Conclusion

First, as an update to my BGT audition - I received an email (Eventually) in early march stating I had not made it past the pre-audition rounds to the judges stages.  I am not exactly surprised nor disappointed in this result for various reasons which I shall go into shortly.

As a result of my personal experience from my audition as well as the researching I have been finding over the course of this project on TV talent shows- my opinion of them in light of this research has changed perhaps a little bit and has shed some light on a particular genre of TV that intrigues me, as well as the millions of viewers it seems to attract. The fundamental opinion on what I perceive TV talent shows to be however, remains the same. Through research into the construction of this genre I have found particularly through Susan Boyle's story- that the narrative devices used and the way the shows are put-together in terms of editing, music and camera shots are actually incredibly simple and obvious- which I suppose is the appeal as it makes for easy watching. In the defence of the producers of the show they are trying to create drama, tension, personalities and conflict all from some very brief 5 minute (or sometimes shorter) auditions. It could be said that some of their portrayal of people because of this heavy-handed approach comes across from anywhere between over-dramatic and downright insulting. It is in my opinion however undeniably entertaining. I am sure there is another research project which wishes to delve into human nature  to work out why we, as an audience, love to watch people fail and be completely  humiliated on television. There is an almost gladiatorial aspect of people placed in front of a studio audience and judges and having to face the challenge and contend with the dreaded "buzzers" and audience reaction. It is somewhat akin to gladiators being thrown into a pit to fight the lions.

You could argue in some respects that the producers of the shows lacks morals to purposely go out of their way to place "weird" and frankly in some cases questionably borderline mentally-ill people in front of a big audience, because they expect them to be entertaining and be humiliated. The fact is as my own pre-audition experience has taught me- the producers don't ask any questions (in my case) they are wanting a very basic snippet of you in which to judge you. If this was truly a talent show in the traditional sense then there would be nothing but fantastic performers but this show's primary agenda is of course entertainment and that just happens to involve the questionable practice of letting go of many top singers and making way for the select awful people. In that sense the ultimate goal of entertainment and creating a story from contestants, and the "reality TV" aspect of it shines through more, undermining the talent show format it follows. In the truest sense I don't believe these are really talent shows for that reason. You don't go to your towns local talent show hoping "I REALLY hope there's rubbish people here so I can boo them!" in fact, talent shows are usually an inviting and friendly situation. The need for instant-fame and the prospect of appearing on TV makes the TV talent show a gateway for the overnight-celebrity and attracts people somewhat devoid of the talent part. I should say there are some occasions where there are exceptions and some worthy people finally get the recognition they deserve and couldn't achieve for years- this is a fantastic opportunity when presented to the right people.

Speaking of talent shows I wish to conclude this with an observation and opinion on a recent experience from my foray into "Callington's Got Talent" on Sat 17th March 2012. My home town. I had entered and sang Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" on guitar. There were sound issues with the balance that night because the tech guy wasn't quite on the ball, so my guitar was too loud. I had came second place to some 86-year old who sang a few johnny cash songs despite a sub-par voice to be frank, and even his performance suffered from a loose jack lead. We were not competing that night for a record contract nor incredible fame, but rather a "golden pasty" award. Our audience was not a packed out theatre with cameras whizzing over our heads, but rather a half-filled town hall with a sea of mildly-entertained pensioners and the odd annoying child. This experience however, was far more important than my audition in London. Where as in London I was competing for a spot on a reality TV show where fame and fortune was a possibility overnight, here I was doing what performers have been doing for decades -earning your spot in the spotlight. Playing music live to an audience, and craft and honing your skills as a musician and performer in small venues. I didn't get a spot on ITV during a prime Saturday night slot that night- but I did get experience. I got some small offers for local gigs, a couple of handshakes from people who enjoyed my performance, an invitation to an open mic night and an invitation to a choir. So there's a result. And with that I join the ranks of the millions of musicians around the world trying to make a name for themselves and enjoying what they do. We may not get overnight success or appear on television. We may never play to huge crowds of people or get the recognition we deserve or at least think we deserve.  We keep true to ourselves and our craft and work our way up the ladder, because that's how the music industry works.

That said, I will watch Britain's Got Talent when it comes back on our screens this year, and I'll be intrigued to see those plumbers and gardeners with tragic stories who can sing opera surprisingly well, or little Jessica who is 5 years old and can do some impressive acrobatics. Or the man who dresses like a giraffe and plays the trumpet rather poorly, because that's entertaining,  and  that's how television works.