LAGUNA BEACH: how is this made? Very well.
 

LAGUNA BEACH:
This is a show on MTV, anyway, not that I watch it but it is probably the best shot reality show ever made to the point that at first I thought it was actors on a regular TV show. None of the typical reality show look. No hand held shaky shots, no apparent on camera lights, the 24pfilm look, obvously they use 16:9 24p cams of some sort, (I would love to know)

So theres got to be a catch to this. How are they phisicaly producing a show that looks like this. Very well made. At first you might find it bothersome, to put a theatrical perspective on reality. (cause it defys what you expect) but you can get used to it. I think they might use body steadycams all the time= to keep such a steady shot...I dont know- you tell me.

Lets please keep coments on the events in the actual show out of this post, or we could get really side tracked. -go somewhere else for that fluf. Thank you

I am very confused by the show as well. In fact when I was watching it a couple days ago, I thought the exact same thing as you. I'm still trying to figure out if it is indeed a reality show or planned out in advance. There was one scene where a guy in a pickup truck pulled up to his friend on the street and the camera angles were switching from the passenger side window to the driver side window as the two were talking. The weird thing was that had both angles been filmed at the same time, you would see the other camera, but you don't. Also, the shots definately seemed like tripod shots, I don't think even the best steadycam operator could be that still. Anyone have a clue?

I very much doubt it is real. Heck most "reality" shows I wouldn't find hard to believe are entirely staged. Much like the WWF. It makes me wonder why people even watch TV.

Im sure a lot to do with it is the city. Laguna Beach has got to be the most beautiful looking city around here.

With that said, it is very, VERY hilly (mini San Franscisco) with tons of places to hide a cam.

The city was designed by a Japaneese company back in the 30's to be "the perfect city." They failed to look a a topo map. All the streets are packed together since the oecan meets the mountians.

The show has got to be staged a little. Hide a camera opperator in the bushes or behind a house. Easy.

Also, the city had bent over backward to assist in the making of the production. MTV really wanted to shoot the show at Laguna Beach High School but the School did not want the distraction.

The city did want the influx of cash, being that the summer is the biggest time of year for them tourist wise - the sidewalks roll up in the winter.

So they picked these High School kids and followed them around outside of school.

Thats all I know I guess.

Tyson: Just saw an episode of Laguna Beach. They had cast members shooting each other with Canon XL2's. The rest of the show's footage had the same look. Could be the entire show is shot with the XL2.

That's just like "Scare Tactics"...many of their setups are at night or in dark rooms or cars at night...and yet there just happens to be lighting. Hmmm. The interior car lighting gets me the most. Do they think we're idiots?

John: yep

Heck most of TV is staged and crap... I can't stand watching it anymore. I only watch movies these days...

They use a Panasonic SDX900 camera.

Or rather that should read, they use Pansonic SDX900 cameras.

The episode with the XL has the XL1s, not the XL-2. It was shot last spring so the XL-2 wasn't even available yet.

I know someone that knows the kids and apparently some of it is real and some of it is staged.

During a recent episode at the Blink 182 concert when they get in the fight with the little person there's a quick shot where you can see the camera man and the little guy walks right up to the camera.

So, I think it's half staged half real but it took me a while to figure it out.

One of the two main girls did a interview (Jimmy something...one of the man show guys) Anyway he had the same question about weather it was real or staged and she said it was all real.

that's not possible. They constantly change angles during conversations which would be impossible to do without multiple cameras (which they obviously are not using as you don't see any other camera men...).

No, it's fake as far as I'm concerned. TV sucks.

I've seen it and it has that MTV fake feel. My money is on a script, multiple takes, all that jazz. The acting is pretty good, but I've seen better.

i was almost positive that they used panasonic DVX100a's...

It's a fake reality!
 

Laguna Beach is the same type of "reality" programming as the MTV movie "The Real Cancun." Of course it's scripted, of course there are multiple cameras and multiple takes. They're just cashing in on the "reality" fad that they pioneered with "The Real World." But just because they say it's reality programming doesn't necessarily make it so. Oh yeah, by the way... television RULES! Never mind what's on TV, because it's probably crap but the idea or concept and potential of television is probably without equal... and yes, I know most of what I just said is paraphrased and lovingly taken from the beautiful mouth of Kiki Stockhammer.