by CASSIE LaRUE jaxvillain@yahoo.com
My secret obsession is out. Just like when people go on vacation and read trashy novels, reality television is wrong, deceptive, and a waste of good time. And I am oh-so-guilty. I love to hate it. I often tell myself to go and read a book, but I can’t turn off those reality shows. VH-1 is the reality programming leader in my book, TLC is close behind, and, of course, the first to start the trend is still in the running with “great” new reality shows: MTV.
Try to imagine something as honky as American Idol mixed with strange challenges performed by white kids trying to be “street.” This is the competition to be the next white rapper. The premise is that the white rappers (I guess that is what they are called) live together in the Bronx in a house called the White House (get it) and the host is MC Serch of 3rd Bass. They are competing with challenges each week to win $100,000 in cold cash and, as described on the VH-1 website, a “whole nation of devoted fans.”
This show is rather new and interesting. It shows children that have been accused of a crime, arrested, and put in state custody. This new reality program is a more serious show with a real social agenda. This program follows several kids through the juvenile court system as they fight to recover from the small mistakes that could dramatically alter the course of their lives. It is filmed in Indiana’s Juvenile Detention Center and all the children are first-time offenders. The show appears to have something to it by educating young adults about consequences. This show is not funny, it is dramatic, but still here we are, watching other people endure the horror of their own lives. The difference here being that they didn’t volunteer to be in the horror to be on television, so the reality aspect of this show is more genuine.
I often try to imagine working on the set of a show like this and dealing with these people everyday. We watch like voyeurs, but really there is a camera crew shooting their every move, so our observation is far from secret. This curiosity drove me to call Jon Shepard, the Production Manager of The Next (White) Rapper and the MTV show Juvies and, until recently, a Jacksonville local, to learn more about the life behind the camera on these shows.
EU: What did you think of the idea of White Rapper when you where first asked to work on the project?
JS: i laughed and thought it may be an interesting project - as it progressed it felt like a four-week music video project - very chaotic and constantly changing.
EU: Where did you stay during the filming?
JS: in a car or fifteen passenger van. I slept in the control room of the "house" one night, until my snoring bothered the P.A., who was logging the action on the monitors. Then I rented a room in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
EU: Were the contestants filmed 24 hours a day?
JS: Yes.
EU: Who is Ego Trip?
JS: Ego Trip personnel can better answer that, but in simple terms, they are an eclectic group of writers deeply immersed in the hip-hop culture and its fringe. They have a number of published works and developed this project for VH-1.
EU: Who supplies 100-Proof and everyone's booze?
JS: The booze fairy.
EU: Was MC Serch respected by the other musicians? (Grandmaster Flash, Etc)
JS: Serch is a presence and a very respectable guy. My observation was that everyone respected him accordingly.
EU: Did you like or dislike any particular contestants?
JS: My job greatly limits my contact with, or even observation of, the contestants in a manner that leaves little time for me to develop an opinion. The laughs were plenty when I did stop to watch, but no one stood out to me.
EU: Did you think any of the contestants had talent?
JS: Talent is an acquired taste sometimes.
EU: Did you know how the show would look before it aired or did it change a lot in the editing room?
JS: Everything changes in the cutting room...no exception here.
EU: I really like Persia, but why did she wave her dildo in John Brown's face?
JS: Hard to say (no pun intended). There was a lot of what might have been interpreted as sexual tension from time to time and no shortage of drama - contrived for the camera or business as usual for some individuals - it all gets sort of blurry in that compressed environment. The crew constantly shoots silent looks of "what the?!" off camera. That incident came out of nowhere.
EU: Let's talk about Juvies. Is it true that MTV would put the children in more dangerous situations if the kids did not want to be in the show?
JS: This is not true. There is a lawsuit against the originator of that "message" and that is all I can legally say, as a witness in the case.
EU: Were the kids generally good or really bad?
JS: Most of the kids are good kids at heart, particularly the kids featured in the show. Being a documentary, the producers do a good job of letting the viewer answer that question themselves. A question you might consider is "Are the parents of the kids generally good or really bad?" I think the ratios are remarkably similar.
EU: What did producers hope to accomplish through this show?
JS: The major theme of the stories we focused on was 'small decisions lead to major consequences.' I've said before that this is probably the most responsible "reality" show to ever air on MTV. I genuinely hope the message gets through and it's not just seen as 'Cops' for kids.
EU: Out of both shows, which one are you more proud of?
JS: Definitely Juvies.
EU: Do the children get the rehab or help that they may need?
JS: We shot this in Crown Point, Indiana, and I can say that the system (Children and Family Services) there is one of the best executed and run in the country. The programs are not only available, but the judges and case workers are deeply committed to making every effort to see that each case is afforded all available resources. The judge featured in Juvies is herself the parent of a child she adopted who came through her court system. I was just in Indianapolis three weeks ago and met with Judge Jim Payne, who heads Children's Services for the state of Indiana. My opinion of the so-called system was encouraged - even inspired - by people like Judge Payne and Judge Bonaventura (the judges in Juvies). But every state is different and I think Indiana sets a standard that all others should aspire to. Florida could take a lesson. I expect to be producing a piece for another network in early spring that focuses on the case workers and the processes within the system. I think your question will be answered more fully in that installment.
As my three-minute friend, Red Skelton, said to me at a Baskin Robbins in Peachtree Plaza Mall: "Thanks for asking."
EU: Thanks for answering.
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