Derren Brown And His Hero

[Lagarde's Drift]

Just watched this, and must say that it is a pretty mesmerising show. I've seen his stuff over the years and been mightily impressed. I'm just not so convinced that the bloke did not actually have any sceptical thoughts during the entire process. I mean, surely you must suspect something when you're breaking into a policeman's house and playing with crocodiles.

I think that if I was hypnotised to that extent and then found out, I'd probably go ballistic, rather than accept it. Rather like Jim Carrey in that film about being in a full-on reality show.

Oh, and did anyone see the bloke's girlfriend?

[6538]

Just watched this, and must say that it is a pretty mesmerising show. I've seen his stuff over the years and been mightily impressed. I'm just not so convinced that the bloke did not actually have any sceptical thoughts during the entire process. I mean, surely you must suspect something when you're breaking into a policeman's house and playing with crocodiles.

I think that if I was hypnotised to that extent and then found out, I'd probably go ballistic, rather than accept it. Rather like Jim Carrey in that film about being in a full-on reality show.

Oh, and did anyone see the bloke's girlfriend?

To be honest I made a point of not watching it. Channel 4 have a notorious history of inventing stuff and presenting it as real (Space Cadets anyone?) and I've never been that impressed by that Derrin Brown bloke ever since he did that rubbish about runnig the risk of shooting him self several years back. Although I did like his hatchett job on mediums and the like a few months back.

Sorry, but I just don't accept that C4 are going to run the risk of genuinely exposing unsuspecting people to such potential dangers. I think it's all scripted to a word.

[SNACR]

To be honest I made a point of not watching it. Channel 4 have a notorious history of inventing stuff and presenting it as real (Space Cadets anyone?) and I've never been that impressed by that Derrin Brown bloke ever since he did that rubbish about runnig the risk of shooting him self several years back. Although I did like his hatchett job on mediums and the like a few months back.

Sorry, but I just don't accept that C4 are going to run the risk of genuinely exposing unsuspecting people to such potential dangers. I think it's all scripted to a word.

Yep, almost all TV is utterly fake even when billed as otherwise. An example I always remember is Top Gear.

Obviously, the 'Last Of The Summer Wine' - 'we've built our own Ford Cortina pogo stick hybrids and are going to race our own egos across Mongolia' challenge set pieces are entirely contrived, However, many of the other pieces purport to be much more genuine.

A clearly starstruck HSE, with something more interesting than a clumsy council worker falling off a step ladder, really went to town on Richard Hammond's jet car accident. Here's the link to the report: http://www.hse.gov.uk/foi/releases/richardhammond.pdf

Here's a quote from it:

55. To help build the tension, the script called for a ‘chicken-out run’ in which RH seems to get scared and pulls the parachute lever prematurely because he feels that Vampire is drifting off-line. This would be captured in the piece to camera after the run and by the in-helmet microphone.

I do think they're trying to pass off clearly scripted and micro-managed set-pieces as documentary of an experience or motoring journalism.

__________

I noticed this when scrolling through which seems to put a bit of a question mark over their whole 'the stig's input wasn't that much line'

Visit by Ben Collins (BC) to PTLE

37. The preliminary arrangements for the event had been made at arm’s length, with the result that, as the date of the Elvington shoot approached, no-one from Top Gear had actually met PTLE’s principals or seen their jet cars. The jet car feature was considered to be sufficiently unusual and hazardous for GW to ask BC, who worked closely with Top Gear as a high performance driver and consultant, to go and see PTLE and Vampire, and to prepare a briefing for RH. It was felt that, with his extensive motor sport experience, he would be able to confirm PTLE’s competence and the quality of their equipment, and be able to see through them if they were not genuine. (This was a significant step because Top Gear had not used BC in this way before.)

[funinhounslow]

>>Sorry, but I just don't accept that C4 are going to run the risk of genuinely exposing unsuspecting people to such potential dangers. I think it's all scripted to a word.

No-one was in danger, the bloke was hypnotised on the plane then moved to a training simulator, woken up and had to get on with it. He thought it was real though, and didn't seem to be pretending.

"The Heist" from a couple of years back is truly superb - could you be made to hold up a security van?- and again seemed to be on the level.

Brown's had a couple of wobbles such as "predicting" lottery numbers, but I think he's back on form with last night's show.

His book's worth a read too...

[JustYield]

Brown's had a couple of wobbles such as "predicting" lottery numbers, but I think he's back on form with last night's show.

His book's worth a read too...

What was the lottery thing / how was it done?

I've got a lot of time for Derren, he never claims to have supernatural powers* or anything daft, he's simply a master showman.

* Except when its part of the act.

[Frank Hovis]

What was the lottery thing / how was it done?

I've got a lot of time for Derren, he never claims to have supernatural powers* or anything daft, he's simply a master showman.

* Except when its part of the act.

Split screen, steady camera shaken by software to make it like that the picture wasn't split. He rambled on and as the lottery numbers were drawn they were put in backwards in a frame identical to the split screen. Then the split screen was removed and he turned around the numbers.

Last night's was a bit rubbish as well, I didn't watch it to the end.

Shame as some of his programmes have been some of the best of the year; he needs a better ideas man as he's coming up with some duff ones now.

[ken_ichikawa]

The advert was good though and it had a point.

I.e. most people cruise along in life never taking risks...

I grabbed the bull by the horns recently and have decided to have a crack at Africa in 2011, even experienced adventure riders are calling me nuts.

[Guest eight]

Yep, almost all TV is utterly fake even when billed as otherwise. An example I always remember is Top Gear.

From what I've heard about the guy, I'd be inclined to believe that Tom Cruise's miraculous setting of the fastest time in the reasonably priced car was a prerequisite of his appearance on the show.

eight

[Frank Hovis]

Yep, almost all TV is utterly fake even when billed as otherwise. An example I always remember is Top Gear.

I do think they're trying to pass off clearly scripted and micro-managed set-pieces as documentary of an experience or motoring journalism.

Of course it's scripted. It's entertainment.

The recent camper van trip to Cornwall would have been very dull if it wasn't scripted. As it was Clarkson's van "accidentally" blew over in the night, they "accidentally" pushed it over a cliff.

None of them are actors and they say "Oh no" at the latest "disaster" with all the convinction of Wayne Rooney taking his wedding vows. But it's knockabout entertainment with a lot of old cheap cars on screen so I like it.

[6538]

>>Sorry, but I just don't accept that C4 are going to run the risk of genuinely exposing unsuspecting people to such potential dangers. I think it's all scripted to a word.

No-one was in danger, the bloke was hypnotised on the plane then moved to a training simulator, woken up and had to get on with it. He thought it was real though, and didn't seem to be pretending.

"The Heist" from a couple of years back is truly superb - could you be made to hold up a security van?- and again seemed to be on the level.

Brown's had a couple of wobbles such as "predicting" lottery numbers, but I think he's back on form with last night's show.

His book's worth a read too...

Hmmm, might make a point of catching it on repeat somewhere then. It still seems very strange though. The premiss still seems to be putting some bloke in fear of something, whether he actually is or not, and to cause him mental anguish. After all, what is hypnotism? I don't think there's a medical definition of it or any evidence as to what it is or whether it actually exists - is there?

So the guy might be in no danger but what if it causes him PTSD or something thinking he's going to die?

[6538]

Of course it's scripted. It's entertainment.

The recent camper van trip to Cornwall would have been very dull if it wasn't scripted. As it was Clarkson's van "accidentally" blew over in the night, they "accidentally" pushed it over a cliff.

None of them are actors and they say "Oh no" at the latest "disaster" with all the convinction of Wayne Rooney taking his wedding vows. But it's knockabout entertainment with a lot of old cheap cars on screen so I like it.

This is true. I think if anything then TG's failure was actually to script and film these things a little too well because it took quite a while for it to filter through to people that most of it is following a script.

True, the guys aren't really actors but then in a sense they aren't really playing parts. They are essentially playing themselves - or characatures of themselves - for a bit of a laugh. Point is that "themselves" are essentially just the same as the blokes watching it which isn't something you can say about much on TV these days.

I think James May has said that the whole idea of the show revolves around three blokes cocking around with cars, or something to that effect. He's basically right and the reason why it gets such high ratings is because these are exactly the things that blokes would spend all their time doing if they had the same sort of budget at their disposal. Also, I think it keeps women happy because it's something which keeps the blokes and the kids happy and which isn't sport so they watch it too. How many families have arguments nduring Top Gear - not many I reckon. It's just well produced escapism and, when you think about it, there isn't really that much of that on TV these days.

[AteMoose]

Everything on tv is/was scripted. The reality shows are scripted, I was in the audience of a reality show where they were looking for a dancing coach driver. I was standing in the coach station at an early stage, but we all knew who the winner would be as he had already been told! The winner wasn't even a coach driver, he was a fresh good looking middle manager who had entered the company via the graduate training scheme! The middle manager had been blabbing around the company that he had been chosen as the winner before the heats had even started. I you know him its the middle manager started dating a stripper later that year and couldn't stop telling everyone/showing off before he got dumped.

[JustYield]

This is true. I think if anything then TG's failure was actually to script and film these things a little too well because it took quite a while for it to filter through to people that most of it is following a script.

So you mean when they did the Ferrari versus plane/train/bus to Verbier, Clarkson didn't really pass the others on Verbier high street in the last 200m to the hotel? They even stressed "this is really happening like this!!" Gutted.

[6538]

So you mean when they did the Ferrari versus plane/train/bus to Verbier, Clarkson didn't really pass the others on Verbier high street in the last 200m to the hotel? They even stressed "this is really happening like this!!" Gutted.

It may well have been true, who knows. I'm not saying that absolutely everything they do is scripted down to the second. I'm sure one of them has said previously that the races they are are all "scripted" in the sense that they plan them from the outset to be as close as they can without having to edit the **** off them but, really, that's just doing a good job rather than owt else. I mean you wouldn't do one to see if you can get a 2CV from Heathrow to Sydney before a 747 because that would just be crap telly.

I'm sure they do tinker with them but some of them are probably a fair representation of what actually went on.

When you think about it, even a horse race is "scripted" in the sense that all the horses carry a set weight which is intended to make them all finish as close as possible to one another.