Comments on: Faking It http://soreeyes.org/archive/2002/12/30/faking-it/ Thu, 4 Dec 2008 22:09:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: John http://soreeyes.org/archive/2002/12/30/faking-it/#comment-22691 John Sat, 04 Jan 2003 14:27:49 +0000 http://soreeyes.org/archive/2002/12/30/faking-it/#comment-22691 I think the problem is that throwing someone into a situation that's too far beyond their experience would result in fairly poor TV, because a lot of them would either give up and never get as far as completing the challenge, or else be so utterly defeated that their attempt to get past the judges was a farce. One element in the series' success is that usually the mentors hover somewhere between confidence that the trainee can pull it off if they'll just work at it and despair that they've got a hopeless case, or one for whom everything will have to go just right. If they were in despair throughout because their trainee was obviously unsuited to the task at hand the formula wouldn't work as well. If the conductor in the last episode had just walked out in front of the orchestra in his punk rock gear and reduced the orchestra to a shambles by not so much as keeping time, or if the games tester turned racing driver had always either stalled the car at the start or gone off at the first corner, we wouldn't have had much of a show. I think the problem is that throwing someone into a situation that’s too far beyond their experience would result in fairly poor TV, because a lot of them would either give up and never get as far as completing the challenge, or else be so utterly defeated that their attempt to get past the judges was a farce. One element in the series’ success is that usually the mentors hover somewhere between confidence that the trainee can pull it off if they’ll just work at it and despair that they’ve got a hopeless case, or one for whom everything will have to go just right. If they were in despair throughout because their trainee was obviously unsuited to the task at hand the formula wouldn’t work as well.

If the conductor in the last episode had just walked out in front of the orchestra in his punk rock gear and reduced the orchestra to a shambles by not so much as keeping time, or if the games tester turned racing driver had always either stalled the car at the start or gone off at the first corner, we wouldn’t have had much of a show.

]]> By: Martin http://soreeyes.org/archive/2002/12/30/faking-it/#comment-22690 Martin Fri, 03 Jan 2003 15:14:39 +0000 http://soreeyes.org/archive/2002/12/30/faking-it/#comment-22690 I've been watching this series since early on, and whilst I was impressed with the first couple of programmes, I quickly caught on to the scam. The ones I've seen were things like a cellist becoming a house DJ, a vicar becoming a car salesman, a country gent becoming a club bouncer or a emergency call-centre controller becoming a television producer. In most cases, the programme's producers seem to have chosen people who are likely to be able to adapt to the new situation they find themselves in; the emergency call centre controller learning how to control a television gallery production, a cellist learning how to mix records. I'd like to see people being thrown into situations that are totally alien to them; a binman becoming a brain surgeon, a baker learning how to defuse landmines, a school teacher finding out what hard work is like. etc. etc. I’ve been watching this series since early on, and whilst I was impressed with the first couple of programmes, I quickly caught on to the scam.

The ones I’ve seen were things like a cellist becoming a house DJ, a vicar becoming a car salesman, a country gent becoming a club bouncer or a emergency call-centre controller becoming a television producer.

In most cases, the programme’s producers seem to have chosen people who are likely to be able to adapt to the new situation they find themselves in; the emergency call centre controller learning how to control a television gallery production, a cellist learning how to mix records.

I’d like to see people being thrown into situations that are totally alien to them; a binman becoming a brain surgeon, a baker learning how to defuse landmines, a school teacher finding out what hard work is like. etc. etc.

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