This is indeed old news on forums like Digital Spy. But there are always people on reality shows who’ve done other bits and pieces of TV. They’re all wannabes, remember.
Here’s an interesting thread started by Drew Leavy, the Canadian improv actor who is playing the Shuttle pilot Drew Dawson.
The ‘give blood’ ad is being aired during Space Cadets. That’s got to be C4 having fun seeing who spots it. Or it’s a highly-elaborate quadruple-bluff. Occam’s Razor, anyone?
That was a pathetic way to end the show, I wanted to see their faces as they stepped out into the studio, not have them being basically told the whole thing is a set up before letting them out. Why the hell did they do that?
So, for those of us not in the UK, what happened, exactly?
Also, I have a bunch of specific questions. Press reports before the show started airing said that the producers simulated the view of earth from space using a screen the articles called “IMAX” or “IMAX sized.” I’m a journalist covering the IMAX film industry, so I called Imax Corp. and asked about it. They denied being involved. (It’s possible my contact was lying to cover for Channel 4, but for various reasons, I don’t think so.)
So I’m interested in finding out more about what they actually used, and how it looked. (Reportedly Buzz Aldrin came out before they started shooting and said it looked like the real thing.) I’ll be trying to reach someone at Channel 4 this week, but can any of you folks tell me anything about it? jjimm, do you have any insider info? Was it film (as opposed to video)? How large was the screen? Did the show explain anything about how the images were created or displayed?
Thanks.
I snagged a copy and watched it, skipping over what seemed to be the boring chuncks. The ‘making of’ parts were the best, the rest didn’t hold my attention for more than a few minutes.
They didn’t use an IMAX system, it was just a really large projection screen with hi-res movie of the earth. I don’t think Buzz Aldrin actually came by, the host mentioned he attended a talk by Buzz Aldrin.
The psychological testing at the beginning was interesting and how they assessed gullability.
On the editions I saw they didn’t go into any detail about the screen. I think it was referred to as “an IMAX screen”.
The grand finale/damb squib involved the cosmonauts being put into a sort of airlock, in preparation, so they were told, for going out on the shuttle’s arm or something. Instead, they were shown a video of the presenter telling them that it was all a hoax and replaying footage of themselves unwittingly stumbling on the truth, saying things like “this doesn’t seem real”. Then the airlock compartment was wheeled in front of a studio audience and the doors opened. Interview, tape of best bits, end credits.
All a bit of a wasted opportunity - the cadets had still seemed to believe that they were in space (despite ever more ludicrous happenings on the shuttle, like a farcical memorial service for much-loved Russian TV dog Mr. Bimbi), so why didn’t the producers go for the big surprise by just throwing the doors open? Instead, as mittu said, that moment felt a bit flat because the cadets had already been told. They still thought they were in Russia, though :D.
I thought it was described as an “Imax-type screen”.
I preferred how it was done, rather than the rather predictible “Surprise!!” option. The gradual realisation that it was a hoax (and that they had indeed had suspicions themselves which they’d suppressed) was something unusual, and unique to this kind of situation. To have them just sat there astonished would have been no different from the ‘reveal’ moments in Changing Rooms.
I missed the final episode, but I have it on tape - am going to watch it tomorrow evening when I can borrow a VCR.
However, I met with the assistant producer guy last night. He was telling me very little that the British public don’t already know, but he confirmed that all the consiracy theories are bunkum, and yes, the contestants really were that gullible. The proposed spacewalks never happened for logistical reasons.
He did tell me that the live show wasn’t actually live, and that in between the ‘reveal’ and the ‘capitulation’ scenes there was about an hour of shouting and anger, which was calmed down by the application of hard cash, and cut out of the final screening.
The projection screen was perhaps 20 metres wide, showing a very high resolution image of an arc of the Earth’s horizon (if that’s the right word) as if seen from space; it was apparently rendered (not sure if in real time) by a cluster of 40 computers. Not much more was said, but IMO, it was pretty good and certainly seemed realistic in the views through the shuttle’s front view screen that we were shown.
The contestants were not allowed right into the cockpit on the pretense that they might disturb some instrumentation, when in fact it was really because they would have gained access to a viewpoint allowing them to see the edge of the screen.
All in all, I’m a bit disappointed with the whole thing; seems like C4 hasn’t nearly exploited this concept to its fullest potential (i.e. with text-ins, merchandising tie-ins, cliffhangers, etc) - considering that it can’t really be done again, I’m surprised they wasted the opportunity. I was also a bit puzzled by the abrupt nature of the end; a few minutes of interviews with the three (would be) astronauts and bye bye! Not even a promise that we’d be following them on their genuine trip to Russia (part of their prize); not even any mention of a more controlled interview follow-up programme (which I thought would be an obvious and successful thing).
Also, what the heck is it with interrupting the sound on these reality TV shows? it can’t be anything to do with profane language, as there was plenty of that.
Libel. If they’re chatting about a terrible meal they had in McDonalds, or a particular make of car being unreliable, or anything else involving a brand name, they play safe.
Just watched the final episode on video and… meh. I agree with all of Mangetout’s comments. A damp squib. They should have had the walls fall away, or an alien invasion of the craft, or better still, give them one last view of the earth, interrupted by a technician walking in front of it eating a burger.
It did, however, instill in me the thought that Kerri is a bit of a cutie.