Not even in reruns
In 2004, Pat Younge, now Chief Creative Officer at The BBC, then head of The Travel Channel in the US and I hatched a scheme to air a new kind of television series.
It was going to be interactive, and shot in almost real time, it would allow viewers at home to dictate what happened to the five participants who were wandering around the world.
It was called 5Takes.
No one had ever tried (or done) anything like this before.
We had to overcome some stunning technological issues.
First, we had to shoot and cut and air the show within 6 days each week.
Most reality shows you see on TV are shot months ahead of time. Not this one.
We shot it all with small HDV cameras and cut it on laptops we took with us, on FCP.
We turned each hour in 5 days.
Then, we had to have input from viewers online.
This was 2004 and it’s amazing how fast things have changed.
In those days, before IM or Facebook or Blackberries, our 5 participants had to get to Internet Cafes in places like the middle of the Brazillian jungle to read the emails and respond.
Not to mention cutting the shows in the field on laptops and uploading them back to Discovery by satellite.
But we did it.
And the series ran for four seasons – Europe, Pacific Rim, South America and the USA.
Not bad.
The ratings could have been better, but what can you do? I think we were ahead of our time.
In any event, The Guardian announced this morning that Channel 4, (The UK one) is airing a startling revolution in reality TV.
Notting Hill.
Here, a group of participants will not just act out before the cameras. No. Instead, viewers online will be able to email in to the participants, while the show is in production, and instruct them on what to do.
Sound familiar?
It should.
Been there.
Done that.
So note to Channel 4 and Vicky Frost at The Guardian:
Old news.
