Realism: The techniques by which a media text represents ideas and images that are held to have a true relationship with the actual world around us. Realism means different things in different texts - realism in animation (eg the movement of single hairs in computer animation) means something entirely different to realism in soap opera (eg the depiction of people eating breakfast and talking with their mouths full). it is important to assess how much a text strives for realism, how much audiences are expected to think it is realistic.
(http://www.mediaknowall.com/gcse/keyconceptsgcse/keycon.php?pageID=keyterms)
By definition, reality TV is essentially unscripted programming that doesn't employ actors and focuses on footage of real events or situations. Reality shows also often use a host to run the show or a narrator to tell the story or set the stage of events that are about to unfold. The Face use the 3 Top Model Judges as their hosts, as they explain to the girls what they will be doing next, the audience find out at the same time. Unlike scripted shows like sitcoms, dramas and newscasts, reality TV does not rely on writers and actors, and much of the show is run by producers and a team of editors. Because of this, it can be a very affordable programming option from a production standpoint. However you could argue that The Face does have scripting through picking specific points to show the audience of what the judges are telling them, especially when it comes to the challenges as it is almost certain this has been pre-written before being voiced to the girls.
The defining aspect of reality TV is the manner in which it is shot. Whether the show takes place in a real setting with real people (much like a documentary), shoots in front of a live studio audience that participates in the program, or uses hidden surveillance, reality TV relies on the camera capturing everything as it happens. The Face uses mainly the former as they are real girls in actual situations but they are not 'everyday' places in most occasions with photo-shoots and fashion agencies playing a main role. Also there is an element of hidden surveillance when they live in a house together as a lot of this is recorded for the audience's entertainment to get a feel for the friendship and leadership dynamic among the girls, this is similar to programmes such as "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here" and "Big Brother".
The Face has been created with certain concepts in mind and the girls auditioned and put through into the competition are there for a reason, while the footage may be real, it is usually extremely edited to fit the brief, genre or audience they are aiming for. It is filmed over 8/9 weeks with 8 episodes being shown, and each episode is 45 minutes therefore the amount of time spent filming the girls is no-where near what we're actually being shown. It becomes edited so that we only see the "best bits" for example certain clips of girls saying things will be put in places to add dramatic effect and set it up to be an interesting challenge as they might say they have a certain fear of something or never experienced it. This is called 'frankenbiting' where they edit together conversations extracts or sound bites to create a whole new dialogue or conversation, thus essentially creating alliances, fights and relationships among the judges or girls. Often the girls actions will be taken out of context and send a misleading message to the audience.
Reality shows typically don't have scripts, but there is often a shooting script or an outline that details aspects of an episode or part of the show. For example, in The Face there might be directions for certain challenges, tasks and camera angles and information the Judges must give to the camera to inform the audience. Reality producers and editors have a lot of control over what happens on the show, just by the fact that they've put people together in certain situations, and they're controlling what footage gets aired and what doesn't.
Also another thing that separates reality TV from scripted programmes is the use of actors or not, reality TV is supposedly real people however after the shows have finished and background research has taken place, it becomes apparent that these real girls on the show have previous history of modelling or they're out-of-work at the moment and just want to go on this programme to get themselves a noticed by other brands that were previously un-reachable.
Lacan Theory
The Gaze is a psychoanalytical term brought into popular usage by Jacques Lacan. It describes the relationship of the subject with the desire to look and awareness that one can be viewed. The gaze can be motivated by the subject's desire to control the object it sees, and an object that can likewise capture and hold the subject's eye. The term 'gaze' is often defined as looking long and intently with affection at a subject. The gaze in this case is a relationship and not something that can be performed. A person who determines a sense of themselves as an individual element in the world makes up the idea of the gaze. The concept of the gaze is also a central part of theories looking within modernity. The gaze has affected historical, economical, and cultural environments.
Lacan Theory can be applied to The Face in which the judges and models are very aware of how they are represented to the audience, it appropriately comes with the 'territory' of modelling with having to be aware of your facial expression and body pose when in front of a camera for photo shoots or runway walking therefore the majority of these women are already aware of their actual body. How they are actually represented which is becoming more and more what the producer wants them to be for the audience is sometimes different to how they actually are due to post-production editing. For example the 3 judges have all got their characteristics and the audience can already anticipate what is going to happen through these traits, Naomi is very demanding, headstrong and tough with her group however Caroline & Erin are much softer in their approach and want their models to enjoy the experience. Therefore we can expect a rivalry between these two judges and Naomi due to how they've been presented to us within one episode and these judges understand that this is how they are being portrayed to the audience so they might emphasise this. This then questions the actual genre name as it is not so much a reality, more of a scripted baseline that is then given 'free-run' through the programme but still has a reasonably strict chronological order.
Naomi Campbell is the latest big name from the modelling world to try her hand at reality TV, launching Sky Living's latest attempt at a 'Supermodel X Factor'.