General Chat

I think one also has to make the distinction between criticising the 'intent' of the programme, and the actual 'production values' of the programme, camera shots, editing etc. Perfectly possible to like the first and not the latter.

RR -- re the reaction to something like Exile -- "was not 'uncritical tear jerking' but having more 'understanding'."

That's exactly what I was saying.

That's long been my own personal definition of "art":

something that evokes an emotional response *and makes you think about it*.

Having said that ... we have now fallen asleep not one not two not three but four times after making it into only the first 10 minutes of Exile. ;) Fortunately it's all on DVD do we can just start over again a fifth time! Tell me it gets more engaging after those 10 minutes ...

Things like Long Lost Family are not art.

They are entertainment.

And I'm just not fond of other people's lives being sold as entertainment.

Who do you think you are is quite different, really. It's informational for the most part -- yes, we see the subjects' emotional reactions, but the reactions are to history, really, and the insights they've gained into their own and their familiy's and society's, in many cases. They're motivated by the same things we all are when we do family history, and really we're interested in what they find out and how they find it, we're not grabbing for the kleenex to have a good cry at the wondrous loveliness of life. WDYTYA isn't about peeping into people's present-day private lives and getting our jollies from it.

I'm just twigging here -- are subjects for the TV show supposedly being selected from posters on Living Relatives?

Good lord. Manipulative and exploitive squared, that is.

actually Janey I missed entirely the middle episode of 'Exile' so I must catch up with it some time, but I made sense of it regardlesss lol.

No, the making of the programme came before the LR board so I 'imagine' ,but don't know for sure, that participants were sought through the usual ways, eg advertising that the tv company was looking for participants for a new show.

Rita, I'm not sure it is a question of 'people' only being interested in happy endings. If a sought after relative doesn't want to know surely they wouldn't want to be seen on national TV? Likewise the seeker may well be reluctant to have their hopes dashed so publicly? Result - no programme to air.

Rose, of the little I have seen, the success stories seem to have been fairly simply to solve ie, last night, 20 Patrick Lewis's (was that all?) and only one in the right age range? It wasn't rocket science. I'm sure if that young lady had an FMP sub, the time and spare cash she could have found her dad.(I don't mean that as a criticism of her,just a lack of resources)
What I am saying is, the programme makers will only throw money in the direction of an easy success story. They must call brickwalls off. It is about making money for the sponsers. They want success stories because they make better tele.

Rita, one should never give up hope of finding someone which is one of the reasons I feel strongly that the programme makers have a responsibilty to give some pointers (as must GR), to give some advice on where and how to look, not just the adoption agencies,( no good if you were with birth parent but looking for an 'absentee' parent ), WE know places to look, electoral rolls, phone directories, papers etc ...many people don't have a clue where to start. Maybe some will slow down the credits at the end of the programmes and see where some of the info may have been found.

All the subjects in the making of Long Lost Family were under the wing of Norcap,,,so they wasnt just thrown together willy nilly by the presenters ,GRs involvement was only sponsership and feel sure that anything of this nature for sponsor would have gone before a panel and involved Brightsoild for approval and be 100%lawful.

Rose information is got from sources not accessable to the public.

Kay???
I'm sure everyone is aware that the participants are not "thrown together willy nilly by the presenters" etc.
As far as I can tell.no one here just fell of the christmas tree :D

Kay??????


"feel sure that anything of this nature for sponsor would have gone before a panel and involved Brightsoild for approval and be 100%lawful."

I'm not following. Was there as suggestion here that something unlawful was done, that I've missed? If not ............. ?

"Rose information is got from sources not accessable to the public."

This I'm curious about. What kind of information is this? Personal information about people who did not consent to its release? Or just information that is accessible by the person themself anyway, e.g. their adoption records?

Oh, and

"GRs involvement was only sponsership"

No, it really isn't a question of "only" sponsOrship when it comes to "reality" programs, be they home reno or family finders. Home reno shows are giant advertisements for the building supplies companies that sponsor them; ditto family/ancestor shows and the companies that sponsor them.

These shows really are created in conjunction, at least, with the sponsors.

And really that is what they are -- long advertisements. They're just not as blatant as infomercials.

Or does somebody think that Ancestry wasn't one of the prime movers behind WDYTYA, and involved well before production started?

Gimme the proverbial break. ;)

I know that Kay, re Norcap) but I would argue that there is a difference between the circumstances of adopted chilren, their parents and siblings...and those who have just gone 'missing' .

I noticed on the credits last time, that FMP was named and I think the Guildhall, and city business library and Tracesmart ltd

I can think of few things worse than being reunited with long lost relations on telly - why would anyone do that? It might be joyous or emotional difficult or intense but why why why would you want other people to watch something so personal?

Kay, I'm a bit alarmed by that - why would a tv programme be allowed access to information that the public isn't ?

accredited agencies have access to certain data......

which accredited agencies Kay?

and which data?

Don't be vague, Kay :)

I dunno Uggers, maybe they think Cilla is going to jump out and say "Surprise Surprise" :S
i think some people must be easily swayed by tele producers.


edit. Shucks,my slow typing puts meout of sync again :D :D

Uggers,,,,,not a tv programe....re-read}}

FMP records only go up to 1960 on migration,,,,but accredited gov aproved agencies can go beyond this time.......

lol Island - what a thought! I blame the people themselves rather than the producers - they must be serious attention seekers to put such deeply private stuff on view for all.

wouldn't the 'acreditted agencies' be working for the TV programme though Kay.