Congratulations! You've Become an Exploitative Television Scumbag!

November 1, 2007 8:16 AM

People think working in television is glamorous, but is it really? Is it, really? Is it? Really? Charlie Brooker on making TV (Youtube, NSFW). Selected bite-sized chunks: filming, watching your ideas take shape, being the talent.

Also: on UK imports to the US, on US TV and on editing reality TV.

Previously.

posted by tiny crocodile (27 comments total)

I'd pay him to stop flinging his right hand around on camera like that.
posted by miss lynnster at 8:27 AM on November 1, 2007

People think working in television is glamorous

Clearly, these "people" you speak of have never actually, y'know, worked in television.

This one is pretty god damn accurate.
posted by dersins at 8:32 AM on November 1, 2007 [1 favorite]

Also: TV Go Home
posted by Grangousier at 8:42 AM on November 1, 2007

Hey, when did YouTube start allowing movies running longer than 10 minutes? That first link is to a 29 minute video.

Never heard of Brooker before, but this is cool.
posted by maudlin at 8:43 AM on November 1, 2007

Working in television IS glamorous. That's the problem.
posted by DU at 8:56 AM on November 1, 2007

Hilarious! (And thanks for the NSFW dersins!)
posted by DU at 8:59 AM on November 1, 2007

(And thanks for the NSFW dersins!)

What the fuck are you talking about? Because there's cussing? What are you, in kindergarten? And if you are, why the fuck are you clicking links to youtube videos in the first place?
posted by dersins at 9:07 AM on November 1, 2007 [1 favorite]

Charlie Brooker has a Guardian column fwiw.
posted by vbfg at 9:09 AM on November 1, 2007

I think of this one everytime mefites get offended over something stupid or start harping on about something "not really being funny".
posted by Artw at 9:15 AM on November 1, 2007

A Cunt Compendium is my favorite thing he's done. Nathan Barley in un-watered down form.
posted by Spacelegoman at 9:23 AM on November 1, 2007

I had no idea he was behind that. Blimey, that was a blast from the past.
posted by vbfg at 9:36 AM on November 1, 2007

Um...because of the simulated sex and loud orgasms?
posted by DU at 9:41 AM on November 1, 2007

Um...because of the simulated sex and loud orgasms?

"I hate offended people. They come in two flavours - huffy and whiny - and it's hard to know which is worst. The huffy ones are self-important, narcissistic authoritarians in love with the sound of their own booming disapproval, while the whiny, sparrowlike ones are so annoying and sickly and ill-equipped for life on Earth you just want to smack them round the head until they stop crying and grow up. Combined, they're the very worst people on the planet - 20 times worse than child molesters..."

Thanks for the link to that column, Artw. You're right-- it's entertainingly relevant to metafilter.
posted by dersins at 9:49 AM on November 1, 2007 [1 favorite]

i've been working in TV for the past year, this is scary acurate., especially the filming bit.
posted by SageLeVoid at 9:57 AM on November 1, 2007

Outstanding, I loved TV Go Home and had no idea Brooker was on television these days.
posted by nicolas léonard sadi carnot at 10:03 AM on November 1, 2007

Mod note: a few comments removed - go bitch about NSFW designations in MetaTalk, not in the thread.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 10:06 AM on November 1, 2007

That's a great bit, dersins. Brief simulated orgasm and all.
posted by cortex at 10:21 AM on November 1, 2007

All of Screenwipe is here...

Just realised there's an ep there I've not seen... deep joy. I'll save it for later.

I've recently read his Screenburn, a collection of his tv crit. Very very funny and perceptive... For a long while I used to buy the Guardian on Sat mainly just to read his reviews.
He's got another one out for Christmas.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 11:16 AM on November 1, 2007

Hey, when did YouTube start allowing movies running longer than 10 minutes? That first link is to a 29 minute video.

Become a YouTube Director
posted by Bovine Love at 12:21 PM on November 1, 2007

That guy's very funny, and the video is educational to boot! Thanks for the post.
posted by languagehat at 12:30 PM on November 1, 2007

This is why I'm not too bitter about not staying on to work in the industry.
posted by slimepuppy at 12:47 PM on November 1, 2007

I work in the industry and his pieces are forwarded as much as Mums forward pictures of baby animals yawning.

My favourite is the ideas one.
posted by meech at 1:20 PM on November 1, 2007

This is why I'm not too bitter about not staying on to work in the industry.

..and why I'm bitter I did stay.

I keep trying to get out, though. Anyone want to hire a guy in his 30's whose only job skills involve budgeting and scheduling for commercials and crap reality TV shows?
posted by dersins at 1:26 PM on November 1, 2007

dersins: how are your sheetrocking skills?
posted by jessamyn at 2:02 PM on November 1, 2007

let me put it this way-- if they were any good, i wouldn't be helping our nation's children learn all about the sugar delivery systems they so desperately need.
posted by dersins at 2:25 PM on November 1, 2007

Thanks for the collected works, fearfulsymmetry.

That puts an end to my being a productive member of society til at least Monday...
posted by tiny crocodile at 4:02 AM on November 2, 2007

Thanks a bunch for posting this. I had already seen this special on BBC a while ago, but never realized it was spawned from an actual show. This post has certainly turned me on to Screenwipe. This guy has posted pretty much every episode to YouTube, and Brooker's writings for the Guardian are a worthwile read, too.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 7:42 AM on November 10, 2007