Article: Find someone interesting you know and ask them to be the subject of your reality show. You could also find a group of people or a business in your town to focus on. Avoid pitching a show that's about celebrities or exotic, far off places; you probably won't have access to them when you're just starting out. Up front you'll need to decide how your show will be structured. There are two main structures for reality shows: Self-contained. Self-contained reality shows contain episodes that stand on their own. There's no storyline that connects all of the episodes together. Viewers can watch the episodes out of order and it won't make a difference. Think: Extreme Home Makeover, Fear Factor, and Hoarders. Self-contained shows are generally easier to sell because networks like that viewers can join in at any time in the season. Arced. Arced reality shows have an overarching storyline that connects every episode. Viewers need to watch the episodes in order to understand what's going on. Examples of arced reality shows are The Real World, Survivor, and The Bachelorette. Arced reality shows are harder to sell to networks because they're riskier; if audiences don't tune in for episode one, the rest of the season could be a bust. Format style reality shows have a similar format they return to each episode. Dancing with the Stars is an example of a format reality show; every episode features the dancers performing a new routine. The audience expects that tuning in. A format reality show is a good choice if your show will feature different characters or storylines each episode. If your reality show is about parents moving into their kid's college dorm for a week, you could have a different family in each episode. The parents moving into the dorm each episode would be the format people would come to expect. Docu-style reality shows don't have a format; they just follow the main characters around as they go about their lives. Keeping Up with the Kardashians is an example of a docu-style reality show. A docu-style reality show is a good option if the premise of your show is examining an interesting person or group of people as they navigate their world. If you're making a show about a retired pilot, filming like a documentary will be easier than trying to come up with a format for your character to repeat every episode.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Make a show about someone or something you have access to. Choose a structure for your show. Give your show a format style if you want audiences to know what to expect. Make your show docu-style if you want it to feel like a documentary.