the group room :: tv show pilot :: by fsm 2008

11/27/05 – Pag. 1 of 9 – Copyright 2003 Florencia San Martin, Luna Revelli and Javier Krasuk - +1.202.460.2170

THE GROUPROOM

A New TV ShowTeen's Group Therapy TV Show

Alternative Titles:Express Your SelfThe Hideout Club

Time-OutHidden Drive

EncounterNo Fear

CounselorChallenge

The Fight RoomSpeak Out


Contents Page

Episode 07 1

Synopsis 2

Target 3

Production 4

Casting 5

Location 6

Contacts 7


Episode 07Dylan is the good-looking, quiet one, and girls adore him. Women tune in just to watch him.His beautiful face has that particular kind of silent torment which appeals to their motherinstinct. He is the personification of teenage angst.

For weeks, you’ve seen him lounging on the dark blue velvet single-seater, one leg drapedlazily over the armrest, head tilted sceptically to one side, observing the rest of the therapygroup in detached, reflective silence. Introspective, melancholy, but extremely intense, hespeaks only when he’s spoken to, answering in flat mono-syllables. His replies are cleverthough, and he gives you the discreet impression that he has something really important tosay, but no appropriate moment in which to express himself - like he’s holding somethingpainful inside and waiting for the right opportunity to release it. By now, the biggest questionon viewers’ lips is: What’s Dylan’s deep, dark secret? Will Dr. Smith help him make abreakthrough?

But in today’s episode, there’s something noticeably different about him: sitting a little moreforward on the sofa, a small keychain dangles from his fingers; he spins it round and roundabsent-mindedly. The hidden cameras cut back and forth between him and the other fivemembers of the group. Lost in thought, his eyes stare into the vortex of endless circles.

Dr. Smith has noticed this change too - and so have the others: Jacob keeps looking over atDylan, but everybody’s attention is focussed on Cathy, who is sitting cross-legged on thefloor, spilling her heart out about her harrowing experience. She is on the verge of crying. Theentire group is quiet and tense, the atmosphere fraught with suspense.

“So, Cat…,” Smith resumes gently, “When your date told you to get undressed… at that point…did you imagine that things were going to get out-of-hand?”

The camera zooms in for a close-up of Cathy’s face. Tears are welling up in her eyes.

“No…! No… No. I didn’t know. I didn’t think. I just liked him. And I thought he liked me. Ididn’t think he was going to hurt me like that.…”


SynopsisPsychology. Analysis. Therapy. Have you ever wondered what it’s all really about, what it’slike? Have you ever wanted to know more about how it works, ever wanted to be a fly on thewall in a shrink’s session? Do you enjoy talk-shows, feel like watching more of them?

Tune into THE GROUP ROOM, the latest reality TV production and discover the mysterious,fascinating world of psychoanalysis and therapy. Get inside the real-life experiences of sixteenagers from different walks of life who bare and share all with a renowned expert in thefield of psychology. What are their problems? What are their fears, their hopes, their goals?How can they be helped?

Hosted by an eminent psychologist, THE GROUP ROOM is the first televised group therapyshow that not just answers all those questions and more, it also makes for riveting viewing.THE GROUP ROOM is a psychological adventure. Acting as guide, spirtual counsellor andteacher, he addresses their issues and takes care of their needs, creating a safe-haven thathelps them build character and develop courage to make positive changes in their lives.

The first step in solving or coping with a problem is recognizing that the problem exists. Onceyou recognize that the problem is there, you can begin to understand it and your options. Oneof the best things you can do is find someone to talk to. That someone might be one of yourparents, an adult you trust, a best friend, a counselor at school, or the TV program we arediscussing right now. Talking really does helps, no matter what the problem is. This show willprovide a road for teenagers to share their feelings and thoughts with others, so that they canget to know themselves better.


TargetSo who’s tuning in? Millions of Americans who huddle anxiously around their TV sets to watchreality shows. Witness the general popularity attributed to programs such as Dr. Phil andOprah and the animated response that the studio audience has towards the subjects that areraised in these shows, and you quickly understand what psychological forces at play make TVratings go through the roof.

The underlying assumption here is that of course people usually watch these shows to feelbetter about themselves…. But there is more to it than that: it is not just human nature thatwe want to compare ourselves to others and that we always want to know, ‘Are we normal?’.Whether we realize it or not, we are constantly growing and in the process continually lookingout for answers to our own personal questions. And these programs, being often the only onesto address matters of a personal nature, are for better or for worse, the only sourceinformation that provides at least some glimpse into the complex world of the human psyche.Some insight is better than none at all.

THE GROUP ROOM changes all that. More dedicated. More in-depth. More intense. It’s thefirst show that cuts through the crap and tunes into the audience for once: satisfying theviewer’s natural desire to understand who they are in a much more complete and direct way.

Young people watch this program to compare themselves with the teenagers on the show,parents watch this program to understand their kids, and adults watch this program toidentify with forgotten issues from their youth.


ProductionThe format is fairly simple. Every week, for a period of one month, six teenagers gathertogether and open the door to what lies inside their minds. There are no pre-defined topics todiscuss, although the host-psychologist does act as a guide (when discussions stall, he getsthe ball rolling; when things get out of hand, he mediates).

Each episode kick offs with the members sitting down and, after a brief introduction, going intowhat is known as ‘free association’ – Sigmund Freud’s typical “Say anything that comes intoyour mind, no matter how unusual or unimportant it may seem.” They talk about anything thatthey want to talk about. It is in the hands of Dr. Smith to break the ice and help themexpress their anxieties.

Although the shows have a live feel to them, they are pre-recorded. The group therapyactually takes place three times a week and what winds up on the broadcast is effectively thebest of what has happened during all the weekly sessions.

Takes are enhanced and supported by footage from each teenager’s camcorder (a kind ofpersonal diary when they are away from the group therapy sessions) and frequent, directinterviews with the psychologist himself, who explains the underlying mechanisms behindvarious issues and problems as they manifest themselves.


CastingThe most critical aspect of THE GROUP ROOM is the program’s cast. Although of course thecentral pivot-point is the host-psychologist whose charismatic, kind, softly-spoken presenceserves to anchor the show – the real drama and audience fascination lies with the sixteenagers and their unfolding problems.

Casting of participants therefore includes preliminary interviews and an eventual pre-selectionof finalists that can be considered suitable for the program. Candidates are chosen accordingto their ability to strike the right balance between being capable of providing the necessaryentertainment factor for the broadcasting network and capable of undergoing the therapeuticprocess in a manner which is successful to them.

Note: The participant’s personal details life will not be disclosed by the program, but it will becompletely at the participant’s discretion to do so. The idea is not to have pre-definedconcepts of how a person should be and what they should do or say. They should be free tobe who they want to be and to share only the information they feel comfortable about sharing.


LocationStudio Stage: Downtown NY studio, and old but beatifully renovated loft that kept an artisticand inviting look and feel; books, intriguing objects, confortable sofas and chairs. Six videocameras hidden behind walls, mirrows, roof, objects, relaxing environment.


ContactMrs. Maria Florencia San MartinPresidentMetromax Publishing, LLC1500 King Street, Suite 303Alexandria, VA 22314 USAT. +1.202.460.2170E. [email protected]

the group room :: tv show pilot :: by fsm 2008

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