Week 10 – Reality TV – Origins and Contexts
One Born Every Minute is a British observational documentary that uses 40 installed cameras to witness the events taking place in a British maternity hospital. Season 1, episode 4 focuses on the experiences of Joy and Fabio,who are having their first child after 5 years of IVF. Additionally, the episode also follows soon-to-be mother of 5, Kelly.
Debuting on Channel 4 in the UK in 2010, One Born Every Minute has proven to be a success as a reality television show. Each episode commences with the same introduction and opening sequence, which outlines the purpose of the series, how there is one child born every minute in the UK, and how the footage at the maternity hospital is filmed via 40 installed cameras. These 40 cameras could be described as capturing ‘candid moments’. This is due to the fact that the cameras are always on and recording, there are no operators on the cameras (therefore no crew in the hospital), and due to the absence of the crew the patient and their families feel less encroached and more likely to behave genuinely. Therefore, One Born Every Minute is inexpensive to produce as the talent is free.
One Born Every Minute has elements of a documentary and soap within it; television shows of this nature produce good television followings and great reviews. They are informative, yet still entertaining and relatable. The cross between a documentary and a soap is created through the editing, and in the case of One Born Every Minute, various filming techniques are tropes specific to a documentary and a soap are utilized. That being said, there are a range of categories in which a reality television show can fall under. One Born Every Minute could easily fall under the categories of: surveillance, fly-on-the wall docu-soap and reality life.
The aesthetics of a documentary and a soap are different, and hence when the two are combined, an interesting product is created.
The technological advancements in the way of quality surveillance cameras allowed for One Born Every Minute to be recorded in footage that would be appropriate for television. Furthermore, a cultural shift towards an interest in not just celebrity lives, but also the lives of the everyday person, became a new focus. An area that previously did not get its own stage is childbirth. Prior to One Birth Every Minute, a television show exploring the same circumstances did not exist. So in order to take away from the shock and discomfort that comes from witnessing childbirth, producers had to employ a certain number of techniques to release the tension.
The narrator for One Born Every Minute is Steven Hartley. Hartley’s deep voice is one that establishes a feeling of trust from audiences, as they have the expectation he is unbiased and fair in his narration. In the case of Joy, her childbirth at the maternity hospital takes several days. Hartley’s narration (coupled with shots of ticking clocks and sunsets) fuels the narrative and allows for audiences to understand that time has been passing. This voiceover component contributes to the documentary element of the television show. In a way, it is like a David Attenborough animal documentary, where a human is giving birth and Attenborough balances inferred knowledge with informative voiceovers.
Interviews are conducted with the family members, doctors and nurses at the maternity hospital. The interviews are set up in a very recognizable documentary style: the interviewee is sitting in front of the camera (behind which sits the interviewer/director) and the location is no longer recognizable as a hospital. The family member/nurse is prompted by questions pitched to them, for which their answers help assist the emotional link to the television show. The lower third on the screen provides the name of the interviewee and their occupation/relationship to patient – professional documentary tropes.
The other cameras generating footage are installed in stationary positions, and thus produce quite standard unobtrusive shots. There are a lot of zoom close ups to capture the drama (as cameras are situated high up on the walls), as well as long distance observational shots to provide context and allow audiences to witness the unrehearsed events and unplanned staging.
In the case of Kelly and her sister, the narrative behind their story relates to the death of their brother, and how Kelly’s newborn baby would help repair their broken emotions. This contributes to the ‘soap’ element of the show, as the narrative is character driven and gradually built by the information provided by interviewees (as well as observed events).
The narrative of the episode is constructed around tension and release: the Thai woman, Joy, has a lot of problems with her childbirth; juxtaposed with Kelly who has already had so many children and whose birth process is comical and easy. Kelly’s story is entertaining to watch, as she gets hooked on the gas (of which she allows her sister several puffs). Her obliviousness results in a tougher job for the midwives, unyet viewers can’t help but laugh, as her child birth seems far less serious than Joy’s. The climax of the episode comes with Joy’s story, which has a lot invested in it emotionally. Audiences share in her relief as she finally gives birth to a beautiful healthy boy. Again, these plot points and progression in narrative are elements of a soap.
The editing techniques employed throughout the episode help to make it entertaining. It is the editors job to pick and choose what is relevant, and how it will be presented to audiences. For instance, through the use of editing, Joy appears to consistently nag her timid and quiet husband, Fabio. It appears that Joy regularly makes stabs at her husband, however, the editor could have simply taken all the jibs Joy made at Fabio over their 7 day period at the hospital, and edited them into one concentrated 5 minute period. In doing this, the entire perception by the audience of Joy, Fabio and their marriage can easily be manipulated. Essentially the editing is made to look awkward. Scenes are drawn out to an awkward, lingering length, and the editor is always working to either achieve the soap or drama effect. Light background music is also used throughout the episode to transition from event to event and also to trigger emotion (e.g. when Joy finally gives birth).
References:
Wikipedia, (2014). One Born Every Minute. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Born_Every_Minute [Accessed 19 Oct. 2014].