "crossing the line."
In general, fraternizing with the Talent is discouraged. That includes everything from hanging out with cast members outside of work to having sex/a relationship with them. Which isn't to say that it doesn't happen. I can think of numerous cases off the top of my head. There was the producer on The Real World who crossed the line with a cast member and was fired. Then there's Todd Tucker, the Line Producer on Real Housewives of Atlanta who started dating cast member Kandi Burruss and ended up a regular on the show (which, I suppose, is punishment enough). On yet another series, the 40ish Showrunner quit after starting a relationship with a 23 year-old cast member. (Sorry, an NDA keeps me from sharing that one.) She later moved into his RV and started working at a nearby titty bar. No word on how that relationship is holding up.
It's easy to understand why line crossing happens. For one thing, we spend a lot of time with cast when we're shooting. We see them more than anyone else in our lives and, just as office romances happen on regular jobs, so too they often happen on set. We are also tasked specifically with befriending them (or seeming to, anyhow) with a view to exploiting that relationship for story. So lines do get blurry.
However, there are plenty of good reasons why crossing the line is frowned upon. For one thing, as is by this point (I hope) abundantly clear, we are manipulating these people. And it is hard (if not impossible) to manipulate someone you're having a bona fide emotional relationship with for work purposes. (Everyone knows that manipulating your partner is strictly a recreational activity.) Additionally, crew members possess information that cannot be shared with cast. For instance, we may be planning a series of scenes with a particular goal in mind, that will not work if some idiot shares that information with a cast member they're in lurv with.
Finally, and maybe this is just me, we shouldn't cross the line because we're in a position of power over these people; especially on a Competition show (like Everlasting) where cast are essentially our prisoners and we have access to (deeply personal) profiles compiled by show psychologists. So, to me, crossing the line feels like a teacher taking advantage of a student or a doctor taking advantage of a patient Don't get me wrong, power is a powerful aphrodisiac. But only losers abuse it.
All that being said, I expect our girl Rachel will find a way to make this dalliance work to her advantage in acquiring the Showrunning position Chet is dangling before her.
So you go, you bad girl, but Jeremy's gonna be pissed.
Uh-oh, Rachel done crossed the line!
In Episode 8 of UnREAL Rachel finally fucks bachelor Adam. The show's been hinting at this happening for a while, and using her on-again flirtation with/fucking of DP Jeremy to distract us. But now it's happened and, for those not in the know, this is something we in the industry call "crossing the line."
In general, fraternizing with the Talent is discouraged. That includes everything from hanging out with cast members outside of work to having sex/a relationship with them. Which isn't to say that it doesn't happen. I can think of numerous cases off the top of my head. There was the producer on The Real World who crossed the line with a cast member and was fired. Then there's Todd Tucker, the Line Producer on Real Housewives of Atlanta who started dating cast member Kandi Burruss and ended up a regular on the show (which, I suppose, is punishment enough). On yet another series, the 40ish Showrunner quit after starting a relationship with a 23 year-old cast member. (Sorry, an NDA keeps me from sharing that one.) She later moved into his RV and started working at a nearby titty bar. No word on how that relationship is holding up.
It's easy to understand why line crossing happens. For one thing, we spend a lot of time with cast when we're shooting. We see them more than anyone else in our lives and, just as office romances happen on regular jobs, so too they often happen on set. We are also tasked specifically with befriending them (or seeming to, anyhow) with a view to exploiting that relationship for story. So lines do get blurry.
However, there are plenty of good reasons why crossing the line is frowned upon. For one thing, as is by this point (I hope) abundantly clear, we are manipulating these people. And it is hard (if not impossible) to manipulate someone you're having a bona fide emotional relationship with for work purposes. (Everyone knows that manipulating your partner is strictly a recreational activity.) Additionally, crew members possess information that cannot be shared with cast. For instance, we may be planning a series of scenes with a particular goal in mind, that will not work if some idiot shares that information with a cast member they're in lurv with.
Finally, and maybe this is just me, we shouldn't cross the line because we're in a position of power over these people; especially on a Competition show (like Everlasting) where cast are essentially our prisoners and we have access to (deeply personal) profiles compiled by show psychologists. So, to me, crossing the line feels like a teacher taking advantage of a student or a doctor taking advantage of a patient Don't get me wrong, power is a powerful aphrodisiac. But only losers abuse it.
All that being said, I expect our girl Rachel will find a way to make this dalliance work to her advantage in acquiring the Showrunning position Chet is dangling before her.
So you go, you bad girl, but Jeremy's gonna be pissed.
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