Showing posts with label live feed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label live feed. Show all posts

Wednesday, 21 September 2011

Heaven or Hell? Live Feed?


If the conspiracy theorists are right, Big Brother will edit Rebeckah in a good way in the next few days, thus resulting in Heaven going. This can happen as there is no live feed so it can not be proven either way who is the most two-faced in the house! They certainly won't edit it for Rebeckah to leave but of course the public ultimately decides.

There are five kinds of people that enter the house, although some run across more than one category:

1) THE MICE: People who should not really be there, but occasionally make a squeak like Tom, Harry and Alex.

2) THE WATCHERS: Mainly observe from the sidelines like Louise, Harry and Heaven.

3) THE DARK HORSES: They could make the final like Mark, Faye and Jay.

4) THE EMULATORS: Anton (acts like Vic Ebuwa did) Aaron/Rebeckah (copying me!)

5) THE GAME PLAYERS: Rebeckah, Aaron, Maisy and those who say they have no game plan but do like Aden and Anton.

Generally all of THE MICE survive until halfway through the show, THE WATCHERS, and THE EMULATORS leave before and just after halfway through the show. The obvious GAME PLAYERS fall in the final few weeks week, leaving a few MICE and THE DARK HORSES fight until the end.

This Friday we have a WATCHER and a GAME PLAYER/EMULATOR up for eviction. The game player is going to lose eventually, because if you play the game you have to do it without too much malice and with a twinkle in your eye. Rebeckah has over compensated her game playing, played her hands too early and has led the hapless Aden around much as a child does to a new puppy at Christmas. Had she not led him on, she might have survived this time. I also think she has cruel side to her that has betrayed the true her on a few occasions.

Heaven is mad, but not in a criminally insane scary way, but in the nice way that a pat on the head and a polite smile will do wonders for her and for you. But she is slightly too mad to stay in the house too long, unless she is up, like she is this week, with someone like Rebeckah in an eviction. I think she will survive this week, and go next week, thus giving credence to the fact that the WATCHERS always survive a little too long.
Word from Elstree is that the live feed was discussed by the executives, however I do not know what became of those conversations and wether or not the pats on the back (after great ratings for Celebrity Big Brother), have turned to 'where have all the viewers gone'?

I tell you where and that is to bed. This is term time and for a lot of viewers 10pm is just too late. I do think perhaps there should have been a five week break between the end of Celebrity and the start of civilian.

In my last blog, I argued for and against the live feed.

I believe the cost of the live feed is around £600,ooo. If you imagine what they paid Sally Bercow and Pamela Anderson, and assuming combined they were paid more than this (they were) but for arguments sake let us pretend their combined fee was £600,000. I personally think Pamela was under used and I think most fans would have rather had a live feed than have Sally or Pamela, who added nothing to the show.

I would not urge they bring back the live feed as it is not up to me, but I hope the channel consider what the fans want. I know that advertisers cannot buy the space as it already has been sold out this year and next year for Big Brother, so it cannot be about money.

So the question is why not? What's the answer Channel 5?




Sunday, 18 September 2011

Live Feed or not? and why it is going slightly wrong.


The lack of a live feed is perhaps the most contentious issue for BB fans. But let us not lose sight that it was Channel 4 who forced the issue and took away the live feed citing quite reasonably, the cost, the extra staff and of course the legal issues in having a 24 hour feed.

I would like a live feed or live BB on TV 24-7 but it is not going to happen. Some say that there is no live feed because it leaves BB to edit how they feel. Again, I think this is true to a certain extent, but the live feed can also be manipulated equally as much as the real show, so the point is mute. However I believe there could be a live feed, but the cost per person would be quite high and therefore as a business it is not really viable for the channel in these tough economic times.

From an ex contestant point of view, I can identify with some really positive aspects of the show. The opening sequences are slick, the new contestants by and large are well cast, (give or take Harry and Alex) and the edit is fair. I think the mistake is having too many young people, as if they are trying to appeal to Daily Star (the owner of Channel 5 owns the newspaper too) viewers only. If they (5) want a show like this, then they should hire a villa in France and fill it with booze and young people and let the camera's roll.

I think 5 are trying to stamp their own identity on the show, and that is taking away from what us viewers really want. I am sure 5's hands have been tied by a greater power.

I am no producer, but I have argued before that the few ex-contestants that do have a brain should be employed by BB, because we know more than most what works and what does not with BB. Television is not always rocket science. Keep the format as is, cast people that job titles do not include models or singers, limit booze and food and have tough tasks.

BB should work and can work, but not if it is altered too dramatically to suit a certain audience, then it cannot work.

I am enjoying the series, but I believe it could be better - I am not saying I could change this overnight, but to make a difference you have to take a risk and if this means Endemol, the production company, saying to channel 5: "Sorry this is not working, we make it, you broadcast it but butt out as it is our franchise."

If indeed there are crisis meetings happening, as rumoured, then someone somewhere knows something is not right.

This is what I would do:

1) Face to face nominations
2) Endurance/24 hour tasks, or tasks that are designed to be failed then be passed. I have many ideas for this.
3) Booze and cigarettes need to earned not given
4) Cancel the oven clock to disorientate them (they don't have watches in the house)
5) Bring back the parrot or something that repeats key conversations
6) Wake them up earlier
7) Live streaming of some sort
8) No contact whatsoever with the outside world

What do you think can save the show? Do comment on this blog.

Nick