Friday, October 5, 2007

034

The theme song from The Hills is usually stuck in my head at work, which means two things:
. It's on the radio.
. I know what's been happening on The Hills.

If anyone ever needed proof that the episodes are outlined/planned, look at Jason's engagement announcement. The actors couldn't think of anything to say, and everyone in the scene looked bored with the situation. It happened at a crowded apartment party...but not this apartment building, where that dickbag actually lived during the first season/at some point. That's unrelated, but it's a conversation starter.

But I'm partly wrong here, about the fake factor. I learned while talking about the show with one of my roommates, a film editor and another of the embarrassingly hooked viewers, that I actually underestimated the level of polishing.

Some scenes are obviously cut in strange ways, which I knew, but if you pay better attention to the angles and placement of the shots, you will notice a lot of over-the-shoulder and reaction shots. The dialogue is then changed or added later. It's dubbed. They're fucking with you, which would raise ethical questions had I not realized these series were fake the first time I watched Laguna Beach. It was the reason I didn't care about the show, knowing it was unattainable, but everyone at Bethany under 35 was hooked it seemed. And I've just cheapened my hard-earned degree.

So, I moved to Hollywood to absorb myself into fairly dumb but shiny, fake shows starring rich kids. Actually, I started watching The Hills as a way to introduce myself to more of L.A. during my summer internships a year ago, and it's at least a little worthwhile to someone looking to enter the entertainment industry to know what's popular. This applies to me.

So there's another excuse. But thankfully, I'll never watch Newport Harbor. Somehow that semi-polished turd simultaneously bores and disturbs me.

Despite the bullshit that should be obvious, The Hills is shot beautifully. I really could do without hearing so much crappy music, but the presentation quality is wonderful, even if the characters aren't. And if I find a new episode airing, I'm sure I'll watch it. MTV fucking tricked me, and there's no sense in hiding it.

No comments: