A Dive into Fake Talk Shows- Blog Investigation 11/21

For my second film, I am planning to make a comedy film that is about a talk show host and his insanity spiraling downwards as his son ruins his show. I always wanted to make fake public access like a talk show that is just all over the place and has no structure. I have gotten this inspiration to make something like this from watching shows like The Eric Andre Show and Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule. 

For Example, Eric Andre, instead of acting like a normal talks show host the first thing he does every episode is destroy his own set. Fundamentally, The Eric Andre Show manifests as a parody of the talk show format, with Andre employing the formulaic techniques of talk show hosts to spearhead a self-reflexive critique of the banality of the genre itself. Though my film has a background story, for the most part, The Eric Andre Show is a surreal comedy and is just all over the place. 

Since the Eric Andre Show has been made, many other "anti-talk shows" which is what some people are calling them, have spawned on the internet and TV. I believe that they are now showing up a lot because the "Late-Night" talk shows have been around for so long and have been following the same format. The anti-talk shows give something different by subverting people's expectations every episode, especially The Eric Andre Show. The talk show genre is a tenaciously traditional art form. It has progressed significantly less in the last few decades than the weekly drama or sitcom, relying on celebrity anecdotes, prefabricated desk bits, and the monologue. Even when an unconventional performer like Conan O'Brien is freed from network restraints, he doesn't stray too far from the formula of "The Tonight Show."

Other Fake Talk Shows:

Space Ghost Coast to Coast- 

This is one of the first shows I watched that was part of the "anti-talk show" genre. The blueprint for Space Ghost Coast to Coast is an animated subverted talk show format though of course it is scripted, unlike the newer fake talk shows. On a monitor beside Space Ghost's desk, live-action guest stars, whom Space Ghost misidentifies as fellow superheroes, appear. In the early episodes, Space Ghost opens his interviews by inquiring about the guests' superpowers. His interactions with visitors can be unpleasant, if not antagonistic, because the guests are not always aware of the nature of the program on which they appear, and their responses frequently do not fit Space Ghost's inquiries. (The questions were altered after they were recorded.) Later episodes allow guests to engage directly with the characters.

Between Two Ferns-

I believe that this show would be the most like mine with the whole low production public access type of set. The show's host, Zach Galifianakis, interviews celebrities while seated between two potted ferns, as the title suggests. The set is designed to look like a low-budget amateur production for public access television, including on-screen graphics that feature intentional humorous faults. Galifianakis maintains an uneasy and often confrontational approach with his guests, asking them weird, inappropriate, or insulting questions interspersed with offhand non-sequiturs. Despite pre-interviews, the visitors' reactions are generally improvised.  A section in which Galifianakis clumsily interrupts his guests to advertise a sponsor's product is frequently included in episodes.

Overall, I have watched a lot of different takes on the fake talk show genre. There are even some youtube channels like one called "Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan" that take the same idea but make something new from it. This is what I am kind of planning on doing by taking my favorite things from all these shows and filming it my own way. These are the kind of shows that definitely gave me a lot of inspiration to start learning about film and of course, take film class. 

Work Log :

 

Monday- Worked on a script for another film because I work got to bring SD card

Tuesday- Worked on a script for another film because I work got to bring SD card

Wesnday- Started Editing film 

Thursday- Edited my film

Friday- Edited my film