While all reality formats offer some insight into human behavior, social experiments dive deep into the psyche and reveal a more authentic, raw depiction of the human condition and what happens when someone is put under certain pressures.<\/p>\n
This genre of exploring what it means to be human has blossomed in the last several years, as people have been forced to acknowledge the deeper parts of themselves through the pandemic and other world troubles, according to several executives in the formats industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe demand for social experiments has been big in the past, and I would say it increased in the most recent years,\u201d says Tim Gerhartz, managing director of Red Arrow Studios International.<\/p>\n
Sophie Ferron, founder and CEO of Media Ranch, concurs, noting that even in the last several months, the genre has \u201cbeen a constant ask from all of our buyers.\u201d<\/p>\n
While dating experiments, in particular, have become more popular with the debuts of FBoy Island<\/em>, Love is Blind<\/em> and the like, requests for more meaningful shows have been increasing, Sumi Connock, creative director of formats at BBC Studios, says.<\/p>\n Connock, Gerhartz and Ferron all agree that the pandemic has been the biggest driver of trends within the social-experiments genre.<\/p>\n For Red Arrow Studios International, Old People\u2019s Home for 4 Year Olds <\/em>became a hit and received a spin-off, Old People\u2019s Home for Teenagers<\/em>, which recently launched in Australia. The formats bring together retirement home residents and 4-year-olds or teenagers to see how they interact and affect each other\u2019s health. The spin-off focuses on the loneliness epidemic in particular. \u201cIt has been specifically the teenagers who lost two, three years of their life during the pandemic, and now they really should be in the focus, and we should see what\u2019s happening with them,\u201d Gerhartz says.<\/p>\n Media Ranch\u2019s catalog, meanwhile, features 180 Days<\/em>, which sees young people in their 20s who need room and board take up residence in a nursing home in exchange for volunteering one hour a day for a month with the elderly, participating in birthday celebrations, walks, cleaning and social time. \u201cWe had that one before Covid, but after Covid, we realized that the two segments of [the population] that had been hurt the most by Covid were the elderly and the young 20s,\u201d Ferron says. \u201cRight now, it is such a timely format because we need healing.\u201d<\/p>\n Social experiments centered on mental health, wellness and self-improvement have received a major boost since the pandemic as well, Connock notes. BBC Studios has multiple formats in this category, including Art on the Brain<\/em>, known locally in Australia as Space 22<\/em>. The series explores whether seven strangers can improve their mental health and ultimately their lives through the power of art and creativity. \u201cIt was created based on the fact that one in four of us experience a mental health issue,\u201d she says. It has found immense support from around the world, as \u201cit\u2019s a social experiment that\u2019s rooted in something real.\u201d She adds, \u201cThe ultimate social experiment is when you encourage the audience to ask questions about themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Freeze the Fear with Wim Hof<\/em> is another prime example, Connock says. It\u2019s \u201ca big reality entertainment series built around the benefits of extreme cold therapy and the Wim Hof method,\u201d she explains. It sees eight celebrities living in sub-zero temperatures doing activities such as daily cold showers, swimming in frozen lakes and even jumping backward off a 500-foot bridge. \u201cThe ultimate goal was that they were going to emerge healthier, happier, stronger human beings,\u201d Connock says. And it did really well, becoming BBC One\u2019s number one factual-entertainment launch of the year so far, she reports.<\/p>\n Perhaps the most important part of all these social experiments: \u201cThere was no competition element or voting or eliminations,\u201d Connock says. \u201cIt was about self-improvement, which I think is a trend we\u2019re definitely going to continue to see going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n Even when dealing with heavy topics like mental health issues, the focus is on improvement and positive change. The experiments are skewing \u201ca little lighter, more uplifting,\u201d Gerhartz says. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of serious stuff going on out there in the real world, so I think commissioners are definitely looking for some lighter, uplifting shows.\u201d<\/p>\n Given that these types of formats deal with the human psyche, it is important for producers to keep in mind their potential effects, the three executives note. Therefore, \u201cwe ask producers and channels to make sure that there are certain duty-of-care rules and regulations not only during production and preproduction but also postproduction, specifically during the launch and the airing of a show,\u201d Gerhartz says. \u201cThat\u2019s the critical phase, really.\u201d<\/p>\n Connock agrees, noting that BBC Studios works with medical teams and psychologists during casting and filming and provides aftercare support and contacts. It\u2019s important to \u201chighlight any potential negative reactions from either press or social media,\u201d she says, stressing the importance of \u201cproviding guidance and support when [participants] are navigating this.\u201d In addition, she says, \u201cWe\u2019ll employ a welfare producer whose sole job is to provide support for any contributors. I also think it\u2019s really important that we proactively check in with contributors around transmission because not everyone who\u2019s taken part is inclined to reach out for help. Even if they need it, they might feel like they can\u2019t. It\u2019s a producer\u2019s responsibility to make sure that they check in with the contributors.\u201d<\/p>\n Though the specific aftercare protocols and guidance offered may vary depending on the subject of each experiment, all three agree that they are an imperative part of the production process no matter what. Ferron even adds that it\u2019s important for help to be offered to the crew as well. \u201cThey are affected sometimes by what they are seeing because it\u2019s pretty revealing,\u201d she notes. \u201cWhen you do a social experiment, you discover a lot about the human psyche, and a lot of the crew is affected by that as well.\u201d<\/p>\n While cultural differences around the world could potentially bar certain social experiments from traveling, they haven\u2019t actually impeded the genre very much. \u201cThe truth is, if the show is strong, it travels,\u201d Gerhartz says. \u201cA good idea is a good idea. A good show is a good show and will travel.\u201d<\/p>\n Connock and Ferron concur, with Ferron noting that the streamers have helped with travelability. The various streaming services often give their programs big rollouts, and \u201ccultural differences are not as important,\u201d Ferron says.<\/p>\n Ultimately, \u201cif you manage to achieve something that actually improves the lives of others, then it\u2019s a really good use of a social-experiment platform,\u201d Connock notes, and it will find an audience anywhere.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Red Arrow Studios International\u2019s Tim Gerhartz, Media Ranch\u2019s Sophie Ferron and BBC Studios\u2019 Sumi Connock discuss the latest trends within the social-experiments format genre.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1412,"featured_media":9230,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,69],"tags":[1337,1480,1327],"class_list":["post-9229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-features","category-top-stories","tag-bbc-studios","tag-media-ranch","tag-red-arrow-studios-international","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\n