What’s wrong with Martha’s Apprentice?
By S Simmons. Filed in Editing, television |
This article prompted me to wonder exactly what is wrong with Martha Stewart’s Apprentice;
http://www.drudgereport.com/flash4.htm
(The above link is no longer current)
I think the biggest problem revolves around that fact that Martha’s version is exactly the same as Donald’s version, only with Martha. Of course that is exactly what they were going for. But 2 of the best things in Donald’s version, “you’re fired” and Donald’s own personality, are missing from Martha’s version.
But the one thing that probably could save Martha’s Apprentice is to give it enough elements to make it its own unique show. The producers have duplicated the elements down to the exact same shots. We get the many stock footage shots of New York City, the boardroom or conference room, the somewhat useless secretary outside the boardroom (though Martha’s has a few more tasks), the lackeys who are the “eyes and ears” of the stars, the same facial close-ups of the contestants as they react to things done and said, even duplicates of the shots of the door handles of the boardroom closing as contestants leave. Oh yea, and the door shot of the remaining contestants walking back into the loft at the end of each show.
While there is nothing wrong with this kind of thing (except maybe the useless secretary) it becomes tiring in Martha’s version because it is duplicated almost verbatim. Why not keep the same show concept but make the new version unique in its own right. As much as I love New York City, it would have been nice to get to know another US metropolitan area. Sure Martha’s company is head-quartered there but maybe that’s a clue it won’t work. While the loft that Martha’s contestants live in seems the idea choice, it is too close in concept to the one that Donald’s contestants live in, making me feel like I am visiting the same space twice a week … and that may be once too many. The fact that Martha can’t use the words “you’re fired” leaves an awkward, non-climactic moment at the end of each show. Sometimes I’m not even sure if she has cut the person she is addressing or not. And of course there will be a corporate reshuffle every few weeks to even up the teams. If you want some real drama, let a team of 6 or 7 take on a team of 2 or 3. Skew the rules a little bit (kind of like a form of drag racing called Bracket Racing) and let them go at it. Like the original, a keen ear can pick up the subtle differences in the voices of the Donald and Martha when they address contestants in the boardroom, indicating that they have had to edit the show with voice over to make it all work. While I’m under no misconceptions that this isn’t done ALL the time in reality programming, it can be distracting in the quiet confines of the boardroom. And while Martha’s daughter and the cigar-toting sidekick do a good enough job they can only be compared to George and Carolyn from the original, so by comparison, they pale. What about some kind of video conferencing technology that could bring Martha right to a task to comment on some of the action (that is if she couldn’t be there in person). Of course, she may be too busy for that so she may be too busy for the show in general. But Martha’s version is probably more of an image piece after her prison stay more than anything.
The biggest difference between the 2 Apprentice programs lets Martha write a letter to each losing contestant at the end of the show. While the idea is good, the letters are often just tokens and not of any real constructive criticism to the losing constants. It also takes away the last dig that the losing contestant can give to their former teammates. This comment in Donald’s version while in the taxi can provide some great drama as well as allow the fired contestant to either redeem themselves and show they are a real human being or just let the viewer know he or she is exactly the schmuck we all though they were!
Can Martha’s Apprentice be fixed? Probably not if they leave it exactly like it is. A “retooling” is in order if it wants to survive. Better yet, cancel it and give us a Hollywood version all revolving around the movie biz!
