Dan F Posted October 16, 2012 Report Posted October 16, 2012 http://mumbrella.com.au/seven-confirms-cel...upfronts-122038 Seven announced it's programming lineup for 2013 last night, and whilst it obviously concentrates on new shows unrelated to H&A (watch out for Bevan's new 1950's drama though!), this small tidbit was at the bottom: A bold call will be Seven’s attempt to hand over partial control of the long time soap Home and Away to its audience. “Fans will have input into storyline development by social media,” Burnette said. Bold indeed. I only hope it doesn't mean that ideas for/outcomes of storylines will solely depend on how many 'likes' something gets on Facebook... Will be interesting to see how they plan to implement this....
John Posted October 16, 2012 Report Posted October 16, 2012 http://mumbrella.com.au/seven-confirms-cel...upfronts-122038 Seven announced it's programming lineup for 2013 last night, and whilst it obviously concentrates on new shows unrelated to H&A (watch out for Bevan's new 1950's drama though!), this small tidbit was at the bottom: A bold call will be Seven’s attempt to hand over partial control of the long time soap Home and Away to its audience. “Fans will have input into storyline development by social media,” Burnette said. Bold indeed. I only hope it doesn't mean that ideas for/outcomes of storylines will solely depend on how many 'likes' something gets on Facebook... Will be interesting to see how they plan to implement this.... Very much a two edged sword this one. As an older viewer I find the idea of scripting via Facebook and/or Twitter a bit disturbing. I guess it depends on the degree of influence. However once they've opened the door by the announcement people will get annoyed if it's obvious the " majority " aren't having any influence.
b2sb09 Posted October 17, 2012 Report Posted October 17, 2012 Is this like when they asked what viewers wanted and it was less crime, then we ended up with year after year of predictable and seemingly neverending crime storylines? The problem with social media is that it's often only a small section of viewers who use it (most people who I personally know that watch Home and Away don't come onto the fan sites or forums) and if Facebook and Twitter are anything to go by, it's kind of scary to think of what could happen with storylines. As it is, I think it already has a big influence on storylines, especially with how the River Boys are viewed on those networks and the show (and the FB page) now revolves so much around them, yet ratings have gone down, so how do they judge what viewers want on social media to what people are actually willing to sit down and watch when they haven't been able to do so now? And who do they listen to? Those who want what the writers want and so they continue to ignore other viewers if their ideas don't fit into their plans, viewers like those who have for years wanted more balance (light/dark storylines, equal air time/storylines), more diversity, a same-sex storyline, less over-the-top storylines and a bit more realism etc? They will never be able to satisfy viewers in this way, but it would be nice if TPTB took on board ALL views, but only to gauge reactions on likes/dislikes/wants so they can find a balance, which they seem incapable of doing even now - they tend to go so far in one direction and I can see that continuing on an even more uneven scale if they let social media influence them more than it already seems to do. And I can also see many a disgruntled viewer who feels they're not being heard while others are - a bit like now, only I think it could get worse.
ScreamingQueen2006 Posted October 17, 2012 Report Posted October 17, 2012 Be interesting to see how they work this idea. I can see there being problems like others have said about some people feeling that they are being ignored.
Ryan Posted October 17, 2012 Report Posted October 17, 2012 I remember Family Affairs had a storyline where I believe the audience (so about 100 people then), could vote on which woman a character would marry. But wasn't it done in a way where the two outcomes were filmed, but 2 weeks down the track the show got to a point where it was the same whichever option was chosen. I think, like many of the above posts, is whether this interaction with fans is limited to 140 characters or clicking a poll option or a thumbs up badge is lacking. Whilst I appreciate that these new fangled types of communication have their place in the world, I don't really believe this is the place. If they are to take opinions from fans of the show where they believe the strengths and weaknesses lie and where they could improve it would be a pretty interesting move. But if it's should ?April buy a green car or a red car. TV shows should not always follow the popular tide of opinion, sometimes it should make decisions that are at the time not what the popular opinion wants. Sometimes a popular couple should be broken up. Life is not always a fairytale. Sometimes people die. There's many a movie or TV show where you fall in love with a character and then they are dead. But that's what's great. You can't watch it without knowing where it's going and that sometimes the decisions of one person will surpise you.
alexx Posted October 17, 2012 Report Posted October 17, 2012 This doesn't fill me with excitement, considering the majority of those who post on Facebook/Twitter seem quite shallow in their view of the show - with the H&A online marketing team encouraging it...
Jen Posted October 17, 2012 Report Posted October 17, 2012 TV shows should not always follow the popular tide of opinion, sometimes it should make decisions that are at the time not what the popular opinion wants. Sometimes a popular couple should be broken up. Life is not always a fairytale. Sometimes people die. There's many a movie or TV show where you fall in love with a character and then they are dead. But that's what's great. You can't watch it without knowing where it's going and that sometimes the decisions of one person will surpise you. This, exactly. I would much rather know that the writers/producers/whoever captains the ship has sat down and planned out a long-term series of storylines, that has arcs and climaxes and resolutions and actually develops the character(s) involved. There is a reason people are hired as scriptwriter's, right? They're the ones who make those decisions. Yes, to an extent fans want to be heard, but then you run the risk of it becoming "fan service" (which Glee does quite a bit of, often to the detriment of the show and other characters). It becomes a token "you voted for this so we spend one episode on it so now you can be satisfied" type of thing, and no fan of the show wants that. We watch because we know there will be thiings we agree with and disagree with and there will be moments of light and shade, and yes, sometimes our favourite couples split and favourite character get hurt, but that is what brings us back. This idea of, 'it could get better'. If the fans are dictating the show in some capacity, then you have a small, loud group of fans saying they want "more hot guys!", "x & y should be together forever!" etc, and this is a generalisation on both accounts. There are fans who watch the show who don't have a presence on social media, and who also fall into the minority who aren't concerned with the things of the generation who tweets and blogs and everything else. I'm fine if the show wants to look into what the fans like/don't like, but I don't think it should dictate the direction of the show. Obviously this is all speculative, because we have no real information about how this will run/what is will entail, so I guess I'm left hoping for the best? I want TPTB to take on board what we say, but not let it override what they want to do with the show.
cadyctslover Posted October 17, 2012 Report Posted October 17, 2012 Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear. I think there certainly should be some account of viewer feedback when producing a show such as Home and Away, to gauge reactions to certain storylines and characters. Unfortunately in my experience, the type of viewers who comment on the H&A facebook page don't know their ar*e from their elbow, let alone what makes a good plot. So should the producers be taking much notice of their ideas? I hope not. The vast majority of the members on this forum engage in very educated discussion about the show based on a wealth of knowledge, have a great respect for the program, and want to see it succeed. Although it has been confirmed TPTB peruse BTTB, currently I don't feel as though they're taking much notice of what's being said. However, head over to the H&A facebook page, and it's quite clear to me that feedback there is being acknowledged. To appeal to a wide audience, feedback should never be taken exclusively from a bunch of 12-year olds on a fan page, so I hope I'm wrong about this. Surely if you've been employed as the Script Producer of a television program you should know what makes for a successful storyline arc, without relying on this type of input.
~Lynd~ Posted October 17, 2012 Report Posted October 17, 2012 We might be surprised.Hasn't the reaction to Rocco's death been pretty negative?Generally I agree though.I wouldn't be paying to much attention to the fb/Twitter community to help ratings.
lozlovesh&a Posted October 18, 2012 Report Posted October 18, 2012 http://mumbrella.com.au/seven-confirms-cel...upfronts-122038 Seven announced it's programming lineup for 2013 last night, and whilst it obviously concentrates on new shows unrelated to H&A (watch out for Bevan's new 1950's drama though!), this small tidbit was at the bottom: A bold call will be Seven’s attempt to hand over partial control of the long time soap Home and Away to its audience. “Fans will have input into storyline development by social media,” Burnette said. Bold indeed. I only hope it doesn't mean that ideas for/outcomes of storylines will solely depend on how many 'likes' something gets on Facebook... Will be interesting to see how they plan to implement this.... I hope it means more like fans can suggest storylines or end of storylines or something like that.... though yes, I agree that alot of viewers on Facebook are shallow and don't really care about the state of the show unlike us on here that do care. EDIT - If you think that feedback on Facebook is being acknowledged then wouldn't the logical option be to say something on Facebook? Maybe you might be heard if you have something to say..... couldn't hurt to try. Just you know, putting that out there.
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