This Reality TV Producer Just Exposed What It's Really Like Behind The Scenes, And That Is One Wild Profession

As idiosyncratic who loves each things world TV, I often wonderment (along with galore others) what precisely goes connected down the scenes. Imagine being a alert connected the partition for conscionable ONE taping of a edifice country connected a Real Housewives franchise??

A fewer months ago, a antheral connected Reddit who says he's been a world TV shaper who has worked successful some the tract of filming and post-editing for 8 years hosted an AMA wherever helium invited radical to inquire him thing astir his profession. Although helium wouldn't exposure which amusement helium works on, helium was capable to springiness a beauteous in-depth look astatine what it's similar to enactment connected a reality show these days.

Here's what helium had to accidental astir his career:

Note: Questions and answers person been lightly edited for clarity.

1. Q: What percent of what is filmed is real, oregon does it alteration by show?

A: I would accidental it varies by show, but astir of my sets are real. As shows transportation connected and the formed realizes a bully communicative is what keeps them connected a show, they volition enactment themselves successful bully communicative positions, if that makes sense.

2. Q: When they each travel retired with sob stories, galore of them look fake oregon insignificant (I'm doing this for my cat, etc). How does this travel about? Are they asked to archer a bittersweet communicative that affected them, bash you inquire them to bash it again if they were affectional enough, if it seems a spot and truthful on?

A: The sob stories are usually existent — unless idiosyncratic is lying to production. Some could beryllium lying, but accumulation wouldn’t usually beryllium alert of it. And past I deliberation sometimes we overdramatize situations to beverage it, which I don’t love.

If they’re telling the story, we volition inquire them to bash it again if it’s not giving the emotion we want, but a) you’d beryllium amazed however overmuch euphony helps, and b) radical get REALLY tense successful the interrogation chair. It tin beryllium hard to get the genuineness to radiance done due to the fact that radical get awkward sitting successful the seat with the camera pointing consecutive astatine them. It’s antithetic than erstwhile you’re successful a scene.

3. Q: How tin I get connected 1 of your shows?

A: I’d person to uncover which shows, and I’m not doing that astatine this time. In general, use to accumulation companies arsenic a accumulation assistant, marque your goals wide (i.e., director, editor, producer), and enactment toward them wrong the company.

4. Q: What bash you bash erstwhile radical are having a speech connected a "hot topic" and they stray disconnected connected a tangent? Do you inquire them to commencement again? Do you provender them topics to speech about? I ever find it comic erstwhile radical are having a bully dinner, and past idiosyncratic abruptly brings up immoderate taxable that mean radical would not rise astatine the meal table, like, "Hey Julie, I heard you had an termination past week?"

A: We provender them topics that are applicable to the stories we’re telling and usher them backmost erstwhile they get disconnected track, but sometimes they’ll cognize what they’re expected to sermon and bring it up successful an inorganic way. It’s a symptom successful station [production]. Sometimes, it’s corrected successful the field, sometimes not.

5. Q: How galore of the stars enactment the aforesaid mode erstwhile cameras are off? Do they go nicer oregon meaner? Are their friendships oregon rivarlies inactive determination erstwhile not filming?

A: It’s beauteous accurate, they are the aforesaid off-camera. Some are nicer to the unit immoderate aren’t, but immoderate feuds they person connected camera don’t halt erstwhile the cameras are down. On immoderate level, they cognize it’s portion of their jobs to harp connected each different truthful there’s an knowing successful a way.

6. Q: How galore hours of footage bash you request to edit to marque a episode?

A: Between 14-20 hours worthy of footage per episode.

7. Q: So, for world TV shows, are determination pilots, oregon are you fixed the greenish airy with respective hours of footage to edit from?

A: For a world amusement to beryllium “picked up”, you make a sizzle with the formed to amusement they're interesting.

Once a amusement is picked up, it’s greenlit for a definite fig of episodes, and past it is changeable with capable to marque that fig of episodes. That’s wherefore first-season shows whether world oregon scripted, usually person less episodes than they volition the adjacent season.

8. Q: Do you usage shaper plants?

A: Producer plants? i’ve ne'er been connected a amusement oregon heard of producers doing it!

9. Q: Why aren’t determination immoderate world TV shows astir existent radical with existent jobs? Like not skinny, beauteous radical but those of america who mightiness beryllium fat, not wholly unattractive teachers, firefighters, police, etc.?

A: I would accidental that radical with jobs similar teacher, firefighter, constabulary serviceman aren’t truly the benignant to beryllium funny successful being a world star.

We bash person world shows with “not wholly unattractive” people. Some networks thin to specialize successful much “luxurious” lifestyles, and others are much diverse.

10. Q: First, congrats due to the fact that it's 1 of my imagination jobs — I would besides emotion to beryllium a casting manager for world TV. What was your vocation way to person the job? Do you cognize anyone who works successful the manufacture ?

A: I did person a household subordinate successful the manufacture who helped maine get my ft successful the door. I besides studied accumulation successful assemblage and person utilized those connections arsenic well. The manufacture truly is astir who you know, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get successful without a connection. Network building, erstwhile you’re in, is key

11. Q: Do you request to survey a circumstantial subdivision to beryllium a casting director?

A: No, not necessarily! No circumstantial branch, but successful school, erstwhile you’re moving connected a clump of projects, you get to cognize different radical who are hoping to beryllium producers oregon directors. If you enactment friends, and they cognize you similar casting, they mightiness effort to enactment you connected their casting team.

I would look into casting companies arsenic good arsenic accumulation companies themselves and their casting departments. Additionally, you could find absorbing radical and marque a sizzle starring the formed you’ve recovered and effort to merchantability that show. 

12. Q: What’s your favourite world amusement to watch?

A: This year, it was Love Island, probably, but I besides emotion Master Chef.

Did immoderate of their answers astonishment you? Tell america what you deliberation successful the comments!