Americas Next Top Model TV Program - Case Study Example

A Reality Show) Briefing Book America’s Next Top Model Introduction Reality shows are here to stay. The more creative and the more the human element touching the emotion and intellect, the better. Although it is quite difficult to trace the real origin of reality programs for creativity never ran out of original ideas since the advent of television as a commercial medium, Cavender and Fishman (1998) observed it was the late 1980s that reality programs sprouted on television through “Geraldo”, “Unsolved Mysteries”, “America’s Most Wanted”, “Hard Copy” or “Rescue 911” which were mentioned in the book. Reality Show Defined As Cavender and Fishman (1998) noted, one common feature of Reality Shows or Programs are the claim of presenting reality or a “hybrid form of programming: they resemble (some) aspects of the news” but at the same time, entertaining while Betts (2004) considered it “to be a mix between soap opera and docudrama: a theatrical environment in which life appears to be nasty, brutish and short,” (Betts, 2004). Description actually evolves as new forms of reality shows emerged. The list could be endless as more and more “audition” types and freak-games sprout. Betts went as far as laying out the basic rules for reality programs as “either elimination of contestants in a high-handed or low-minded procedure, or revelation by a spontaneous uncovering of their flaws, conceits or pettiness,” (Betts, 2004) with un underlying message that these kind of shows could be of little, or no relevance to people and persons involved except for some rewards for the winners. The Production Process Starting out with a gem or a germ of an idea is the first crucial stage of every television or even movie and other performing arts production. How is this going to be done, who, when, how, why. The same thing can be said for “America’s Next Top Model.” First it was just a flash in the mind. Then, the idea jumped out to a drawing board, until it starts taking a skeleton of a shape, then, it has taken form and meat. Jumping off from the success of “American Idol”, the fashion world takes a reality program for its own, run by its supposedly creator Tyra Banks”, a supermodel herself. The next step after a germ culminated as an idea is to find out the costs in producing the show. Costing: There are two categories for production cost as the cyber college (2005) pointed out: above the line that pertains to performances and production elements like talent fee, script, music, office services, marketing and promotions. Below-the-line include the physical elements like stage, studio, sets, props, wardrobe, graphics, transportation, production equipment, studio facilities, editing, and the technical personnel that includes the stage manager, engineering personnel, video recording operators, audio operators, and general labor. The specifics now follow: 1. Pre-production costs that include putting up the idea into one solid material of project proposal that includes the script, technical descriptions and production abstract. The process of getting financers and technical backers. Estimate*: $ 800,000.00 2. Location scouting and related travel expenses refers to finding out the best possible area for main production site, in America’s Next Top Model case, in a luxurious Los Angeles mansion where the young women contestants may have their own room and move freely, at the same time accommodating the technical staff or crew. Expenses for travel during the rounding off of places and spots are included in here until the final touches and detailing. Estimate*: $ 500,000.00 3. Studio rental includes the budget for venue for the professional appearances where catwalk performances as well as general modeling audition will take place. Estimate*: $ 50,000.00 4. Sets and set construction is the beautification concept where the production design will be applied. This includes the process of making the studio appear like a Victoria’s Secret runway, the stage, the judges’ table and a background that will evoke the ramp style. Estimate*: $ 45,000.00 5. On-location site expenses include the hour-per-hour and day-to-day expenses in the mansion used for the location shoot, like daily living maintenance costs for the contestants and crew that includes laundry, food, hygiene, drinks, among other petty-cash expenses. Estimate*: $ 38,000.00 6. Equipment rental includes the rental for generator and the lightings, sound and video equipment back-ups and systems for the general machinations needed for the production. Estimate*: $ 250,000.00 7. Videotape and videotape duplication Estimate*: $ 100,000.00 8. Production crew costs include all the technical fees and expenses for the sound and light technician staff, camera or video crew, and the whole engineering and technical crew. Estimate*: $ 850,000.00 9. Producer, director, writer, creative fees that takes a huge chunk of the budget as payment for the minds, hands and faces for the show that refer to Tyra Banks and co-producer, writer/s, and director/s. Estimate*: $ 8,000,000.00 10. On-camera talent costs is for guests and hosts Estimate*: $ 2,000,000.00 11. Insurance, shooting permits, contingencies are expenses for all necessary security and legalities for the production that also include fire, business and other permissions from government offices. Estimate*: $ 90,000.00 12. On-line and off-line editing is the final touches of making the whole videotaped thing as it should appear on television screen where raw cuts are removed, retaining the best shots that the producers and directors want to show. Estimate*: $ 300,000.00 13. Advertising, promotion and publicity is done prior to rolling out a film and lighting the studio. It gets attention of investors or financial backers as well as advertisers to fund the show in the form of news, hyped and real, that comes out in print, radio, television and the internet. Others include advertisements, announcements in radio and television as well as the internet, posters and the whole shebang. Estimate*: $ 800,000.00 14. Research and follow-up is behind-the-scene continuity of the show where researchers, writers, and producers meet and decide what to do next, who to feature, where to get, as well as how to get the next participants and the advertisers or production outfits that will market and buy the show that have much to do with the funding process. Estimate*: $ 500,000.00 15. Materials, supplies and miscellaneous expenses include office and communication details as well as daily processing expenses. Estimate*: $ 350,000.00 There are various methods and strategies employed in shows like this to keep up with economic trends like down-sizing which also mean trim-costing. America’s Next Top Model used convergence by having a producer as the host and judge rolled into one in the person of Tyra Banks, so that fee is trimmed down, instead of paying for three persons, there is only one major fee for Banks. The Show Pros Marketing America’s Next Top Model is created by Tyra Banks. It means that it was her germ of an idea, put into life by the creative team behind it --- writers, directors and all the people that staff behind the scene productions. It is under the giant CW (CBS & Warner bros. merger) network, so there is a steady corporate backing for ANTM. Banks and Ken Mok serve as executive producers of the show, meaning, they bankrolled the show, get a marketing team to sell it, and they sold it big bucks to CBS and Warner. The producers and the talents behind will also gain royalty fees for advertisements and rights that could be sold by CBS and Warner to interested worldwide network buyers. Packaging News Releases and Video Footages for release to major media networks include photos and footages, details, among other highlights. In packaging a show, all positive details that include the popularity of the host Tyra Banks, as well as the “personality” of the judges which may mean a competition to the demeaning attitudes of the judges in “American Idol”, today’s standard audition-reality-tv. It will also highlight the potential of the show among its target participants and audience as if people are really interested about modeling and the “cruelty” that abounds in it. The target audience have a large impact on the packaging of the show because this will gauge rating and advertising possibilities. The show news releases claim America’s next Top Model chronicles the transformation of everyday young women into potentially fierce supermodels. The first run fourteen participants that lived together and vie for the grand prizes as cameras each moment catch images of the participants in their weekly tests that eliminates the loser. It highlights the mentoring job of Tyra Banks, as well as the exposure to the industry gurus and highly accelerated modeling boot camp, and a crash course. The contestants will demonstrate both inner and outer beauty as they train the complicated catwalk, work-out the model way, and photo shoot with professionals. The publicity does not hurt either. America’s Next Top Model potential is global considering fashion as one global pop culture in the late 1990s. The popularity of the likes of Cindy Crawford, Paulina Poriskova and the gigantic Heidis and Kates has its own followers, which account for the marketability of the show. Fashion, after all, never ran out of stuffs new. Advertisers and supporters also is not an issue for reality programs like America’s Next Top Model as Ford Models, CoverGirl, and Elle pitched in their support called exchange deals. They do not lay-out huge cash but instead, give in the form of their services, for Ford, instant modeling career management, for Elle, a widespread feature, and for CoverGirl, a $100,000 worth of modeling contract. In return, the companies get the exposure they want through the show. This is also called media mileage. Other sponsors may come in as the show progresses that more or less include fashion brands like Prada, Calvin Klein or Tommy Hilfiger, Guess, Swarovsky, Sketchers, among other popular brands lined under fashion and trends. Other incomes roll in in the form of advertisements, and rights for airing in other television networks, globally. The catch is always “globalization.” There is a huge chunk of the market in India, Hong Kong, the Latin America, China, and even in Russia willing to buy the right to air these “globally” feasible shows. The Cons Considering that female modeling is a cut above the ordinary, there really is not much potential for “ordinary everyday girl/young woman” at high-profile modeling. Trend will always be dictated by pop culture so that what maybe “in” now is a passé by-and-by. The trend in female modeling at the moment is anorexic-looking girls like as Kate Moss – females that resemble uncooked spaghetti --- as Courier Journal columnist Tom Dorsey put it. As can be viewed, ANTM contestants are real, true-to-life dorky-looking girls, ordinary in a way that no talent scout were able to prowl upon them before, to put it honestly. The thing that the show proved is, with the right amount of money to buy cosmetics that costs way above the regular woman’s salary for the day, and outfits and the professional make-up people and professional fashion guide one can afford, ordinary-looking women and girls get to look like real supermodels. It means that with Tyra Banks and the rest of professional judges pitching in their true-blue professional tips, one can get to look like a real supermodel. Doyle could not have written it better: walking runways in the airport headed home, tidbits of fame to be shared to town mates, or kids and grandkids in the future. It will do the contestants good to flag in their resume that they made it to the finalist of America’s Next Top Model. This may land them a job, or contracts. The experience is also priceless for those who can see the business side of what they just went through. The potentials have opened up for them that modeling is not the only thing for them in this world. Ratings America’s Next Top Model, now on its third return or sixth edition, is UPN’s (the network under CW --CBS and Warner) highest rated show. It only means that with the right network, publicity, face and creative, even ordinary faces can be sold to a worldwide audience. It also means that more mediocre reality television programs will be rammed down the throats of viewers worldwide. Conclusion As of the latest run, America’s next Top Model may return for the last time. The faces and bodies of the finalists were nothing but ordinary faces and bodies that cosmetics and clothes made up to look like supermodels. Sooner or later, contestants will find out as the past winners were already experiencing. A name or two may be able to make it but not as big as Tyra Banks. Before the casting crew could make it to the next destination, scouts already prowled the town, thereby leaving behind second choices that will remain as contestant material for shows like The Next Top American Model. Recommendation If the show and the modeling world will only focus on “height” as the main ingredient to super modeling, Hilton Paris, and Britney Spears, as well as the Jennifers of this world will phase this modeling popularity out. Fashion designers no longer focus on height as they successfully experiment with dressing up other more popular stars or celebrities like Paris, Britney and Jennifer. There is always another side of a coin. Considering the ratio of petite or regularly built girls and women around the world with lanky spaghetti-like types, the ratio of petite and regular height females is way much higher. It also means that there is not much tall women around to dress and fashion like Tyra and Heidi and the spaghetti poles. So, focus must be towards a “reality” globalization concept. The market clamour for that which they can relate to. They will buy the clothes that will look perfect on their height, and their built, and they will watch the show which they can participate to. It’s all relations, and reality shows were supposed to be based on it: facts. Reference: Bettes, Raymond F. A History of Popular Culture: More of everything Faster and Brighter. Routledge, 2004. Cavender, Gray and Marck Fishman. Entertaining Crime: Television Reality Programs. Aldine de Gruyter. 1998 Dorsey, Tom. “America’s Next Top Model catches up with the girls.” Courier Journal, March 1, 2006. Farley, Janna. “Is Brookings native Kari Schmidt Americas Next Top Model?” Link, March 2, 2006. NOTE: All cost estimates are just estimate and you may put your own as you wish. Read More