Fly on the wall

Last updated
A camera up on a wall recording what is happening in the room Highscreen Black Box Connect as CCTV.jpg
A camera up on a wall recording what is happening in the room

Fly on the wall is a style of documentary-making used in film and television production. The name derived from the idea that events are seen candidly, as a fly on a wall might see them. In the purest form of fly-on-the-wall documentary-making, the camera crew works as unobtrusively as possible; however, it is also common for participants to be interviewed, often by an off-camera voice. [1]

Decades before structured reality shows became popular, the BBC had broadcast fly-on-the-wall film Royal Family (a 1969 documentary produced in association with ITV), [2] [3] [4] while 1974's The Family , is said to be the earliest example of a reality TV docusoap on the BBC. [5] [6] [7] [8] In 1978 the BBC aired Living in the Past recreating a British Iron Age settlement. In the late 1990s, Chris Terrill's docusoap series The Cruise [9] [10] [11] made a star of singer [12] and TV personality Jane McDonald, [13] [14] [15] while Welsh cleaner Maureen Rees [16] became popular after her appearances on BBC One's [17] Driving School . [18]

Other British examples include Airline , Dynamo: Magician Impossible and Channel 4's Educating... series, while in the United States popular examples include American Factory, Cops , Deadliest Catch , Big Brother and Weiner , a film about a political sex scandal which developed during a mayoral election in New York. [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s with shows such as The Real World, then achieved prominence in the early 2000s with the success of the series Survivor, Idol, and Big Brother, all of which became global franchises. Reality television shows tend to be interspersed with "confessionals", short interview segments in which cast members reflect on or provide context for the events being depicted on-screen; this is most commonly seen in American reality television. Competition-based reality shows typically feature the gradual elimination of participants, either by a panel of judges, by the viewership of the show, or by the contestants themselves.

A mockumentary is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events, but presented as a documentary. The term originated in the 1960s but was popularized in the mid-1990s when This Is Spinal Tap director Rob Reiner used it in interviews to describe that film.

Docudrama is a genre of television and film, which features dramatized re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of documentary and drama and "a fact-based representation of real event".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex scandal</span> Type of public scandal involving sexual acts by well-known people

A sex scandal is a public scandal involving allegations or information about possibly immoral sexual activities, often associated with the sexual affairs of film stars, politicians, famous athletes, or others in the public eye. Sex scandals receive attention if a prominent figure is involved, if there is a perception of hypocrisy, if a public figure's sexuality is non-normative, or if it involves non-consensual acts. A scandal may be based on reality, the product of false allegations, or a mixture of both. Whether the scandal is based in fact or not, it may lead to the celebrity disappearing from the public eye or to the resignation of prominent political figures.

<i>World in Action</i> British investigative current affairs programme

World in Action was a British investigative current affairs programme made by Granada Television for ITV from 7 January 1963 until 7 December 1998. Its campaigning journalism frequently had a major impact on events of the day. Its production teams often took audacious risks, and the programme gained a solid reputation for its often-unorthodox approach. The series was sold around the world and won numerous awards. In its heyday, World in Action drew audiences of up to 23 million in Britain alone, equivalent to almost half the population.

Cruise or Cruises may also refer to:

Jane Anne McDonald is an English singer and television presenter. Born and raised in Wakefield, McDonald spent much of her early career performing in local clubs and pubs before landing work as a singer on cruise ships. McDonald became known to the public in 1998 following her appearance on the BBC show The Cruise. The same year, she released her self-titled debut album Jane McDonald (1998), which topped the UK Albums Chart and remained there for 3 weeks.

Driving School is a docusoap and fly on the wall documentary that was broadcast on BBC1 in the summer of 1997, which followed a group of learner drivers around Bristol and South Wales. The series was made on a reduced budget but shown in primetime, it created one of the first reality TV stars in Maureen Rees.

Maureen Rees is a British television personality from Cardiff, Wales, who was Britain's first reality-television star. She became prominent in the late 1990s after her appearances in two series of the BBC One docuseries Driving School, which received 12 million viewers. The series followed several individuals, located in either Bristol or South Wales, during their driving lessons through to the undertaking of their driving exam. Prior to the series, the Reeses had spent hundreds of pounds on lessons and four failed practical tests. During the series, Rees twice more failed to pass the test, as well as the driving theory exam. During series, she received the nickname the driver from L.

...from Hell was a one-hour ITV disasters-based documentary shown in the United Kingdom on a semi-regular basis. It discusses and shows real-life footage of the experiences that people have witnessed on the subject of programme. For example, Weddings from Hell.

<i>Tarzan Escapes</i> 1936 film by William A. Wellman, George B. Seitz, John Farrow, Richard Thorpe

Tarzan Escapes is a 1936 Tarzan film based on the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It was the third in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Tarzan series to feature Johnny Weissmuller as the "King of the Apes". Previous films were Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) and Tarzan and His Mate (1934), with Jane's bikini-like attire and the famous skinny-dipping sequence. Weissmuller and O'Sullivan starred together in three more Tarzan films, Tarzan Finds a Son! (1939), Tarzan's Secret Treasure (1941) and Tarzan's New York Adventure (1942).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angharad Rees</span> British actress (1944–2012)

Angharad Mary Rees, The Hon. Mrs David McAlpine, CBE was a British actress, best known for her British television roles during the 1970s and in particular her leading role as Demelza in the 1970s BBC TV costume drama Poldark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shed Productions</span> UK production company

Shed Productions, part of Warner Bros. Television Productions UK, was an independent UK television production company, specialising in contemporary, original drama programming and content. It was established in 1998 by Eileen Gallagher, Brian Park, Ann McManus and Maureen Chadwick, who previously worked together at Granada Television. As of October 2015 it no longer exists as a company with all properties folded into Wall to Wall.

Paul Watson was a British television documentary filmmaker.

Channel 5 airs a wide variety of programming that covers various genres and themes, with programmes about farming, trains and royalty being popular.

<i>Iceland Foods: Life in the Freezer Cabinet</i> 2013 British TV series or programme

Iceland Foods: Life in the Freezer Cabinet is a British documentary television series about the Iceland supermarket chain that was first broadcast on BBC Two on 21 October 2013. The three-part series was co-produced with the Open University.

<i>The Cruise</i> (1998 TV series) BBC fly-on-the-wall documentary series

The Cruise is a British observational documentary television series directed by Chris Terrill that aired on BBC in 1998. The series of 12 episodes followed a group of staff on board the luxury cruise ship Galaxy as it sailed the Caribbean on its maiden voyage. The first episode, Let the Dream Begin, aired at 8pm on 13 January 1998. The series was highly popular, attracting 10.39 million viewers. It made a celebrity of Jane McDonald, a cruise ship entertainer on Galaxy, who went on to become a recording artist and television presenter.

Vets in Practice is a BBC fly-on-the-wall documentary series that followed a group of trainee veterinary surgeons. The first episode, Animal Magic, aired at 8 pm on 26 August 1997. Series one attracted 8.09 million viewers. It made celebrities of Trude Mostue and Steve Leonard, who became TV presenters.

<i>Weiner</i> (film) 2016 American film

Weiner is a 2016 American fly-on-the-wall political documentary film by Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg about Anthony Weiner's campaign for Mayor of New York City during the 2013 mayoral election.

Maureen Nolan is an Irish singer who was a member of The Nolans.

References

  1. "BFI Screenonline: 'Fly on the Wall' TV".
  2. "'Royal Family': the fly-on-the-wall documentary the Palace doesn't want you to see". HistoryExtra.
  3. "Royal family documentary 'banned' by the Queen resurfaces online 50 years later". Stuff. January 29, 2021.
  4. Shaw, Neil (January 29, 2021). "Banned Royal family documentary from 1969 resurfaces on Youtube".
  5. "BBC - History of the BBC, April 1974 - The Family - the first 'fly-on-the-wall' documentary". BBC.
  6. "The Family first episode". bbc.com.
  7. Miller, Laura (August 18, 2008). "The family says goodbye".
  8. "The Wilkinses of Reading: Where Are They Now?". The Independent. October 23, 2011.
  9. "The Cruise" via www.bbc.co.uk.
  10. "BBC One - The Cruise, Let the Dream Begin". BBC.
  11. "BBC One - The Cruise". BBC.
  12. "Jane McDonald | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  13. "Jane McDonald | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
  14. "New series of Cruising with Jane McDonald to start this Friday | GoCruise & Travel Franchise". www.joingocruiseandtravel.co.uk.
  15. "Biography".
  16. Owens, David (December 23, 2018). "In search of Mo from Driving School". WalesOnline.
  17. "Driving School". bbc.com.
  18. "MAUREEN REES | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts .
  19. Barnes, Henry (30 June 2016). "Weiner – how a film about a political sex scandal suddenly got more intimate | Weiner | The Guardian". The Guardian.