Set-up: The Truman Show tells the story of a man who is unaware his life is being broadcast on TV, 24 hours a day, to billions of viewers across the world. The film was released just as reality TV was starting to become a popular form of entertainment. It took the idea of television intruding into people's lives to a frightening extreme.
The film became a great success at the box office mainly because of its star, Jim Carrey. The Canadian comic actor was keen to star in the movie to show off his skills as a dramatic actor. He did not want to be typecast forever as just a rubber-faced funny man.
The Truman Show provided a clever balance of satire, drama and comedy. It established Carrey as a genuine actor.
Plot: Although he doesn't know it, Truman Burbank has lived his entire life in front of television cameras. He is the star of a hit reality programme The Truman Show. As an orphan baby, Truman was adopted by a television corporation, which made him the star of his own carefully crafted reality show.
He is now in his early 30s and his every move is recorded by thousands of hidden cameras. Unknown to him, the idyllic little town where he lives is a film set built under a giant dome. All the people in Truman's life are actors who just play their parts. When Truman falls in love with one of the characters, she is taken off the set by the producers who have other ideas about Truman's future.
Slowly, Truman starts to notice strange things happening and begins to wonder what is going on. He decides to explore. But the producers of the show do everything in their power to prevent him from leaving his artificially controlled environment.
Big Brother: Television show Big Brother pits a group of contestants called housemates against one another in a custom-built studio. They live there, cut off from the outside world, for several weeks. Cameras and microphones planted around the set record their activities.
