Official Website of Christopher Showerman

Monday, May 22, 2006

Show Idea

OK, gang. I need your opinions to help me put together a show concept.

When you watch TV, would you rather watch a scripted show, a reality show, or a documentary?

What do you like/dislike about documentaries?

What network or station do you turn to for educational shows?

Of the many documentary types, would you rather watch:
Unsolved mysteries
Mechanical or Do-It-Yourself
Adventure
Other?
...and why?

What do you think would make a documentary more fun and exciting and feel less like school and more like entertainment?

Please feel free to elaborate!!

Thanks so much for your thoughts!! Please get your friends and family involved if possible so we can get as many perspectives as possible on this topic!

All Things Possible!
Chris

17 Comments:

At 6:39 PM, May 22, 2006 , Anonymous said...

When you watch TV, would you rather watch a scripted show, a reality show, or a documentary?

DOCUMENTARY

What do you like/dislike about documentaries?

LOVE NEW INFO ABOUT SUBJECTS
LOVE SEEING NEW THINGS / TRAVEL

What network or station do you turn to for educational shows?

DISCOVERY
PBS
TRAVEL CHANNEL

Of the many documentary types, would you rather watch:
Unsolved mysteries
Mechanical or Do-It-Yourself
Adventure
Other?
...and why?

ADVENTURE & TRAVEL BECAUSE ITS FUN TO WATCH SOMETHING THAT IS ENTERTAINING AND A FORM OF ESCAPISM

What do you think would make a documentary more fun and exciting and feel less like school and more like entertainment?

INVOLVING OTHERS IN THE SHOW
THE HOST BEING VERY FRIENDLY AND APPROACHABLE - LIKE YOUR BEST FRIEND
At 3:51 AM, May 23, 2006 , Anonymous said...

When you watch TV, would you rather watch a scripted show, a reality show, or a documentary?

Scripted is my favorite as you might guess, since I'm partial to acting. However, since you seem to leaning towards documentaries we can focus on that. As for reality, it's getting old. Too many shows about petty people judging and bickering - I can get that just by walking outside or going to work :)

What do you like/dislike about documentaries?

I like great cinematography. I like to be soaring over Aztec ruins or cruising underwater following a shark. I especially good CG that can show me what something USED to look like. We're optical animals, so the more enjoyable the visuals, the more I pay attention.

What network or station do you turn to for educational shows?

Discovery, National Geographic, etc.

Of the many documentary types, would you rather watch:
Unsolved mysteries
Mechanical or Do-It-Yourself
Adventure
Other?
...and why?

Travel/historical travel, because I like the feeling of going back in time. I also like shows about the universe because it shows me a beyond that I may never see, but is real.

What do you think would make a documentary more fun and exciting and feel less like school and more like entertainment?

Perhaps a combination documentary/fiction. For example a documentary about our solar system, but with actors playing space explorers and CG showing the ship travelling to each planet. Give the people a mission, plot of some sort, but also teach as you go. Oh, and find a good actor to play the captain...someone from Europe, Amsterdam maybe...

Good luck big guy!
Matt in Holland
At 3:51 AM, May 23, 2006 , Anonymous said...

When you watch TV, would you rather watch a scripted show, a reality show, or a documentary?
Hate reality shows mostly -not sure why. Scripted shows yes, documantaries big yes.

What do you like/dislike about documentaries?
the educational character, the info. I dislike annoying hosts or commentary, or info that is brought on to 'dry'..as in boring.

What network or station do you turn to for educational shows?
National Geographic, Discovery. Travel Channel.

Of the many documentary types, would you rather watch:
Unsolved mysteries
Mechanical or Do-It-Yourself
Adventure
Other?
...and why?
Mysteries are cool if they are brought well. Adventure yes, travel, history too.
I take an interest in foreign countries, cultures, myths and legends.

What do you think would make a documentary more fun and exciting and feel less like school and more like entertainment?
A good host/narrator. Interesting development of the story. Not too much dry info but explanations in humorous, interesting ways. I like the concepts of shows like Mythbusters and Braniac.

Be Inspired! Good luck with this Chris and keep us posted.
At 6:17 AM, May 23, 2006 , Anonymous said...

Normally I prefer unscripted shows to scripted ones because the writing is usually pretty bad and the situations or plots are waaaay past plausible. Exceptions are the "Law and Order"
franchise shows and the "CSI" franchise shows. And even those occasionally strain credibility to the snapping point.

I enjoy history shows (although I'm really tired of the Civil War, WWII, and Viet Nam) and "project" shows. This would include everything from cooking shows to "American Chopper". I like these shows because I'm the least mechanical person I know (I watch these guys build things the same way other folks watch me play guitar) and also because I really get a chance to watch real people do real things. (Stranded on an island doesn't seem like "reality" to me.)

I usually watch The Food Network, The Learning Channel, National Geographic, The Discovery Channel, and HGTV. I occasionally watch PBS but not as often as you might think. I have recently discovered the Military Channel and may watch it some on week-ends. ("Old soldiers never die - they just smell that
way.")
At 9:57 AM, May 23, 2006 , Anonymous said...

Documentaries are cool, so are reality shows, and everyone loves action. I'd love to check out a show that combined all three!!
At 11:44 AM, May 23, 2006 , Anonymous said...

Duude! See my email. To long to post here. ATP!
Mark
At 12:12 PM, May 23, 2006 , Anonymous said...

Hey Chris,
interesting that you would ask this now. Just this weekend I was bit annoyed by two documentaries I saw.

When you watch TV, would you rather watch a scripted show, a reality show, or a documentary?

I like scripted shows and documentaries

What do you like/dislike about documentaries?

I like when you can tell it's been well researched and when it's not taking sides. The BBC ones are usually very good and we have two great German channels (ZDF adn Phoenix) who also know how it's done well.

What I don't like is when even though they show both arguments for and against something you can detect a negative undertone
and it is implied that someone with a new idea (e.g. Gavin Menzies with his theory that a large Chinese fleet sailed around the world in 1421) is basically wrong and a fool for going public. Another turn-off are boring hosts. I like it, when you can tell
their enthusiasm and fascination across the screen.

Also, I really dislike when things are analysed to bits, like it's done with the DaVinci Code. It's actually quite funny what
reasons they come up with why it is popular, totally ignoring the obvious answer that it is a well-written intriguing story which
makes good entertainment.

What network or station do you turn to for educational shows?
Well, you wouldn't know the German ones that I mentioned before, but we also get a lot of programmes from the BBC and Discovery Channel that I like.

Of the many documentary types, would you rather watch:
Unsolved mysteries
Mechanical or Do-It-Yourself
Adventure
Other?
...and why?

History, Biographies, Mysteries, Adventures and Mechanical I think. I am interested in many things and I like finding out new things and/or looking at things from different perspectives.

What do you think would make a documentary more fun and exciting and feel less like school and more like entertainment?

About 30 years ago, when I was a kid, we had a great documentary programm that was a co-production from France and Japan called "Once upon a time - Men" that covered history from the beginning of the planet, early humans until today. It was a cartoon programm that had a narrator and a recurring cast of cartoon characters that appeared in every chapter of history that was talked about, it was like little flashback clips to key events. That was really entertaining, easy to understand and fun to watch. They later expanded that to other fields of science as well, like how your body works etc. That was very popular and successful. You could really see/feel how much the producers loved their work and I think that is the key. If the audience can tell/feel that the show is not just another format
to make money but something the producers/presenters really care about, plus good research, good writers and a creative team you can't go wrong.

Hope that helps.

All the best!

Ute
At 12:28 PM, May 23, 2006 , Anonymous said...

When you watch TV, would you rather watch a scripted show, a reality show, or a documentary?

Documentary

What do you like/dislike about documentaries?

I like the fact that they aren't scripted or reality shows.

What network or station do you turn to for educational shows?

Discovery Channel and TLC

Of the many documentary types, would you rather watch:
Unsolved mysteries
Mechanical or Do-It-Yourself
Adventure
Other?
...and why?

HGTV (home and garden tv) for the A-Z instructions on how to fix up my home.

What do you think would make a documentary more fun and exciting and feel less like school and more like entertainment?

Half naked women, or fully naked, your choice :-) Seriously, I like documentaries for their bold look at current issues and lack of editing out the harsh realities of life.
At 4:26 PM, May 23, 2006 , Anonymous said...

Q. When you watch TV, would you rather watch a scripted show, a reality show, or a documentary?

A. I prefer scripted shows but often enjoy watching documentaries. The only "reality" shows I enjoy tend to be of the "improvement" (self or home) or instructional (cooking).

Q. What do you like/dislike about documentaries?

A. If they are well done I like that most try to show all sides of a given topic. Often they present ideas or information I was not aware of.

Q. What network or station do you turn to for educational shows?

A. Varies a lot! I would say PBS, and any of the Discovery family of channels (Discovery, TLC, TravelChannel, etc)

Q. Of the many documentary types, would you rather watch:
Unsolved mysteries
Mechanical or Do-It-Yourself
Adventure
Other?
...and why?

A. Unsolved mysteries - or unexplained mysteries/phenomenoms - would be my first choice followed closely by history and then adventure. Though if all three can somehow be put together - as in a documentary about climbing Everest for example - that's the one that would get my vote.

Q. What do you think would make a documentary more fun and exciting and feel less like school and more like entertainment?

A. Not sure - I find documentaries to be enjoyable overall (if they are well done) and not much like school as it is.

Hope this information is useful. Good luck!

Dave
At 5:20 PM, May 23, 2006 , Anonymous said...

When you watch TV, would you rather watch a scripted show, a reality
show, or a documentary?

Documentary

What do you like/dislike about documentaries?

like - learning new things....dislike-if show is too slow or boring

What network or station do you turn to for educational shows?

HIstory Channel, National Geographic, PBS

Of the many documentary types, would you rather watch:

Unsolved mysteries, mechanical do-it-yourself, adventure (all of them) plus history, modern marvels, etc

What do you think would make a documentary more fun and exciting and
feel less like school and more like entertainment?

good character actors
At 10:25 PM, May 23, 2006 , Anonymous said...

When you watch TV, would you rather watch a scripted show, or a documentary?

Documentary. I generally think reality TV shows are the last thing I'd want to watch. I could see there might be possibilities for a good reality show, and I know of one idea I think would be great, if done right, but mostly I think they're overrated.

What do you like/dislike about documentaries?

I always love learning new things, so well-done documentaries that teach and take you to other places, times and cultures fascinate me. I would watch something like that over a scripted show, usually. Mostly because I don't have time to watch a regularly scheduled TV show. It would have to have an actor I liked very much, or a very intriguing storyline for me to keep watching. I always try to spend my viewing time watching something uplifting and/or informational.

What network or station do you turn to for educational shows?

I would tend to watch History Channel, National Geographic, PBS, Travel Channel, Food Network, etc. I'm always searching for ways to bring new and interesting things into my life and to study more on subjects that interest me.

Of the many documentary types, would you rather watch:

Unsolved mysteries are always fun, travel, history, biographies, current scientific and religious documentaries, too.

What do you think would make a documentary more fun and exciting and
feel less like school and more like entertainment?

I agree with JRP that good actors can make a documentary entrancing and memorable...I also agree with Chuck Mirarchi, that the host can make all the difference. And I agree with Matt from Holland about the cinematography. I recently saw a wonderful documentary that had great cinematography, great actors, and used the historical information that Jodyabc mentioned -- quoted diaries, photos, wonderful music (also important). A good documentary should leave the viewer feeling better by having seen it, and I like ones that make me want to learn even more about the subject. or go get involved in something, that spurs me to action in some way, if even to give me a new interest that I didn't have before. I also agree with Ute that a good documentary makes you sense that those making it, loved the whole process of their work. I want to be able to feel that, too, as she so nicely put it.

Wow, Chris, what a lot of great opinions are turning up about your show concept topic. Best wishes with your project! MBP
At 10:29 PM, May 23, 2006 , Anonymous said...

Of these, documentary. In general, I try not to watch to much TV, but my viewing is mostly live sports (hard to imitate that), DIY shows (HGTV, This Old House, etc), theatrical movies and (gulp, I admit it) 24. Saying this, I would be open to a cleverly premised and scripted drama show. I have thought about a few themes for shows in this genre that I would watch if somebody came out with them, even if for just a few shows out of curiosity.

General - I have a feeling there is a burn out on the current reality formats. I also think mainstream America is not sophisticated enough for documentaries. One HUGELY important thing to ask yourself is WHO IS MY TARGET? You can create a product then determine your target or find a target and create something for them, but you have to know who they are. I mention this is strictly from a business/marketing perspective since you are trying pitch (read: sell) an idea, and not intended to curtail any artistic or creative ideas. Which really means, what is America's temperature or current attitude towards TV?

What do you like/dislike about documentaries?
I like documentaries that are thoroughly thought out, researched, investigated and have a point, even if that point is to raise more questions than it answers. Conversely, I have a disdain for those that ramble, cannot or do not focus on one or a few ideas, have flimsy support, aren't educating. It seems to me, a good documentary is always under appreciated and under valued maybe because as I surmised earlier, that, overall, we aren't a sophisticated society.

What network or station do you turn to for educational shows?
PBS, HGTV for DYI shows, rarely, if at all, Discovery Channel.
That said, it depends on the merits of the program which means it has to have some advertising, publicity or some other "buzz" generated to catch my attention, especially if it isn't on PBS.

Of the many documentary types, would you rather watch:
Unsolved mysteries
NEVER

Mechanical or Do-It-Yourself
Sure, I do already.

Adventure
Rarely

Other?
I like bio's on intriguing and accomplished people, like, "A day with Mark", or something like "How Mark Made it," or something like that.

...and why?
I think (actually I know this, it is easily supported be evidentiary research) Americans, and here I loosely fit into to the target audience, are generally fascinated by royalty. Not just royalty in the British sense, but those who have achieved the "American Dream", or American Royalty, as I call it. Some want to know about their life styles and what cars they drive, for those, they have "Life Styles of the Rich and Famous" type pseudo-documentaries. Others want to know what they did to achieve success, what steps they took and these people don't even have to be famous or have familiar names. Answer the question, "what did they do that I (average Joe) can do?" and you might have something. There are plenty of entrepreneurs and other types (acting, singing, teaching, female pilots/executives/etc., and on and on) who have achieved success either through finding a new way to the top, or persistence or coming up with a new idea, to fuel years worth of documentary biographies (docu-bios).

What do you think would make a documentary more fun and exciting and feel less like school and more like entertainment?
This is a great question. Getting back to our general lack of sophistication, how do you educate someone who doesn't want to take the time, doesn't care, know how or maybe even want to be educated or worse, learn something that may challenge their beliefs? I think a good start is in my previous answer, personalization. If their is something in it for them, something they can relate to, or apply to their life, perhaps that is a way of getting and maintaining a captive audience or target. I think answering this question from your audiences perspective could be a great start, "what did they do that I (average Joe) can do?"
At 10:33 PM, May 23, 2006 , Anonymous said...

1) When you watch TV, would you rather watch a scripted show, a reality show, or a documentary?
DALE: I LOATHE REALITY SHOWS, ENJOY SENSIBLE DOCUMENTARIES, BUT PREFER FICTION AS IT IS A MORE USEFUL WAY TO EXPLORE DIFFICULT SUBJECTS.

2) What do you like/dislike about documentaries?
DOCUMENTARIES ARE SUPPOSED TO REFLECT REALITY, BUT OF COURSE THEY REFLECT THE REALITY OF THE FILM MAKER. THAT'S OKAY. IF THE SUBJECT IS OF INTEREST TO ME, THEN I'LL WATCH.

3) What network or station do you turn to for educational shows?
PBS, DISCOVERY CHANNEL, HBO

4 )Of the many documentary types, would you rather watch:
Unsolved mysteries
Mechanical or Do-It-Yourself
Adventure
Other?
...and why?
I PREFER SOCIAL ISSUES OR HISTORY. I WANT TO KNOW HOW OTHER PEOPLE SEE THE WORLD AND WHAT IT IS I CAN LEARN FROM THEM. MIND-CANDY IS OF LIMITED INTEREST TO ME, PERSONALLY. IF I WANT TO VEGGIE, I'LL EAT MY OWN PECAN PIE!

5) What do you think would make a documentary more fun and exciting and feel less like school and more like entertainment?
TEACHING IS ABOUT CREATING EXCITMENT AND SHARING IT. MY JEFFERSONS ARE MOSTLY EXCITING BECAUSE OF THE PASSION AND ENERGY I POUR INTO THEM, AUDIENCE BY AUDIENCE. DOCUMENTARIES SHOULD BE ABLE TO TEACH ME MUCH THAT I DIDN'T ALREADY KNOW BY 1) RESEARCH AND 2) PERSPECTIVE. WHY DID THIS SUBJECT INTRIGUE YOU? HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO BRING FRESH PERSPECTIVE TO IT? WHAT IS YOUR POV?
At 8:22 AM, May 24, 2006 , Anonymous said...

When I watch TV, my favorite type of shows would be documentaries. I like them for what I can learn from them and how they can take me to a world I haven't yet experienced.

Network: PBS and National Geographic

Unsolved mysteries and adventure themes are both good, but I also enjoy shows that express the beauty of nature, and especially those that contain humor and clever use of the English language.

Best wishes, Chris!
HJ
At 9:56 AM, May 24, 2006 , Anonymous said...

Hi Chris,

I prefer documentaries. I enjoy broadening my mind when I watch TV. I like visiting far off places that I may not visit in my lifetime. Learning about other cultures is fascinating. I especially like being enlightened as to how other people live rustically. It makes me appreciate my comparatively luxurious lifestyle. I am impressed with the resourcefulness of many families and communities. I also enjoy watching history driven documentaries because I know we can all learn from the past. I also love knowing how we got to where we are.

I love Discovery Channel, History Channel, and The Learning Channel. I do like watching Unsolved Mysteries and Adventure shows too. I think the unsolved mysteries are interesting puzzles and stimulate your mind. They also make you more aware of how easy it is for bad people to take advantage of the general population. Adventure shows are a fun form of education. I think an entertaining, down to earth, host makes the Adventure more gripping. You get sucked in when you believe the person you are watching is truly qualified to perform the task at hand.

I think having a popular host who interacts with the audience will make a learning show more entertaining. Having a venue where people could write in and make suggestions or ask questions would be fun for the viewers. Giving credit to the person who contacted the show would make people eager to watch to see if their letter or email was the addressed on a specific episode. Having some of those people make guest appearances would be fun too. That might add a reality TV twist.

I hope your show concept makes a huge impact on those who will review it. Blow their minds! I look forward to seeing you host a fresh, exciting, new educational show.

Big Smiles, Nisha
At 12:21 PM, May 24, 2006 , Anonymous said...

When you watch TV, would you rather watch a scripted show, a reality show, or a documentary?

I lean toward documentaries. They're likely to be more informative. Definitely not "reality" shows. I don't care to subject my time to what some nameless person decides what they think is "reality!"

What do you like/dislike about documentaries?

My main "beef" with most TV is the commercials. They're necessary, I know, and I do appreciate when some humor can be instilled in them.

What network or station do you turn to for educational shows?

I enjoy PBS, mostly for the above reasons.

Of the many documentary types, would you rather watch:
Unsolved mysteries
Mechanical or Do-It-Yourself
Adventure
Other?
...and why?

I think, all of the above for the sake of variety.

What do you think would make a documentary more fun and exciting and feel less like school and more like entertainment?

Inject a little humor!

Good luck with all your endeavors!

FJM - one of the "Traveling Tuning Twosomes."
At 7:28 PM, May 28, 2006 , Anonymous said...

Hi Chris

Glad to see Tom posting...and hope you are still adding comments to your topic on documentaries.
When I do take time out for TV, it's often to watch a documentary. This kind of show intrigues me when there is a congenial host - and if it's part of a series, then the appeal of the host can make all the difference. I like a host who has an authentic passion for the subject at hand and who draws you into the world the documentary is portraying.

I don't like documentaries that are all event and not enough explanation about that event. I just saw a documentary that had lots of great footage of a major world event, but the history and explanation of it, which would have made me feel the impact of the event, didn't bridge the historical and cultural gap I felt, and you never saw the host. I think a narrator or host that could tie it all together for the viewer would have helped.

The documentary was of an event I'll never witness in my lifetime, which is what I like about documentaries, but the event could have been prefaced by more vivid explanation or interspersed better. While it did quote a famous historical person, and showed a brief clip of a well-known person I recognized who was commenting on the event, I thought more could have been done to set the stage for the viewer of what is a spectacular event. For some reason I had trouble staying with it, and I'm usually pretty patient when it comes to a documentary.

Of course, now that I'm thinking more about how films are made (because of a certain person's website) perhaps this is playing into how I perceive them, which would be differently than before!

I also like documentaries that are re-enactments/portrayals of a person's life. In this case, I've seen good documentaries that involve real people who knew that person, or even - in more of a reality show effect - documenting part of a person's life with them the main character, as they are living out part of their life.

I think we all know a good documentary when we see it, but putting together the puzzle pieces to make one outstanding work seems to me to be the ultimate challenge. I really think because of following your website over the past year, I have greater expectations, but also greater appreciation, for the work that goes into all types of TV shows, movies and documentaries.

FORUM

Monday, May 22, 2006

Show Idea

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