Keeping up with the Panthers

Kourtlyn Harris

10/09/17

Block: 4As

        In this satire project, my group and I discussed the fakeness of reality television. I worked alongside with Gabe Robertson and Jessica Mixon. Gabe thought of our creative topic and contributed his acting skills as the main character in our video. Jessica wrote the script and also acted as an important character in the video. I gathered other actors, edited the video, and I also participated in the film.

        The name of our film was “Keeping Up with the Panthers”, inspired by “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” and “The Real Housewives”. Our video starts with the reunion episode (occurs at the end of each season for a reality television program). Looking back over the season, the major discussion topic was if Gabby (Gabe) is a real woman. The video then shows clips from earlier in the season that proves that Gabby really is a man. In the end, Gabby admits that he truly is a man and that he pretended to be a woman for money and fame. We used a comical approach to address this topic, which classifies this film with Horatian satire. Gabby being a man was only used to add a more light -hearted, funny approach. The point we made is that reality television is far from “real”, money and fame lures people to embarrass themselves for Instagram followers and a nice paycheck, especially in today’s society. People are so caught up in the lavish lives of today’s celebrities that they would do anything for their name to be known by others.

        In summary, I enjoyed being able to express myself creatively. Although I wish there was more time given in class, I still approve this project. I also liked that after completing this project I have a better definition of satire and how it can affect our everyday lives.