Living on Camera(1)

　　The Kress,an Asian-inspired L.A.clue,has barely been open on week,but tonight it’s hosting the equivalent of a meeting with the Pope—that is,a visit from the cast and crew of MTV’s reality hit The Hills ,With stars Lauren Conrad and Audrina Paridge due to arrive at 8:30 p.m.for their standard videotaped girl talk over cocktails,the crew is busy prepping the space for cameras.Two seats at the corner of the bar are reserved,and a production assistant laps around the room handing out forms asking bystanders to agree to appear on camera.If they don’t ,production will ask them to move,or shoot around them.Most comply easily,unimpressed by the fact that MTV’s highest-rated series will be shooting a scene mere feet from their plates of lobster sashimi and beef carpaccio.Clearly,they don’t know that roommates Lauren And Audrina are having major tension at home,and this could be a totally important conversation.

　　Finally,Lauren and Audrina coast into the club and take their seats at the bar.No direction.No rehearsals.They just start talking.Upstairs,the director and four producers,including creator and executive producer Adam,huddle around three portable monitors.Lauren and Audrina segue into a conversation about tomorrow’s barbecue at the house of Lauren’s ex-boyfriend Doug.will it be awkward,Audrina wonders,since Doug recently went on a date with lauren’s friend Stephaie?Lauren admits,”Tomorrow,I’m gonna need to dring.” Adam, catching a shot of Lauren laughing that he thinks will work well for this season’s updated opening credits montage,runs over to the editor to have him jot down the time code.When the girls prepare to depart,the director sends one of the cameras across the street to capture them leaving.Strolling down the street,Lauren,who as been living her lift on television for four years and knows how to end a scene,turns to Audrina and smiles,”Tomorrow,” she says,”is gonna be a crazy,fun day.”

      As with most scenes on The Hills ,the cast knew ahead of time that cameras would be present at the scene.Almost everything is planned in advance,which is why production of The Hills has always faced tremendous skepticism—Is it fake?The answer is …to a point.The Hills is essentially,scheduled reality.A typical week begins with producers calling the core cast members on Sunday and getting intel on what’s happened to them over the weekend.An e-mail update is sent to the staff that night so everyone can prepare for Monday’s “story meeting,” in which the producers and story editors sit around and dissect the Hills girls’ personal and social lives.From that,they determine whom to film during the week.