MovieChat Forums > Town of the Living Dead (2014) Discussion > SyFy treats this as a throwaway reality ...

SyFy treats this as a throwaway reality show

posted 9 years ago by jriddle73
3 replies | jump to latest

As a throwaway "reality" show, it can be amusing, but it could (and in better hands, would) be much better. The half-hour format is a mistake--it needs more time to breath. Entirely ignored is the human story. Who are these people? What is their background? Their influences? What led them to try to make this movie? The director and producer seem to be pretty close--what's the story there? For that matter, the background of the film is pretty much ignored as well--it's been in production for six years, yet we jump right into where they're shooting at present and get almost no information about the six preceding years. That's a rather substantial story--substantial enough that it's what makes these events interesting enough to turn it into a series in the first place--and it's just ignored.

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[–] ajmal-m 9 years ago

its on SyFy. what do you expect?

[–] Kelly-130 9 years ago

Quite simply, they have been working at this for 6 years and have no money.
The money they get from SyFy has been enough to get it finished.
Other than that does anyone really care about these people's backgrounds and motivations?

[–] thetheeyecreature 9 years ago

Well, yes, Kelly. Anybody who's interested in the world of movie-making will be interested in how these people got to this point, both personally and professionally. What does "production" mean it's been going on for six years and you're still filming? How do you get things done without the resources of a Hollywood production? What drives somebody to go through this?

I'll check out the show, but I'd rather see it covered as a proper documentary (like the excellent "American Movie"). "Reality television" is an abomination; it's basically semi-fiction without the advantage of a professional script.

ETA: Okay, I watched ten minutes and couldn't take it any more. The show has all the "reality tv" problems: Editing for ADHD children; horrible, relentless, "quirky" music that keeps trying to tell you what you're supposed to be feeling from second to second; and worst of all, moments of dialogue and manufactured conflict that are clearly (poorly) staged.

Shows like this are officially "unscripted". What that means in practice is that there is made-up dialogue, but rather than being written by a WGA member, it's made up on the spot by a producer. That's why it's terrible.

The subject is really interesting; I'd love to see a real documentary about these small-town people and their cinematic dreams. Something made for adults. This is *beep*

"The truth 24 times a second."