Only one Quebec production has carved out a place among the global formats to see at MIPCOM in Cannes: the docu-reality How to become a guru with comedian Mathieu Cyr.
The series of four one-hour episodes, expected on Vrai Mardi, was selected for Fresh TV, which brings together new shows that stand out on the international scene. This biannual list results from the work of the research office The Wit, responsible for monitoring global TV trends.
Directed by Martin Paquette (50 ways to kill your mother, Wild connection) and produced by Pixcom (Indefensible, Alerts), How to become a guru offers an incursion into the world of spiritual leaders in the digital age.
For 16 weeks, without revealing anything, Mathieu Cyr used social networks to manipulate his 500,000 subscribers, convince them that he had the magic recipe for success, host conferences, etc. All this, with broad strokes of hollow and meaningless messages. The comedian also met experts, who dissect the method of modern gurus, who praise their “luxurious and wonderful life”, as communications strategist Nathalie Brière asserts in the first episode.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY VRAI
Mathieu Cyr with his wife, producer and agent, Ashley-Jade Lussier, in How to become a guru
How to become a guru caught the attention of Wit by exploring a current issue: people lacking attention, ready to do anything to gain subscribers on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube or any other social network. Reached by email, the president of the agency, Virginia Mouseler, indicated that the program highlighted “in an interesting way the dangers and excesses” of a growing phenomenon.
Producer at Pixcom, Isabelle Ouimet speaks of a surprise selection, especially since she had not submitted the show to the committee responsible for Fresh TV. “It’s a great source of pride, because in documentaries, budgets are limited. They’re microteams… We’ll see what the future holds for the project, but for now, we’re failing! »
A “jaw-breaking” project
According to Mathieu Cyr, the series should “shake the cage” of web gurus, who exert a hold on many people in search of meaning. The comedian also hopes that the show will force their followers to “open their eyes”.
In the interview, we feel Mathieu Cyr relieved to have finally revealed the truth to his fans, whom he fooled for four months by playing motivated spiritual leaders on the internet.
They saw me fired on top with my lectures and my increasingly esoteric speeches. It’s only been a few days since I was able to tell them that it was a stunt for a TV show. It’s liberating!
Matthew Cyr
Mathieu Cyr had clearly defined his limits before accepting this contract. He did not want, unlike some gurus, to sell things (pills, books) or, worse yet, to offer falsely medical advice, such as: “Stop your medications, and eat your probiotic yogurts. »
Still, he feared such an experience would sully his image or derail his career. “It was a daunting project. In life, I use humor, I tell jokes. Coming in and playing the over-the-top speaker was risky. »
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ABC
The Golden Bachelor
Varied selection
Besides How to become a guruFresh TV’s fall 2023 selection includes, once again, several romantic reality shows, including two aimed at singles aged 60 and over: The Golden Bachelora senior version of the famous Bachelor American centered around a widower, and forever Young (free translation, Forever young), an Italian format in which participants meet virtually, through young avatars.
Furthermore, artificial intelligence (AI) is available in two formats, including Me & Myself (free translation, Me and myself), a German production in which a host simultaneously interviews two versions of the same person: the young one, generated by AI, and the current one. In Are They For Real? (free translation, Are they real?), a single person must choose between five versions of the same person, one real and four created by AI.
Let us also point out the presence of the excellent – but false – reality TV Jury Dutya kind of Truman Show which relates the daily life of a group of jurors that can be watched on Prime Video.
PHOTO RAY BURMISTON, PROVIDED BY CHANNEL 4
Celebrity Save Our Sperm
The description of some selected formats will definitely raise eyebrows of viewers, like Celebrity Save Our Sperm (free translation, Save Our Sperm – Celebrity Editions), a British offering in which three public figures change their habits to produce better quality sperm, or even Kiss the Frog (free translation, Kiss the frog), a Brazilian dating show in which the suitors are disguised (yes, yes) as frogs.
As for fiction, the trend is resolutely towards stories inspired by real-life events, such as The Reckoning (United Kingdom), which paints the portrait of a small screen star who became a sexual predator, Everything for Agnes (France), which illustrates the mystery surrounding the disappearance of a rich young woman in 1977, and Estonia (Finland, Sweden), which looks back on one of the deadliest maritime disasters in Europe.
A major international television broadcast market bringing together industry professionals from all over the world, MIPCOM ended last Thursday.