Premise
Quite frankly, Reality TV is just getting boring. Shows copy shows, copy shows. People copy people. Nothing really "new" seems to be happening.
Now, for the first time ever, a program that electrifies the quiet chuckling of reality television, shocking people with a new twist on "what's real".
The Super Eight Troop. A team of 8 talented actors and actresses creating highly theatrical, ridiculously bizarre situation for people "at work" to encounter. The actors will be given the location, the time, and the date. Their goal is singular: To produce the most impossible…the most unlikely…the most bizarre situation they can create in a 12 hour period of time. From a fully-choreographed "Alien Musical" for a Pizza Delivery Person to a "Wall of Human Fish" in an office meeting room, this troop defines reality by delving into their wildest imaginations.
The result of this show is the kind of laughter that few programs in the "reality age" have produced. Unlike other hidden camera shows, this one does not rely entirely on the viewer's reaction. The skill of the troop members and the strength of each sketch are the driving forces of this program's success.
It's SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE meets WHO'S LINE IS IT ANYWAY meets THE JAMIE KENNEY EXPERIMENT. It's a troop of comedy actors, amazing at improv, creating hidden camera sketches that aren't disguised as reality.
Theme
The theme of Super Eight is "Alice in Wonderland in real life". A creation of outlandish "performances" and situations presented as a gift for the men and women working hard in nearly every profession.
Season Scope
Each season will be dedicated to various settings on a coast. Perhaps Season 1 focuses on "The East Coast" with episodes shot in Philadelphia, Ohio, Alabama, and New York City. Each program will show the sketch in creation, narrated by unlikely host "Thirsten", who travels around in his Brown Leather Lounge Chair / Carriage. Each program will feature 3 sketches, concepted, created, directed, and produced by the cast of 8.
Characters
8 Actors: Each actor is amazingly creative, able to build and design sets, resourceful in terms of a budget, amazing at improve acting, and has the ability to think of outrageous, totally unrealistic situations.
Thirsten: The host, Thirsten is an unlikely match for this group. He's a British intellectual who's goal is to get "behind the scenes". But Thirsten is rather lazy, and awkwardly travels around the set in his electric powered lounge chair. Creating an interesting dynamic, he gets in the way of the actors, and can be bothersome with his questioning.
8 Crew: The crew will include cameramen and set-help. The crew will not be seen in the program, unless the Super Eight troop asks crew members to work as extras in certain skits.
Presentation/Format
The presentation of Super Eight is simple. It will fit into a half-hour TV slot, with 3 sketches per episode, divided by a host. The basic structure is like this:
Title Screen
Dedication Screen
Host Interviews
Sketch 1
Glimpse of what's next.
Commercial
Host Interviews
Sketch 2
Glimpse of what's next.
Commercial
Host Interviews
Sketch 3
Glimpse of what's next.
Commercial
Opening each episode will be a "dedication screen", dedicating the program to the affected group. (i.e. This program is dedicated to all the waiters and waitresses who take the time to say "hello") Following the dedication screen, a close up of our host, Thirsten, book in hand and a glass of wine. He's "surprised" by the camera, and begins with some factual information on the subject for that week. (I.e. Pizza. One of the most commonly eaten foods in our nation. Today, the Super Eight group will be….). The camera will pan out to reveal a longshot of the troop in progress of creating the sketch. Thirsten will travel in his electric powered lounge chair around the set asking questions. The questions will never reveal exactly what is going to happen. The host will then look at the camera, and introduce the sketch. ("I'm not quite sure if this is going to work, but here we go…") The sketch will follow, showing both the perspective of what the subjects are seeing as well as how they are reacting. The sketch will be played. Thirsten will travel out in his electric armchair at the end of each skit and greet the subjects. Clips from the next segment will be attached to encourage viewers to stay tuned during the commercial break.
The program will end with the credits and music from either someone in the industry or a band with the name of the industry. (I.e. And taking out our credits this week, a song by "The Waitresses" or a song called "I Love Pizza") etc. Subtly, we want to honor to people of each profession with our program, prompting interest from more social groups.
The programs format involves a host and a team of 8 actors. The actors will have 12 hours create and produce the sketch they decide on. However, the actors will be given an outline of the season's locations and will be encouraged to meet before the airing date to brainstorm ideas. During these meetings, 2 writers will be present to help the actors create the most enticing sketch possible.
What's actually seen on the program will be portion's of the 12 hours the cast was given to create and erect their idea. Hosting the show will be Thirsten, who will be a lovable character, but will seem rather intrusive at times. Thirsten, the host, will be funny himself. But he won't be acting. He'll be for real.
Location/Setting
The Super Eight group is moved to different locations in a particular city. Each location meets the following criteria:
1. It provides adequate space to allow for some kind of production.
2. It will somehow intercept someone while doing their work.
