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Underground > Creation >

Desert Islands, Reality TV Shows, young white rich people let off the leash

All Acting Regiment

05:40 / 29.01.06

I'm interested in writing a story called Crocodile Island. The idea is that a TV company basically buy this tropical island, maybe in the pacific or the carribean. They set up a reality TV show, Crocodile Island (or maybe something a bit more hip?): college-age American and European kids win a chance to go to the island and when there they are totally unsupervised yet at the same time constantly on live TV worldwide, on their own channel. It's seen as a mecca for just going mad, a total release from everyday life- presence on the island is determined by votes, so it's the most entertaining people who get to stay there. It's seen as a party island by "the yoof". The show is ongoing, projected to go on forever.

I'm wary of The Beach, Lord Of The Flies and Lost comparisons, but I think the reality TV angle could bring something interesting to it.

What I'm after is ideas for things that could happen within this set-up. One major one is the fact that there's an unknown indigenous population living there, and the sort of clashes that could occur, the way the westerners might abuse the natives and how the western culture would be interpreted. Does anyone have any thoughts about the best way to do this? I'm worried about falling into cliche's and racism.

In terms of the kids on the island, I've got this idea for a gorup of three lads, one of whom is a sort of failed intellectual, read a few books but forgotten them and they keep coming back to haunt him in the midst of all the hedonism. There's mounting tension between him and the other two- that could go places, maybe?

Another one is for a girl- although it could be a boy -who is still a virgin, feels insecure about it, makes friends with a more confident woman but is ultimately tricked by her into a situation she doesn't want to be in. Again, possible potential for good story about people manipulating others but this is a very sensitive theme and I need to know what to do with it- as I'm a bloke, would it be better to have this character be male?

So there you go. What do you think of the above ideas and are there any that spring to mind given the ingredients above?

07:42 / 29.01.06

Isn't this basically big brother but less interesting?

13:59 / 29.01.06

That's seems a bit of a harsh surmisal sleaze. Legba you have some potentially interesting themes here and yeah, while the reality tv topic is so current that it may seem to border on the boring, in this context it's also a great device to explore interpersonal relationships far removed from normal society. However, with the whole world watching as well as a production crew presumably ready to intervene I'm not sure how you're going to include real transgression of societal boundaries as in Lord of the Flies or The Beach.

as I'm a bloke, would it be better to have this character be male?

Well there's much to be said for writing from experience if that's what you mean? Are you worried that your telling of the tale would come off unconvincingly otherwise?

All Acting Regiment

15:16 / 29.01.06

Yeah, looking at this I think I'll move from the transgressing boundaries to the conflict between the interlopers and the indigenous groups- maybe point out some of the bad stuff about western culture.

00:23 / 30.01.06

good luck legba! i'm deep into a novel at the moment where about third to half will comprise a reality tv show (using sleaze's pithiness as a guide, it's like big brother meets fashion house in the kitchen) but try as i might i haven't got a clue how to write this bit! i have a swag of names, a few character ideas and i have the 'rules' of the 'game' sorted (my novel's second main character is the producer/conceiver of the show) but i want to deliberately make it distinct in style and kind from the rest of the book.

s'hard! i want to have a finished draft by may, but am running out of time if i don't start writing the chunky bits soon!

my ideas though will come from drafting up some character traits and then writing the play of them against each other. mebbe try it from the start point of a character on the island or two, and i like the indigenous population bit. could always bring in a 'gate crasher'; anthropologist with a vested interest??

01:47 / 05.02.06

"as I'm a bloke, would it be better to have this character be male?"

I think that having this character be male would do wonders towards moving that particular subplot away from the "good girl gets backstabbed by snooty girl she thought was her friend" cliche so common to sitcoms and bad teen movies.

All Acting Regiment

02:33 / 05.02.06

Aye. I know it's a stereotype based on behaviour (I've seen it happen at least) but it's still a stereotype.

Our Lady Has Left the Building

15:49 / 09.02.06

Is this serious or satirical and who are you aiming it at? If it's adults then it sounds a bit too like Lost, if it's teens wasn't there someshow called something like The Tribe on C4 which was in similar territory?

Baobab Branches and Plastic

09:45 / 21.02.06

Young white rich people let off the leash

leash em tighter I say... positively strap them down, the island or whatever becomes rather incidental at that point.

Baobab Branches and Plastic

10:12 / 21.02.06

eep. big sorrys folks... work computer lunchhour malaise!