Newswise — Ready to make fun of television's overzealous offering of reality TV shows like "Survivor," "Trading Spaces" and "Blind Date" ?
Ball State University's "Reality TV Bytes" will do just that during its limited-access, live broadcast at 8 p.m. April 13, which will air via campus cable television and through 35 Internet slots. The multifaceted project will involve students, professors and artists and will consist of three major elements, said Jennifer Blackmer, assistant professor of theater and artistic coordinator.
First, a film will be created consisting of three acts with interchangeable scenes and starring 15 student actors who will parody the popular TV genre. The students, who have been schooled in improvisational comedy, will not use any scripts and will collect their footage on campus March 7-12. Their antics will be captured via techniques indicative of reality shows, such as handheld shots, close-up confessionals and unedited segments.
Second, the live portion of the event will consist of a talk show, which will be staged at Strother Theatre. The actors will act as moderators, reviewing each act and guiding the direction of the film through audience participation.
"The live broadcast will provide a unifying storyline to the film's three acts," Blackmer said. "We'll alternate between watching the film and coming back to the talk show. It's truly a new form of filmmaking and many research opportunities should come from this."
Third, a Web site (http://www.bsu.edu/realityTVbytes) is being built by students and will go online March 29. To help promote the broadcast, the site will have trailers for the film featuring its major characters. By clicking on interactive games, audition tapes, biographies and other materials, visitors can begin collecting background that could help choose their favorite characters.
Through a link from the Web site, a limited number of Internet users will be able to view the live broadcast and submit questions to the actors, listen to their live responses, vote on their favorite characters and select which alternate ending will be aired. The Web site can be accessed from computer labs on campus and 35 individual portals that will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
After the broadcast, Internet users can visit the site to view all of the alternate endings and outtakes.
"If theater and film are to survive in the next century, they must learn to incorporate and use new technologies in both production and interactivity," Blackmer said.
Some of the Ball State personnel working on the project are:"¢ Rodger Smith, associate director of the Center for Media Design, will act as the executive producer."¢ Dan Lutz, associate director in Ball State's Teleplex, will coordinate the interactive Web portion of the broadcast."¢ Rob Fultz, producer/director in Ball State's Teleplex, will serve as the director of photography and producer of the film."¢ Larry Dailey, assistant professor of journalism, will direct his class as it designs the Web site."¢ Rich Swingley, digital audio instructor, will direct his class as it shoots and edits footage for the Web site."¢ John Dailey, assistant professor of multimedia, will supervise his class as it coordinates the Web site portal.
"Nearly 75 students, six faculty members, 14 staff members and at least four classes in theater, telecommunications and the iCommunications initiative are participating in this project," Blackmer said. "The level of collaboration is unprecedented."
(Note to Editors: For more stories, check out the Ball State University News Center at http://www.bsu.edu/news.)
About Ball State University and the Center for Media DesignBall State University, located in Muncie, Ind., is the third-largest public university in Indiana, with more than 18,300 students. Originally a private teacher training school when it opened in 1899, Ball State became a university in 1965. The 1,035-acre residential campus in Delaware County is an hour's drive north of Indianapolis.
The Center for Media Design is an R&D facility focused on the creation, testing and practical application of digital technologies for business, classroom, home and community. The center is part of Ball State's iCommunication initiative, funded by a $20 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.
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