GONE PRODUCER: the wrong use of AI
The real shark tank - After kissing, boys like boys
GONE PRODUCER: the wrong use of AI
In this newsletter we have discussed AI several times: see for example FE 26th Jan, 22nd Dec and 20th Oct 2023. AI is undoubtedly set to change the landscape of the media industry (and not only) in the near future, but this doesn’t mean that everything created with GenAI or using AI technologies will be successful.
The “mysterious” Korean project Gone Producer, that will premiere shortly (the exact date has not yet been revealed) on Korean broadcaster MBC is a good example - in my humble opinion - of how NOT to use AI.
Actually, the specifics of the format have remained under wraps. What we know is that the series is produced almost entirely by AI – everything from casting to hosting to directing to editing, using a tool called AI Programme Director (PD), which aims to revolutionize the broadcasting sector.
All 10 contestants are casted by AI, the show is fully filmed by AI and fully edited by AI. The contestants compete in different missions given by AI, that also determines how much money they get paid during each mission.
What's wrong with this? The thing is that - judging from what little is known - the show is supposed to be watched only for the fact that AI is involved. But for most of the viewers technology is not a value in itself. People don’t watch a show only because it is technologically update and uses AI at 360°. They watch a show because it is a good show, regardless of whether AI is used or not. So, if Gone Producer (or Gone PD) will be a good show, with interesting challenges, intriguing missions and so on, it will be successful, otherwise not. It’s as simple as that.
Of course, the impact of AI on the media industry will also (and indeed mainly) be determined by economic considerations, but that is another matter…
THE REAL SHARK TANK
There are many ways to switch from scripted to unscripted contents: a direct transposition, as in the case of Squid Game, the Challenge (FE 17th Jun 23), transposing the ‘world’ of fiction or franchise into a non-fiction format, as in the case of 007’ Road To a Million (FE 1st Apr 23) or Is There Still Sex In the City? (FE 1st Dec 23), or still in other ways.
SHARK! Celebrity Infested Waters, produced by Plimsoll Production in collaboration with ITV Entertainment and on air on the British channel next year, has a more nuanced approach, as it simply takes its cue from the 50th anniversary of the iconic film Jaws to create an original format.
The show sees a group of ocean-phobic celebs sink their teeth into their fear of oceans by jumping into shark infested waters. The participants will be swimming with gradually bigger and more dangerous sharks off Bimini, an island in The Bahamas, home to 10 different breeds of shark.
On top of this, the stars will be educated on why sharks aren’t quite as intimidating as they seem, learning about their place in the ecosystem and why the world without them would actually be a lot scarier than the sharks themselves. A really good message indeed.
AFTER KISSING, BOYS LIKE BOYS
LGBTQ+ formats have been one of the most interesting trends last year and continue to be so. The “turning point” came when these programmes left the thematic networks and came to the generalist networks. I Kissed a Boy, that premiered last May on BBC Three, has undoubtedly had a pioneering role. This was followed by many others formats and factuals all around the world, e.g. Love ALLways (Paramount+ : pansexual dating), Family Of Choice in Germany, Les Voyage de Nicky in France, Gemelas Transgégeno in Brazil and others.
Now, as announced last week, dating reality series Boys Like Boys is to air on Warner Bros. Discovery’s TLC channel in Taiwan in early 2024, and will be formally launched to the international market during the current London Screenings.
The show is an original production by Asia’s LGBTQ+ streaming service GagaOOLala, and is also available worldwide on GagaOOLala itself, on WeTV in the Philippines and Thailand, as well as being licensed to Viu TV for Japan, the Philippines and Thailand.
The format sees eight young gay men looking for love move into a house together for a week. They are a mix of personalities and from varied backgrounds and, over the week, get to know each other, go on dates, take part in games and share their challenges and experiences as gay men.
There are no eliminations or other “artificial rules”: it rather has the “plane” narrative development of the factual, as seen in the trailer below.
NEWS IN A NUTSHELL
The next Friday’s Espresso will be a special issue dedicated to the London Tv Screenings, with an insight by creative media consultant David Ciaramella
Banijay announced that Zeppelin, part of Banijay Iberia, will launch the original Spanish talent show Baila Como Puedas (Dance If You Can ) on RTVE’s La 1
Atresmedia will adapt Fremantle’s The Piano format in Spain for La Sexta network
The Pet Psychic: What's Your Dog Thinking? premiered on February 20 on Channel 5. It is bizarre and fun pet series which follows renowned pet psychic Beth Lee-Crowther as she travels meeting people and their animal friends to help them find solutions to their pet-related problems
BBC Studios has signed a deal in Greece for The 1% Club, marking the tenth international territory to license Magnum Media’s format
Sweden’s TV4 has commissioned a local adaptation of Banijay’s adventure competition format The Summit from Jarowskij
The Sony Pictures Television and Nippon TV entrepreneurial business format, known as Shark Tank or Dragon’s Den has scored a remake in Bangladesh, marking its fiftieth version around the world
Amazon’s Prime Video streamer has commissioned a local version of Banijay’s French format The Fifty for its service in Germany
