Reality TV

1. Definition and concept

Reality TV is a kind of TV program which presents humorous and dramatic situations without a script, documents actual events and features ordinary people instead of professional actors. Documentaries and nonfictional programs such as the news and sports shows are usually not classified as a reality show.

The principle is gifts to film ordinary people in situations inspired of real situations. It is vulgarizing of the banal one. In the cases of the celebrities, one puts them in scene in fields out of their speciality.

These emissions one a side voyeuristic because the spectator with the impression to observe the intimacy of the people secretly One can wonder whether these emissions are well "real". The filmed people know it and they must remain natural. If the participants are locked up during several weeks, there is initially a selection of those according to their personality.

2. Where does TV reality come from?

Since the years 4O' there are emissions which film the everyday life of people: Candid Camera where people react to the pranks appears in 1948.

AktenzeichenXY where the public can solve criminal businesses thanks to reconstitutions is diffused in Germany by ZDF since 1967.

In 1973, the chain PBS is a little further filming the private life of people, they diffuse An American Family where we can follow the divorce of a couple in 12 episodes. This emission is taken again in the United Kingdom in 1974 under the name of The Family and in Australia in 1992 under the name of Sylvania Waters.

In 1987, there are not less than 37 emissions of TV reality in the USA.

In France, this type of emissions begins in 1990 with Perdu de vue (the investigators seek missing people) or Témoin n°1 (we try to reconcile couples).

The first emission of TV reality in sense we hear today date of 1999. It acts of the emission in Netherlands Big Brother which has as a principle of filming during several weeks 12