#BOC is a pr nightmare but their on set behaviors and treatment of cast (writers that shall not be named excluded) has been top notch

[femslashedtires]

Not to ever defend Be On Cloud or Pond (because fuck them), and not to disagree with OP about a lot of the structure and early game issues with this show (because, again, absolutely fuck BOC and Pond). But I wanted to add some context to the acting portion and Mile & Apo's critique.

I won't lie, Apo is definitely a very straightforward coach. For some of the contestants, especially those with experience like Ta and Fuaiz, this worked very well and allowed him to get through a huge amount of information in a very short conversation. For some of the contestants, like Jet, this style of critique shook their confidence and didn't always clearly communicate the issues with the scene.

Personally, I didn't find him to be overly harsh, especially in a reality show format where they don't have months to build a relationship or receive incremental direction. I found Apo to have a lot of the same issues with the scenes that I did and to communicate those issues fairly well. Professionals should be able to have open and frank conversations about their craft. But that's a personal opinion and everyone will judge him differently.

What I do take issue with is the idea that the judges didn't give valuable feedback and criticism. Apo, BOC, and their acting coaches are very clearly if not straight up Stanislavski men, then at least heavily Stanislavski inspired (what is considered traditional, as opposed to The Method or method acting). This style of acting is heavily based in script analysis and the ability to imagine the characters circumstances (both current/setting based and past/mental).

A lot of Apo's criticism is maybe fairly oblique if you don't have any experience with this style of acting. His references to "being natural," seems less (to me) about being "A" natural or having "natural talent," and more as a shorthand to describing "the magic if" where an actor has prepared their character so well that they can respond to any circumstance as it arises because the actor is actively living in that character's world. That you can't see the Actor making Character Choices because they have become a person making split-second decisions in the moment.

When Apo (or Mile, or Bible, or Pond) give criticism like "You were trying to be pretty" (Ta), "Vegas doesn't think he's a psychopath" (New), or "I didn't believe you were really there [in the forest]" (JJay and Fuaiz) it's highlighting moments/ways they abandoned their training and focused the stage picture/their wants as an actor in a show, instead of the internal life of the characters. This is especially important advice for film, as the actors have no need to maintain consistency of performance over time like stage actors. They have directors and cinematographers, etc. active on set at all times.

Some of the harshest and most important conversations were when the boys presented their final scenes to the panel. In particular, Bump and Mio misunderstanding what kind of changes they should be making, New and Jet misinterpreting their scene entirely, and JJay and Fuaiz struggling to justify their choices. (Ta and Copper's conversation was more a question of can you realistically pull off a fight scene in this short of time when you have no training. Which is a resounding no.)

None of the contestants defended their choices well, and most of them hadn't done enough homework. It's a common mistake for young and new actors! The Kinnporsche characters have extremely complex emotional lives that aren't very relatable to bright, young men with a hopeful dream. These types of presentations are normal in this industry, and sometimes you completely miss the mark. Seeing how they react to direction like this *is* important if they are to be working, professional actors.

They aren't in a competition to become acting trainees, they're in a competition to be active industry professionals in one of the most popular companies. They need to prove they can work with the existing company members, take direction and critique well from the companies directors and coaches, and provide performances that are up to par. It's about finding a good fit for a very difficult job.

(Side note: The teams mentioned picking their own scenes for round two as well, meaning Bump and New picked the handjob scene for themselves. The panel was pretty actively advising against NC scenes [and action scenes] for all contestants due to the added complexity, but gave the contestants ultimate control. All the assigned scenes (KimChay songwriting, KinnPorsche looking for water, KinnPorsche talking about dreams, and VegasPete calling Pete's grandma) contained no NC or action sequences.)

In all, as someone who worked in the entertainment industry, I left the show with a lot of respect for Mile and Apo (and Bible) and the quality of guidance they provided. I would have left the show with more respect for Pond based on the acting work alone if it wasn't for... all the other episodes. While the show, as all reality shows, was exploitative and weird, I don't think there were any major issues with specifically the acting-based challenges (aside from the obvious issues with vote-based ranking and fan bases).

I know this post is only for like two people, but I’m going to make it anyway. So, my obsession with Dead Friend Forever finally reached critical levels and I resorted to binge-watching The Hidden Character just to get more content. For those that don’t know, The Hidden Character (which they literally call “THC”) was the reality show Be On Cloud used to cast DFF. It is bad. Like really bad. And not in a it’s-so-bad-it’s-good-type way. It’s one of the most exploitative pieces of media I have ever watched. I walked into it with a favorable view of BOC, Mile, Apo, and Pond (the CEO), and walked out of it hating all of them.

A small collection of things that happened over the 11-episode run:

Everyone was told that they had to share every single aspect of their life with the viewers or they would be eliminated. And, in fact, the first person eliminated was told that it was because he wasn’t being open enough with the audience. They filmed these boys—one of whom was only seventeen at the time—talking explicitly about their sex lives. Which is, of course, fine to talk about. It’s not fine to air it on television! Even some of the games themselves contained sexually suggestive content (i.e. Which do you prefer "eating" with—your hands or your mouth? If you were to cheat on your significant other, would it be just sex or a full-blown affair?)

During the first part of the show, everyone had a secret that the other players were supposed to guess. One of the player’s secret was that he used to be homophobic. (Questionable casting for a company that only hires men, but I digress). He was praised for having changed his mind. In contrast, JJay’s secret was that he was raised in an abusive household and had once hit his father. Pond crucified the poor guy for this. He made him sit there in front of the whole cast sobbing and apologize for hitting his dad who was an abusive asshole.

After the first half of the show—which served absolutely no purpose at all—we finally move onto the acting portion. This is, after all, supposed to be a talent competition. The judges were so mean. Especially Apo. He was like the Simon Cowell of BOC. There was no constructive component to their criticism. The fact that any of these people are still acting is honestly unbelievable. I would have gone home and cried myself to sleep and then never stepped foot on a stage again.

At one point, each of the groups was assigned a scene from KinnPorsche to act out (because BOC very clearly owns no other IP). One of the pairs was given the scene where Porsche gives Kinn a handjob in the bathroom. I wish I was kidding. 

The judges constantly told the contestants to make their scenes feel new and different but any time the actors actually tried to change anything, they complained it was “too” different and the original script was already perfect so who were they to think they could create something better. Once again, Apo and Mile, the original actors of these scenes, are the ones judging them! Like of course they like their version better. What is even happening??

And finally, the whole fucking thing was rigged for Ta to win. Like don’t get me wrong, I love Ta and I think he did a great job, but he was the only one who came into that competition with a built-in fanbase and the winner was chosen by popular vote.

It was all just…baffling. Especially from a company that claims to be trying to change the industry. Like if you want the industry to stop being so exploitative to its actors, maybe start with yourself? It also makes those condescending “how dare you watch our shows just for the NC scenes” press releases they do every week even more annoying.

I have no clue what the reaction to this show was while it was airing but god I hope they never do it again. It literally makes me feel so weird watching DFF now. I feel like those poor kids are being held hostage. Maybe CEO Pond’s been the one under the mask the whole time 🔪