In a time when the TV we watch is highly suspect not only because of its inaccuracies but because of the lengths that people will go to in order to entertain the masses it’s quite easy to get tired with the current programming as people try to remember a time when there was an honest effort being put forth. This is why a show like Independent Lens remains as one of the only real shows that’s still able to call itself a ‘reality’ show with a straight face. It’s simply too easy to write up a script and pitch it to those that are just looking for something to shock, awe, or even amuse the people and will buy it up because there’s supposedly nothing else out there. Reality TV is perhaps one of the worst offenders for this since it draws upon the real world in a way that makes people believe that what they’re seeing on camera is what’s really happening.
Independent Lens is a documentary-type show that doesn’t focus on just entertaining people, but educating them as well on various subjects that have, over the years, been allowed to jump from one place to another depending on what selection has been made and who seems to be the most interesting at the moment. True, it does tend to pick and choose who gets to be featured according to what people might want to see, but that’s a part of show business that makes it worth even turning the TV on. The difference with this how is that it’s far more real than anything you’ll see on the TV today and in that vein is a lot more entertaining since you get the idea that you’re watching something that someone actually had the guts to do on their own not because they were getting promised a fat paycheck, but because they had something to say.
Every filmmaker has something to say, from those that are just starting out to those that have been in the business for years and years. The difference on this show is that the edge and innovation that has been put into each video is both raw and unfettered in a way that makes them stand out that much more and allows for the true meaning that the creator is trying to push to get through. There’s no real filter on these films and there’s no doubts as to the veracity of what’s going on like there is in reality TV, which is at once refreshing and invigorating in a way that makes people actually stand up and pay attention. So some of the documentaries might not be what people are hoping for and might seem boring, that’s perfectly okay since there are so many different subjects covered that there’s a good chance that they’ll see something they want to watch on the next episode. It’s a surprise in other words, a kind of promise that you won’t always be bored and you won’t always be drawn in by something you want.
That’s where reality TV and even sitcoms are lacking these days. There’s not enough unpredictability left in the programming when people can pick out which person is going to start a fight with who before the trouble ever begins, or which character is going to be killed off and why. The act of growing stale is normally anathema to any show since it means that the writers have fallen asleep at their laptops or have allowed their pens to drop and aren’t able to keep up with their own creation. These documentaries are the work of those that are constantly trying to get their voices out and are hungry to have someone see and possibly enjoy their stories. So yes, they’re not all winners, that much is kind of obvious, but each and every episode is going to cater to someone’s interests and the whole point of the show is to provide a forum for people that want their work to be seen and that have something worthy of being said in their eyes.
A real show is one that strives to be different, to be entertaining, and to engage the viewer on multiple levels while keeping their attention in a way that leaves them wanting and waiting for more. It’s not enough to just give people what they want any longer since despite the admittance by a lot of folks that they want instant gratification, this brings about very little real satisfaction and tends to leave them wanting more like an addict. Shows like Independent Lens manage to enrich a person’s life by showing them something they might not have known about while at the same time drawing them in through a different perspective that could grant insight, inspiration, and possibly something akin to imagination.
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