Hurry up and wait

So I greet you this week with exciting news in the world of television, not only do I read in Variety that the movie Heathers is to be remade into a TV series, which hopefully will keep its dark edge rather have a 90210 style make over complete with bad acting, high gloss no substance characters and appalling storylines.

I also read that following the murder–suicide of a contestant on two of their reality shows - can anyone say psychological evaluation? – VH1 are finally looking to change their current slate of programming, which lets face it can all be traced back directly from Surreal Life*.

This is fantastic news for the likes of the indies who make actually interesting shows, although this may not be so great for Pepa or TLC’s Chili who were both set to ‘look for love’ in the fall season.

Yes that’s right folks I’m back in the states, back to the cut throat market, getting a show commissioned and back to complaining about the lack of decent documentaries in this country when secretly I spent my entire time in the UK watching re-runs of Friends. (And MOTD of course!)

On the production management side, commissioning editors are still on vacation this week, which holds up production. All projects I’ve been contacted about so far are ‘waiting for approval’ - code for someone forgot to sign on the dotted line before jetting off to the Amalfi coast.

So while waiting for the industry’s September jump start I’m budgeting an indie feature and making one last ditch effort to get our docu soap commissioned. I’ve connected my man on the inside with my man who can make it happen and I hope something will come of it. My Man Who Can, a seasoned development producer told me he applauded me for taking a stab at developing a series and that I was ‘entering the arena’. I think it was meant to be a compliment but to me it isn’t.

To me the arena is full of dirty play; it’s like a WWF fight that’s rigged from the start, carefully choreographed and nobody really wins except the promoter.

In the real production world I have had a very interesting offer from a production company who are very excited about me and look set to make an offer. The only downside being that I’m hearing some not so great rumors about the head of the company being terrible to work for. No doubt next week’s blog will be about money or integrity, can you really have one without the other?

 

*Surreal Life spawned Flavor of Love, which spawned both Rock of Love and I Love New York, which in turn spawned Daisy of Love, Charm School, I Love Money, For the Love of Ray J, Real Chance of Love…the list goes on!

 

There’s No Place Like Home

There really is no place like home and I’m back in London this week. I’m quite sad to report that where I remember the UK as being innovative, interesting and unusual in programming, for the most part, I’ve been extremely disappointed. So many people I hear of are heading Stateside in pursuit of better opportunities and bigger budgets. Good luck to them I say, they’ll need it!

 

It’s extremely common to hear of production companies sending out exploratory producers to investigate the US production landscape, but more and more I’m hearing of Coordinator, Researchers, Production Managers and even Runners (or Production Assistants as you may know them) heading off to try to ‘get some work over in New York’. Most have no visa to speak of.

 

Now far be it for me, a Brit living (and sometimes working) in the States, to suggest that anyone shouldn’t try their luck. But I really feel the need to give a reality check to those considering it.

 

To begin with, working in the states is a completely different barrel of fish in terms of work ethos. Where in the UK people are often arguing over whether they get holiday pay within their weekly rate or in addition to it, you guys are probably wondering what holiday pay even is.* While the UK is currently the Wal-mart of television formats, with extremely familiar shows popping up all over the cable network (Make my Day, Secret Millionaire, Set for Life), it’s really the development producers and executives that are making the most successful transition.

 

I do know a number of British TV people who came out to New York and are reasonably successful (read: currently employed). However 90% of these workers have been brought over by a UK company or like myself, have dual citizenship. Trying to convince a US company that are already flooded with applications from extremely well qualified candidates who have worked on show that the hiring team have heard of to not only take on, but pay for the privilege of hiring someone else is pretty tough in the best of time. In this economy it is damn near impossible.

 

And the truth is that this is a shame. In my short time working in the states I have worked for both UK & US companies and while budgets may be slightly better on some of the larger channels for everyone else it’s pretty much the same. And there’s also the question of the quality that is or should, be another issue. It’s one thing to make a slightly silly progam in the UK about people who live outside of their means, it’s another altogether when it’s dumbed down for the US market. And dumb shows down they do.

 

Commissioning editors do not see intelligence in their audiences, they want to reach as broad an audience as possible within a particular age range so they can sell make up, or a DVD or magazine or anti ageing cream or car or phone or ring tone. And market research has told someone in a comparable department that in order to sell these advertising slots they shows in those time slots need to appeal to females age 16 – 24 or tweens or a gay audience with disposable income or the DINKS (double income no kids).

 

Which is really a massive shame because audiences miss out. I was lucky enough to catch a show the other night on the most wonderful channel in the UK, BBC4. It was entitled Made in Manchester and showed performances from musicians who had come out of Manchester, England. There were no ad breaks so no advertiser dictating content, which allowed viewers to see old performances from The Stone Roses, Charlatans, The Smiths, Simply Red, The Hollies, Freddie & The Dreamers and so many more. I’m sure shows like that exist on US television but they’re tucked away on niche channels predicated on the notion that if you can bunch all of a certain type of show together you can pummel the viewer with advertising just for them. Because BBC4 is paid for by the TV license it can be innovative, interesting and made for pure entertainment. When was the last time you saw something like that on US television?

 

Now before I hear cries of get back to England then if it’s so darn great. There are some wonderful things about US TV and the US that I’d miss dreadfully if I left. It just seems such a shame that in a country with so much innovation, we’re not able to churn out anything but the status quo.

 

* In the UK all workers whether short or long term, temporary or contract are entitled to paid vacation. As productions leave no room for leave during production, this often takes the form for television production crew of holiday pay. You accrue something along the lines of 1 day per two weeks worked so you’d need to work ten weeks to get a weeks paid vacation. Some companies deduct any holiday pay from the weekly rate, which is not strictly legal, while most factor the holiday pay into their budget and the worker is paid at the end of the contract for any unpaid leave.