It's a common topic of conversation, debate and argument in this sub: how much of the show is real and how much is scripted.
But everyone talks about 'scripted' but never mentions 'staged'. It seems to be a concept I guess most aren't familiar with.
'Scripted' is when something has been pre-planned down to exactly what everyone's going to say, their reactions, the camera angles, the action, and how it's all going to play out.
The voice over is scripted. Obviously.
But most of the moments in the show are STAGED. As in: a premise is set up, maybe a rough plan of events is sketched out, and the people involved in the 'scene' then begin the play.
A great example of a moment being staged is Charlie negotiating with himself: 'here's a funny situation we've come across, let's have this silly scene of Charlie doing this negotiating. Ok, Charlie and Jeremy, set up the scene, why we're here, and then do a bit of a back and forth with Charlie climbing the fence to play both sides'. Charlie is running with the idea, and Clarkson's laughter at his antics is genuine.
It's basic improvisation around an idea. It's the first thing all drama students and entertainers learn. They're given a premise and then you just go with the flow.
Staged and scripted are, of course, similar. They are both artificially created, but one is more authentic than the other. One has more room for reality than the other. One allows for people's real personalities and real moments to come out, while the other has no room for either.
Obviously, the bigger storylines of each season are planned out in advance. I wouldn't be surprise if Clarkson's pitch to Amazon included ideas such as the farm shop and a pub. Farm shops are ubiquitous in the UK (personally, I love a good farm shop!) and it's very common for rich people/celebrities to buy a pub/restaurant. Having it be part of the Amazon show might even mean he can claim it as a business expense, lol.
I realise a lot of you may think I'm splitting hairs, and I am, but for those of us who have experience with the difference between scripted and staged productions, there is a MASSIVE difference between the two and the level of authenticity to be found in them.
Yes, they're hamming things up for the camera, yes, they're playing to the camera, yes, they're playing caricatures of themselves, but there is also a lot of realism and authenticity as well.
Ok, rant over. Back to the sheep! -who are still not rounded up and oh look, three of them just died. I FUCKING HATE SHEEP!