Given on 16/01/22, finished in 25/01/22. This was the — live brief we had, set by Full Fat TV, a reality TV show producer with a very wide array of shows.
We were given the task of pitching a reality tv show concept, glossy and compelling. We had a lot of creative freedom of what our idea could be. We had to deliver a presentation to the client and a 1 minute video outlining our proposal.
I was put in a group with Rosie, non of us are consumers of reality TV, or any TV in general. We quickly realised that for something of that sort to interst us, it had to be as ridiculous as possible. An idea so stupid that you can’t not click on it. Obviously it would be mainly based on comedy with an absurdist tinge. We were also aware that sex sells, and that when someone clicks on a reality TV show, they usually expect some romantic element to it.
Coming out with ideas was very simple, we were especially interested on how opposing ‘types of people’ would interact. Things like a dating show with punks and cops etc. While on that process of naming random category combinations, each one more stupid than the last one, we said “What about Gamers and Gym Lads?” They are both groups of men with diametrically opposed characteristics: Gym Lads are more extroverted, Gamers are introverted, Gym Lads are perceived as more attractive while Gamers are seen as more intelligent. And both groups are famous for a lot of internalized ‘toxic masculinity’.
We were thinking how to take the idea further, and most importantly, how to add a romantic element. Maybe they could be mixed groups of men and women? Maybe… they are all gay! There is a severe underrepresentation of the LGBTQ+ community in reality TV, and when there is, it’s usually seen as a gimmick. We though it would be interesting to do a full show focused on gay men with diamettrically opposed lifestyles, hobbies and attitudes, and the likelyhood of romantic interests forming is very high. Also, in the public consciousness, both Gamers and Gym Lads are seen as straight, usually with a very hypermasculine outlook. The stereotype is clear and could make the show predictible. However, if the men in question are Gay, not only subverts the public’s expectation but it gives for more unpredictable interactions.
Just to clarify, when talking about these ‘categories’, we’re fully aware that people don’t usually fit fully into these; but that diversity only makes it all the more entertaining.
These are our presentation slides, where we explain what the show is.
Talking about division of work, I made the logo, title sequence and background music (which I produced on the worst software possible, BeepBox). Rosie took care of the rest of the video, along with the copy and editing. We wanted it to play into the videogame aesthetic, with epic music, shiny graphics and a very ironic feel. This was the result:
When presenting to the client, we got very good feedback, the only criticism we got was to show more stats. The teachers really enjoyed and students loved it as well.
Overall, we had a lot of fun making this project, the feedback was fantastic and I was surprisingly happy with the outcome.
Thanks for reading.
NAMENOTFOUND// 