Docu-soap

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Docu-soap is a kind of format for a reality television program. The shows are characterized by the focusing on the interpersonal drama between the participants rather than the subject of the show itself.

In many reality television shows, the viewer and the camera are passive observers following people going about their daily personal and professional activities. This style of filming is often referred to as "fly on the wall" or cinéma vérité.

MTV's Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County may be the epitome of this style of show, with unscripted situations, real-life locations, and no tasks given to the cast (at least, no known ones). Often "plots" are constructed via editing or planned situations, with the results resembling soap operas — hence the term, '"docu-soap".

Generally, docu-soaps try to make the stories of "real people" (the casting process may weed out less interesting personalities) as compelling as those of scripted characters.