Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1203636
Accidents will happen: Host Jeff Probst and the medical team during the fourth episode of season 32, "Survivor: Kaoh Rong." R O B E R T V O E T S / C B S E N T E R T A I N M E N T 37 S P R I N G Q 1 I S S U E were no other shows like "Survivor" and reality TV was in its infancy. In terms of style and tone, we started with a blank canvas. Since every episode had a dramatic reveal at the end, we began to emulate traditional drama, c ra f t i n g s ce n e w o r k f ro m s c ra p s o f moments to create a sense of cause and effect that viewers could track. Today, the techniques we experimented with back then have become commonplace in good non-fiction. But at the time, we were struggling to figure it all out. The iconic characters of season one became the benchmark of the series. Originally cast from key demographics across the country, each character was chosen to appeal to a given group of viewers. Ideally, there would be someone for everyone to root for. Mark Burnett knew that developing these characters was going to be the key to the show's success and we worked hard to do that. In the end, it was really just a handful of key moments that de- fined these characters: Richard's naked birthday, Rudy's stubborn refusal to "get along" with younger teammates that mystified him, or Gretchen's nurturing leadership that ultimately led to her surprising demise. Mathews: I remember in Season 2, the first episode's Tribal Council was a blowout vote. We were worried that there wouldn't be enough suspense be- cause the vote was so straightforward. In an effort to create suspense, I introduced the classic "Survivor" over the shoulder shot, showing the contestants holding up the vote without revealing who they were voting for. It was the start of something we would continue to do for seasons to come. The Fourth Wall Throughout the show's run, there have been moments where the reality sets in of the environment and the people playing. It's in those moments when the fourth wall shatters, as the show eschews its usually-invisible crew to showcase the intensity playing out in front of them. Foley: Reaching outside the game into the real world is always dicey because it risks breaking the sense of isolation that is so key to "Survivor." We actually wor- ried these moments might undermine the show. Instead, they became powerful emotional stories that deepened the c h a ra c te rs a n d c re ate d s o m e o f t h e show's most memorable moments. On a personal level, these stories can be tough to edit. But as a storyteller, they are great opportunities to capture something universal about the human condition: Moments of joy and sorrow we can all relate to on some level. Va n Wa ge n e n : S o m e t i m e s i t 's a matter of necessity. Editors always keep the fourth wall in mind. But there are moments when we don't have time to worry about the crew in shots and booms in frame. Those moments can quickly turn from cinematic to vérité. And really, I think it puts the audience right in the middle of these intense moments. One of those intense moments came in the second season with the first-ever medical evacuation. Contestant Michael Skupin had collapsed on the fire due to smoke inhalation, severely burning his hands in the process. What followed was a harrowing sequence that saw castaways and crew alike stepping in to treat him. Foley: The imaginary world of "Sur- vivor" was shattered when Michael had to be medevaced after falling into the fire. In the edit suite, editor Ivan Ladiz- insky faced a difficult challenge because the injury itself happened early in the morning when there was no camera on Michael. His screams of pain brought crews running as he stumbled into the river in agony. To tell the story visually, Ivan used a very Hitchcock technique using just sound and nature B-roll to tell the tale off-camera before plunging into the chaotic live coverage of events. Thirty seasons later saw another scary medical situation. In the blistering heat of Cambodia, three contestants col- lapsed due to exhaustion in the middle of a challenge. The scene was a frantic fra- cas, as crew members of all backgrounds F E A T U R E