Reality writers have hard row to hoe
By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune
The Associated Press says writers who work on reality shows are getting ready to file claims for unpaid overtime.
Here’s something that puzzles me about that:
Why does a reality show need writers? Isn’t reality TV supposed to be about things that just happen? The people in reality shows aren’t actors, or at least they aren’t supposed to be. They are just supposed to be ordinary people — ordinary people who let television crews follow them around.
Of course, ordinary people can be pretty boring after a few minutes. Maybe that is why they need writers. Being an ordinary person myself, I know that sometimes I’ll go half an hour without saying anything, especially if I’m reading a book, or writing something. I can’t imagine anything duller than watching me read or write.
They say Hemingway used to write standing up, using only a pencil on a yellow tablet. But that would be pretty dull after a while, even if it was the great Hemingway.
After a morning of writing, Hemingway, it is said, would go out for a few drinks, or to go fishing, or to chase women, or all three. That would be more interesting, from a television standpoint, than just three or four hours of his writing.
In my own case, it would take a lot to keep the television crew from going to sleep, not to mention the audience, if any audience was left after about two minutes of broadcasting.
Perhaps a writer would give me a script, thusly:
(Editor stands up. Paces the floor, scratches head. He goes and gets himself a cup of coffee. He sits and stares at the computer screen. He pops a few sunflower seeds into his mouth. Fade to commercial).
You can see how those reality TV writers get overtime.
